[spectre] Karen Blissett is Revolting

[marc garrett]

Sorry for any cross posting...

Karen Blissett is Revolting

An interview by Ruth Catlow on New Criticals.

In June 2010, Karen Blissett, a regular participant in art world 
debates, via various email discussion lists and social media platforms, 
"went multiple". She identified the email address as the kernel of 
personal identity in network culture and issued the following invitation:

“Dear Friends.
Please join me.
Literally.
I want to become more open and free, with a more distributed identity.
So if you would like to take a break from yourself and speak and act as 
me instead, please drop me a personal email.
If I trust you I will send you my password and you can start expressing me.
Can't wait!
Karen Blissett
-- 
Open, Free, Public and Distributed at last.” (1)

“Karen Blissett inhabits similar terrain to the productively disruptive 
and exploratory net identities of 90s audio visual software artists NN 
aka Netochka Nezvanova aka Nameless Nobodies; as well as more recent 
human-bot combos such Angel_F, a baby Artificial Intelligence by 
Salvatore Iaconesi and Oriana Persico (of the Italian art duo Art is 
Open Source), created to grow up ‘among viruses, technological systems, 
digital emotions and stories of the fight for freedom of expression.’ 
Karen’s ontology also rhymes with Piratbyran’s chatbot OmniHal, (3) 
programmed to welcome users to their Internet Relay Chat channel (used 
for years by a group of friends to devise, plan and develop the 
philosophies, software and parties that underpinned a particular 
flowering of free culture on the Internet). Over time the chatbot mimics 
the words and concerns of the IRC users, filling the channel with echoes 
of previous exchanges creating a sense of belonging and conviviality.” 
Catlow.

http://www.newcriticals.com/karen-blissett-is-revolting/print