---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: solomon benjamin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: 28-Mar-2005 14:36
Are the INtels, the Nokias and the big boys in IT
seeking ways to track / blue tooth {--as a verb}
systemize, and then capitalize? Are the new targets
P2P, opensource? Second, are these all a part of a
larger effort to map 'innovative' terrains that may
threaten their own products and markets? Are these
trends reflective of new ways of social control when
inter-linked with GIS based mapping? This are the main
questions that remained when I returned last week from
the DOORs conference "Doors of Perception -Infra 8.
This had in attendence the NOKIa's, the INtel's and
several MNC sponsorships, and also designers,
anthropologists, media installations. It is true that
there were some very interesting presentations on
moving towards an economy less driven by consumtion,
or then on attempts to raise poilitical accountability
using ICT4Ds. (Little on improving corporate
accountability though, but then, the sponsors would
hardly approve of that topic as a session heading.)
But the overall flavor was of a sort of "zing": The
world potrayed as an exciting innovating place. It was
a bit messy though, and perhaps needing some
enlighment, connections, and good design. Thus, one
of the main issues is seen as to how to 'map culture',
as a way to transform these into new markets -- but
not before the 'designers' had a go at it, adding that
special touch. In any case, the locals, as posed by
the ethnographer / anthropologist from Intel (and
INtel has 10 of them), could do with some help.
Now this in itself, is not new, and it was hardly
surprising that just as in the recent great wars
(WW-II, Korea, Vietnam, Palestine, Afgansitan and
Iraq), anthropologists have played a key role. There
seemed two issues:
1) One was that of competing terrains and IPR. The
assumption seems that well, there are all those
interesting innovating things happening these, but
they need to be tracked in a subtle way enabled by the
new blue tooth based techniques. The analogy was, as
presented so well by an Italian designer, was of a
sofa, so alive and enabled, warm and comforting, that
in an ubtrusive way, it locates the particulary
postures and relationship of the people who sit on it.
Another, and in related theme was the presentation by
Nokia again on tracking such new geographies via the
new generation of blue tooth based stuff. There were
several others incl. some exciting installations that
did a sort of spatial trick, and perhaps this might
explain the key role for architects (incl. ex ones)
and desighners to complement the anthropologists. Not
surprising, was the focus on peer to peer exchanges
and open source exchanges where the subtle theme was
can the enabled sofa that may do its jobs so
effectively.
2) The second theme related to innovative terrains yet
being messy. The big question posed was, Does design
have a role? I felt that the issue is not if it has or
not, but why is such a question posed in the first
place. Is it, like the anthropologist in times of war,
to map the messiness to set in motion efforts to
control and capitalize via IPR and new patent regimes.
For instance, where was the role of who controlled,
and the nature of modern day capital and in effect
property? I attempted to draw attention to this
linking to Steadman Jones work on London in the
industrial revolution, but only with a tame response.
3) The third issue, that hit me later, related to some
GIS types encountered waiting in a long q at
lunchtime. GIS as a way of tracking land titles, is
seen in the perspective of Hernando De Soto, the World
Banks' blue eyed boy, as a way to make cities and the
poor 'bankable'. But it is also very attractive for
the internal /home affairs department of any
government as a way of tracking and tagging particular
groups -- an issue that I recently witnessed in a
presentation of the work of Bangalore'e E-Governance
Foundation (funded by its main IT honcho), and also
interviews with the technical director of the National
Informatics Centre. In other work, I have discussed
this issue, but here in the context of DOORs-8, these
memories came flashing back
Perhaps I was so taken back by the combination of
designers/ anthropologists / ethnographers / and
sociologists that I decided to preface
my presentation with the following that questions our
attempt to sometime constantly map our cities in a
un-questioning way.
Innovating Neighborhoods..but also heralding a new
War? (in which Architects play Golf, Planners play
God, and the Big Boys talk at night)
Mapping for the New War: WW-II, Vietnam, Korea,
Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq...and mapping
'culture'..Are we the ethnographers and
anthropologists of a New War? Mapping cultures for
Corporate power that seeks to establish new forms of
controls via Patents, IPR, Copy Rights, Master
Planning, are we mapping Open Source and 'P to P' to
'open' while closing?
I then moved to the main arguments:
* India's largest innovative cluster are what Master
Planners term as "Slums". This helps big business
benefit with public subsidies and cheap land forcibly
acquired!
* Innovative neighborhoods come from Juggard or "COPY
CULTURE -- No IPR !! "
*This is underpinned by incrementally upgrading land
markets, upgraded with productivity enhancing
infrastructure and services by municipal councils.
Messy but effrctive!
*Threat comes from Master Planning viewing this as
"NON-CONFORMING AND UN-PLANNED" but to favor corporate
big business to access land and subsidized
infrastructure and services;
Finally, a new role (in war) for Anthropologist,
Ethnographers, and designers, architects, planners,
and media artists.. If so, while Innovation is Nice.,
whose side are you on?
WW-II, Vietnam, Korea, Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq...
...are we at the New War ... Mapping new cultures,
city scapes, innovations, the exclusive designers of
new forms of controls via Blue Tooth, embedded stuff
invisible, contractual copyrights underpinning
artistic abilities and the new aesthetic, to 'open'
while closing...
