[resource-net] For reSource 006: an XLterrestrials intro for Open Debate...

[podinski]

dear re:sourcers,

To seed a little productive friction for 006: Overflow open debates


This was written mainly as constructive feedback from the last resource
meeting for P2P Vorspiel participants, which i personally felt was far too
structured and occupied by Transmediale themes and agenda
 rather than
providing a platform for the community / network to decide how best to
engage itself w/ the festival 
 and perhaps more importantly BEYOND
festivals


But i think it will be useful for anyone to read who is interested in
attending the Resource Open Chats 2morw at Bethanien, which is framed in
the context of "Trans-genre" or hybrid art activities.

This may provide an interesting starting point for some productive debates
for those of us who ARE in fact working along these lines ( for various
reasons).  BUT it may also prove to be a little too constraining to get a
handle on the MASSIVE shifts and challenges we are facing today, as
cultural producers in Berlin, and more importantly as concerned global
citizens in, let's just say, very UNSTABLE times.

As a 'brief' (Resource) intro


I became involved with Resource shortly after some discussions began
between TM and Wedding-based culture-makers Christian de Lutz (PAL) +
Erika Siekstelyte ( Panke) 
 And if i remember correctly, attending the
1st public gathering to get the network forming was at General Public

over a year and a half ago
 And i participated in the Resource Exquisite
Corpse - ( Ludic, game ) at TM fest in 2011. And in P2P Vorspiel in 2012.

I'd been attending and writing about Transmediale for The XLterrestrials
project for a number of years
 attempting to give hard analysis and push
the envelope in the arts(+tech) communities for taking on a variety of
social crises. And to inspire actions that go deeper than the Spectacle +
Showtime scenarios. That said, i don't often succeed in getting there w/
my own projects. And that said, I often partake in the art worlds for the
pure pleasure of creative social environments, because otherwise i would
probably not survive as an artist, nor as a human, nor as an ALIEN ;)

But things feel like they are definitely getting far more serious, so i'm
curious if there are others in this network who see this is a community
with A LOT of potential for collectively navigating and addressing these 
"situations" !?

...

I've seen Transmediale often as a strong mix of playful arts along with
intellectual + social engagement,  but what it - and festivals - rarely do
is get involved with the year-round issues and on-the-ground struggles of
the city to which it belongs. On a local community-scale interactions (
i.e. beyond the net, beyond the fest, beyond the arts).

...

So when some activated fans of T.M got together and synched together w/
Tatiana B.'s own ideas for community engagement (and Net Disruption), i
was curious and enthusiastic about the potentials
.

My feeling these days is that IF there aren't some of us who push for
higher ground, the Resource Net will be just another happy little enclave
of technology + art sector bits re-playing the usual art exhibition
formats, which doesn't have a lot of TRANSFORMATIVE potential.

It may be a fringe perspective amongst you, or even my opinion alone, but
i think there are some BIG CHANGES afoot that all socially-conscious
artists should be preparing for.

And so I imagine a growing alliance of curators, artists and citizens
constructing the paths + the means to go outside the gallery / venue
walls. To go AWOL !

And so i would begin asking WHAT 'resources' can we PRODUCE from our
interactions ? HOW can our creative productivity be put towards making
serious impact on critical + urgent  issues ? ... like surviving the 21st
century, like restoring democracies, constructing DIY economies, etc.

Sure there will be a whole variety of art forms coming out of this rapidly
growing network, but where i'd personally like to see some extra progress
made is in ideas that can take shape in the new genre(s)of Arts + Praxis.

 I'll have to let you define that for yourselves, as i'm still in the
process of discovering what that means in my own work.

Perhaps when we are further along in this concept of Garden-i-fication, a
theme which arose out the XLterrestrials + CiTiZEN KiNO performances , a
kind of cinema hacking, a form to better navigate our current media
environments in community settings, we will have clearer models +
examples.

For now, Garden-i-fication came from one of our shows last year and
subsequent discussions. It's about seeking ways to go against the grain of
Corporate Capture and its strategies of Game-i-fication,  to operate
outside the usual Spectacle + Consume + Commodities platforms, which are
literally killing us !

AND i will add:  'Resources' from an XLterrestrials perspective could mean
developing community brain pools, art labor-pools, collectivity,
solidarity, skill-shares, tactical media + self-defense ( especially in
light of all the current data scandals ), AND working together on tapping
the money flows + cultural funding for crucial projects,  new economic
strategies for the culture makers,
etc.


Thanks for reading,
if you found the time...

and looking fwd to discussing further with you all 2morw,

Dr. Podinski

aka

Paolo Podrescu


0----O----o
www.xlterrestrials.org/plog
arts + praxis organisms
o-----O------0

twitter: podinski