[spectre] Turbulence | ShiftSpace Commission: "Yeas and Nays" by Christian Croft

[Turbulence]

February 3, 2009
Turbulence | ShiftSpace Commission: "Yeas and Nays" by Christian Croft
http://www.shiftspace.org/spaces/yeas-and-nays/
http://turbulence.org/works/shiftspace

"Yeas and Nays" is a browser plug-in that transforms any webpage into a
means for contacting Congressional representatives. It is the latest
functionality added to Shiftspace.org, an application that provides an open
source layer above any website.

"Yeas and Nays" is a powerful tool that translates knowledge into action. By
invoking the "Yeas and Nays" interface -- which calls elected
representatives -- readers can respond immediately to the issues they care
about. Their phone calls are recorded so that others can learn to articulate
their views effectively.

"Yeas and Nays" was awarded first place in the "The ShiftSpace Commissions
Program" (http://turbulence.org/works/shiftspace), a 2007 commission of New
Radio and Performing Arts, Inc., (aka Ether-Ore) for its Turbulence web
site. It was made possible with funding from the New York City Department of
Cultural Affairs.

ShiftSpace provides a new public space on the web. By pressing the [Shift] +
[Space] keys, a ShiftSpace user can invoke a new meta layer above any web
page to browse and create additional interpretations, contextualizations and
interventions -- which are called "Shifts". Users can choose between several
authoring tools -- called "Spaces" -- that allow web users to annotate,
modify and shift the content of a page and through ShiftSpace, share that
shift with the rest of the web. "Trails" are maps of shifts (shiftspace
content) that create meta-layer navigation across websites. These trails
might be used as a platform for collaborative research, for curating net art
exhibitions, or as a way to facilitate a context-based public debate.

BIOGRAPHY

As an artist in an age of exponential information growth, CHRISTIAN CROFT'S
work harnesses public data flows, filtering their contents to reveal changes
in how people communicate. His work translates information trails into new
and often contrary spaces to highlight the sociological influence of new
technologies. Croft's production methods include web programming, DIY
electronics, rapid prototyping machinery, and telephone system networking.
His work has been shown at The Kitchen Summer Institute, Centre Pompidou,
Georgia Museum of Art, Athens Institute of Contemporary Art (ATHICA),
Rhizome Artbase, EYEBEAM Upgrade!, SIGGRAPH 2007, and Conflux 2007.


Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Networked_Music_Review: http://turbulence.org/networked_music_review
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade 
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org