Quoting Natasha Vita-More <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
At 01:53 PM 1/25/2008, you wrote:
On Jan 25, 2008, at 10:14 AM, Natasha Vita-More wrote
and Samantha Atkins wrote
The idea of useless technology is developed in wearables more than
in bioart. Steve's perspective is more political than artistic in
regards to uselessness, don't you think? My paper which includes
an interview with him is published in Technoetics (2007). But that
probably explains some of your thinking because the fine arts is
pretty much turned off to transhumanism and infers an elitism
stemming from the ideas of people who support argumentation and
indefinite lifespans.
Gudrun Bielz:
Not quite sure if this 'useless technology' paragraph refers to my
posting about
my project. I know about Kurtz's political art and philosophy. I am interested
in useless as not commercially viable, as useless in the sense of not being
utilised or not being interesting enough to be utilised. I have appropriated
Kurtz's term for my own project, interests and desire.
That is almost amusing as the Fine Arts are not exactly known for
absence of elitism. Has our intellectual environment universally
succumbed to some PC reactionary meme set?
It is a complex paradox.
The group of bioartists under the influence of Critical Art Ensemble
has a self-rightous attitude and political opposition to capitalism
and consumerism. Most European artists would agree it seems.
Gudrun Bielz:
This is quite self-righteous, too. Nothing wrong with a political
opposition to
consumerism and TOTAL capitalism By the way, I am an European artist.
CAE
has taken a strong lead in the field of bioart because of their
laboratory in Australia and some of their productions which, on one
had criticize others for doing exactly what they are doing, and on
the other hand use hyperbole to gain momentum and attention. Much of
their productions which are dramatic are beautifully
executed. Albeit, if one takes the time to read carefully it is easy
to see that they are making rash assumptions based on fallacy. In
the academic world this is totally unacceptable and they ought to be
called on it. However, CAE claims to be working with tissue in
unique ways but they are merely doing what medicine has been doing
for years. Many other bioartists are aware of the situation within
bioart and vying for attention and position because it is a new
field/genre and gaining a lot of momentum, especially the artist who
coined the term "bioart" (Joe Davis).
Gudrun Bielz:
One of the advantages of being an artist is that one does not have to
comply to
a scientific codex. Even if universities and art schools that have
become part
of universities would like artists rather to adopt a 'pseudo' scientific and
therefore sort of measurable output, and not to invent or indulge or just
fantasise. (I have worked in art and art education for 20 years and some of it
in an Ivy league university)
Most of my colleagues are professors in art institutions and we
discuss this frequently and at length. In fact, I gave a lecture at
the NABA in Milano last month and 80% of the student body said they
wanted to live to 50 maximum.
That is one of the saddest and most vile things I have heard in
quite some time. Were the reasons why they said this explored?
Another complex issue. First, the students are in the early 20s and
at that age most of us though that anyone over 40 was "old." Second,
there is the issue of the students being catholic and harboring the
idea that old die, go to heaven, and make way for the young. (We
know this psychology all too well) But it would seem that artists in
Italy would be educated, aware, and willing to explore the cyborg and
the transhuman. Cyborg is known, of course, but transhuman requires
more intellection and exploration.
Gudrun Bielz:
I agree with Natasha. They are young, end everybody beyond 30 is
already too old
for many young people. Some of the older role models, or should I say un-role
models are stuck, more interested in positioning than experiencing or
(re)searching. That might not help. There is also this strange romanticism,
(James Dean) and a probably European idea of gaining immortality of ones ideas
and art (and the artist) especially if the artist has died young. This
certainly is romanticism and a form of 'perverted' idealism.
But, yes, all in all it is quite sad and annoying that this field is
so damn slow to catch on, and when it does -- it shouts
"elitism" "haves over have-nots" "capitalists and consumerism"
rather than actually THINKING - using the brain to explore,
investigate and understand what is actually happening.
Gudrun Bielz:
Capitalism might be a rather successful system, but it is not the icing on the
cake. Criticizing it is perfectly alright. the idea of choice, a Thatcherite
and Blairite (here in the UK) illusion, is not quite possible for many people.
Some psychoanalysts call some transhumans (also extropians like
Moravec,I would
assume) as caught in their own omni-potence.
By the way, anti-capitalist does not mean anti-science or anti-technology or
anti-progress or even anti-utopia. Capitalism in its current state might
actually be anti-utopia.
My reason for
going back to university was because of this very fact. I decided
that rather than staying in the world of science and technology, I
would return to the arts and kick up some dust.
Natasha, this is quite great. And hopefully enlightening and fun.
Gudrun Bielz
UK
<http://www.natasha.cc/>Natasha <http://www.natasha.cc/>Vita-More
PhD Candidate, Planetary Collegium - University of Plymouth - Faculty
of Technology
School of Computing, Communications and Electronics
Centre for Advanced Inquiry in the Interactive Arts
If you draw a circle in the sand and study only what's inside the
circle, then that is a closed-system perspective. If you study what
is inside the circle and everything outside the circle, then that is
an open system perspective. - Buckminster Fuller
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