[spectre] SYMPOSIUM: Positions in flux: On the changing role of the artist and institution in the networked society

[Marieke Istha]

Positions in flux: On the changing role of the artist and institution in 
the networked society

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Organised by Netherlands Media Art Institute (NIMk), Amsterdam

Symposium venue: Trouw Amsterdam Wibautstraat 131, Amsterdam 
www.trouwamsterdam.nl

The symposium 'Positions in flux: On the changing role of the artist and 
institution in the networked society' will center on some of the major 
parameters for the current and future development of contemporary art. 
In particular it will reflect on the aspect of cultural sustainability 
of art projects, art and technology initiatives and art curating.

'Positions in flux' will give floor to international artists, 
theoreticians, critics, cultural producers and aims to initiate a truly 
critical debate. The symposium is designed for a broad audience working 
in the field of contemporary culture and art, with a desire to 
understand what comes ahead and how to respond to these changes on an 
artistic or institutional level. 'Positions in flux' will provide a 
platform and “thinkspace” for artists, cultural workers, theoreticians 
and a broader public to envision the future in our field and to provide 
us with the necessary information to make choices for a meaningful and 
sustainable development of society and culture.

The three panel discussions follow a clear thematic scheme and try to 
bring in as much expertise and viewpoints as possible. The panels are 
interlinked and designed to initiate an ongoing discussion among the 
participants.

The symposium will be streamed from the symposium venue, Trouw 
Amsterdam. Online audiences will have the opportunity to participate in 
the debate in the live discussion forum. The results of the debate and 
its main contributions are reviewed and published online on the new 
Media Art Platform. www.mediaartplatform.org

The symposium is part of the 'Here we are – There we go' programme at 
the Netherlands Media Art Institute, May 8th – 10th, 2009 which takes 
place on the occasion of the Institute’s 30th anniversary. 'Here we are 
– There we go' celebrates the Institute’s achievements in these thirty 
years and plans for the future with an inspiring open house weekend of 
artist talks, performances, installations, tours and a party.

'Positions in flux' is made possible with the kind support of the 
Mondriaan Foundation.
The conference language is English.

Please contact: info at nimk.nl for inquiries

ENTRANCE:
15 euro (Students 10 euro). You can buy your ticket in advance at the 
reception of the NIMk (sale starts May 1th) or you can pay at the venue 
location until a half hour before the symposium starts.
Including tea, coffee, reception at the NIMk at the end of the day

RESERVATIONS:
Please make reservations by sending you name and contact information to 
info at nimk.nl

Speakers and panels
Please note that speakers and times are subject to change.

9:00 – 10:00 Registration

9:45 Welcome and Introduction
by Heiner Holtappels, director of NIMk and Susanne Jaschko, the 
symposium's curator

10.30 – 12.30 Panel 1: Art goes politics
In this session we will discuss the potential of art to contribute to 
global and local problems such as religious conflicts, environmental or 
social crisis. Or is art constrained to raising awareness only? Should 
art become an agency for political and social affairs at all? How to 
successfully implement and conduct art projects in zones of crisis? What 
does it take to successfully implement and conduct projects in zones of 
crisis? How far do these projects benefit from the dubious attention of 
the mass media?

Hans Bernhard (AT), artist, UBERMORGEN.COM
http://www.ubermorgen.com

Wafaa Bilal, artist (IQ/US)
http://www.wafaabilal.com

Knowbotic Research, artist group (DE/CH), artist in residence at NIMk 
2008/2009
http://www.krcf.org

Moderated by Chris Keulemans, writer and journalist (NL) (tbc)
http://roadtrip.submarinechannel.com/content/view.jsp?mapid=5986&itemid=4897&menu=true 


12.30 – 13.30 Lunch break

13.30 – 15.30 Panel 2: New territories and cultures of the digital
This panel will look at the geographical shift that media culture 
currently undergoes and that will shape the future of this field. In the 
past, Europe, North America and Japan were at the forefront of digital 
production, design, art and technological research. Now that digital 
technologies become available at lower prices and spread more widely on 
the globe, new digital communities flourish. This panel looks 
specifically at new initiatives and bottom-up organisations in other 
parts of the world such as East Europe, the Middle East, Africa and 
South America, trying to understand what characterizes these 
initiatives. In how far do local and national cultures shape digital 
culture? Do these initiatives share common experiences and challenges, 
or is there no common ground to be found? Which kind of art arises from 
these new nodes on the digital map? How can we support the growth and 
establishment of these organisations?

Bronac Ferran (UK), researcher, consultant and founding member of bricolabs
http://www.boundaryobject.org

Nat Muller, independent curator and critic (NL)

Marcus Neustetter, media artist, curator and co-founder of Trinity 
Session (ZA)
http://www.onair.co.za/thetrinitysession/index_temp.html

Adam Somlai-Fischer, artist and architect, programme director of Kitchen 
Budapest (HU)
http://www.kitchenbudapest.hu

Moderated by Rob van Kranenburg, thinker, networker and author (NL/BE)
Van Kranenburg has been teaching at various schools in the Netherlands 
(UvA, EMMA Interaction Design, Industrial Design). Currently he works as 
the Head of the Public Domain Program at Waag Society. He is author of 
‘The Internet of Things.’

For this session we will ask initiatives and organisations around the 
world to come up with a short written or a 1 minute video statement 
about challenges they face in the future.
These contributions will be shown during the panel.

15.30 – 16.00 Coffee Break

16.00 – 18.00 Panel 3: Open Source – A scheme for art production and 
curating?
This session deals with the concept of open source for art production 
and its presentation. The open source movement is driven by the idea of 
collective, process-based, sustainable production and improvement. In 
software development this strategy has already proven to be valid; 
however can this model be applied to other products such as artworks or 
even exhibitions? In how far does the open source model differ from 
other forms of artistic collaboration? Is there a new role model for 
both the artist and the curator in the future? Which (economic) value 
and impact has expertise in open source production? How could 
institutions and organisations respond to this trend?

Marcos Garcia, director of Interactivos, Medialab Prado (ES)
http://www.medialab-prado.es

Jaromil, dyne.org and researcher at NIMk
http://jaromil.dyne.org/journal/

Joasia Krysa, curator, founder of KURATOR (PL/UK)
http://www.kurator.org

Moderated by Susanne Jaschko, chief curator NIMk (DE/NL)
http://www.sujaschko.de

19:30 Reception at the Netherlands Media Art Institute,

Netherland Media Art Institute
Keizersgracht 264
1016 EV Amsterdam
http://www.nimk.nl