I've really enjoyed this discussion - and learned a lot from what others are doing. It's really helpful to know how others work, survive, live, make art - this way I can learn about options. I'm still trying to find my way - and quite lost most of the time!
thanks, dave 2010/1/10 Michael Szpakowski <[email protected]>: > Ah! I knew some of Marc's history but not yours Simon - this is fascinating > and really helps to put into context some of the things you have argued here. > There's nothing I'd disagree with here. It's often (well it is for me) nerve > racking to post something more personal, especially when a lot of heat has > been generated in a discussion, but I'm glad you have. > regards > michael > > --- On Sun, 1/10/10, Simon Biggs <[email protected]> wrote: > >> From: Simon Biggs <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: [NetBehaviour] Call for Submissions: Multichannel >> VariableEconomies Screening Programme Deadline 28th January (Helen Sloan) >> To: "NetBehaviour for networked distributed creativity" >> <[email protected]> >> Date: Sunday, January 10, 2010, 3:35 PM >> >> >> Re: [NetBehaviour] Call for Submissions: >> Multichannel VariableEconomies Screening Programme Deadline >> 28th January (Helen Sloan) >> >> >> I am with >> Marc on this, in more ways than one. >> >> >> >> I come from what could be considered a privileged >> background, compared to what Marc describes. Mine was a >> middle class academic family growing up on a beautiful wild >> beach in Australia (as different from Southend on Sea as you >> could get, except for the presence of the sea). However, >> like Marc, I didn’t school well. I ran away from home >> at 15, living on communes and in surfer communities around >> the country (this was the beginning of the 70’s, so >> that wasn’t that unusual then). My parents, being >> liberals, could not find any way of dealing with this. The >> result was I never acquired a school or University >> qualification and am effectively self-taught. >> >> >> >> Hippy life can burn you out. Too many drugs and too much >> disorder eventually get to you. I went off to live on my >> own, quietly, to concentrate on what I felt I could do well >> – painting. I was again lucky, as in my childhood the >> family friends were mostly artists (my mother was a poet) so >> I learned both technical knowledge from a young age and also >> an appreciation of what the artist’s life can be. It >> was an easy thing for me to slip into being. I never went to >> art college. So, it is strange for me that throughout my >> professional life I have often found myself working in art >> colleges and other academic environments. They are not alien >> to me, as I grew up in a studious context, with books and >> art. But it can be weird to teach when you can only imagine >> what it is like to be a student. However, one advantage I >> have is that I can argue, with conviction, that a degree is >> not a pre-requisite to being an artist. I can describe >> education as being about a personal journey into knowledge >> and creativity, not a piece of paper that will eventually >> validate you. My own experience can stand as evidence that >> you do not need to fulfil other people’s expectations >> to achieve what you want. >> >> >> >> Education is the most effective force for social change I >> have come across and it should be the right of every >> individual to have as much of it as they want (or can >> stand). Education can (should) be a primary resource for >> transformation. It does not need to be formalised, but to >> create substantial resource infrastructure you sometimes >> need large institutions. When I argue the case for artists >> working in academic environments I do so from a conviction >> concerning education’s transformative capacity, not >> from some idea that everyone needs to be appropriately >> validated. That validation is part of the problem with >> education. >> >> >> >> Best >> >> >> >> Simon >> >> >> >> >> >> Simon Biggs >> >> >> >> Research Professor >> >> edinburgh college of art >> >> [email protected] >> >> www.eca.ac.uk >> >> >> >> Creative Interdisciplinary Research into CoLlaborative Environments >> >> CIRCLE research group >> >> www.eca.ac.uk/circle/ >> >> >> >> [email protected] >> >> www.littlepig.org.uk >> >> AIM/Skype: simonbiggsuk >> >> >> >> >> >> From: marc >> garrett <[email protected]> >> >> Reply-To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed >> creativity <[email protected]> >> >> Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2010 14:44:25 +0000 >> >> To: NetBehaviour for networked distributed >> creativity <[email protected]> >> >> Subject: Re: [NetBehaviour] Call for Submissions: >> Multichannel VariableEconomies Screening Programme Deadline >> 28th January (Helen Sloan) >> >> >> >> Hi Curt & all, >> >> >> >> As someone who mainly comes from a self-education position, >> or rather >> >> from a place where I come from a very poor and violent >> working class >> >> family - which spent most of the time either being put in >> social care, >> >> whether this be in borstals and prison, plus family members >> vanishing >> >> because of the failures of 70's social (un)care >> systems. Just think of >> >> 'Cathy Come Home' by Ken Loach - >> >> http://en.wikipediaorg/wiki/Cathy_Come_Home >> and may get some idea of my >> >> own personal history. Moving on from that I wish to mention >> that, for me >> >> education is one of the most important aspects of human >> development and >> >> a human right. >> >> >> >> Because I was not fortunate when younger to be able to >> experience a >> >> decent education, I had to discover various sneaky ways in >> finding >> >> information that the terrible school I was at, was not >> teaching me. My >> >> passion to discover what was going in the world beyond the >> chaos of my >> >> everyday circumstance was strong - even obsessed, whether >> it was in >> >> science, politics, technology, history, philosophy or art, >> I would bunk >> >> school regularly and spend an awful lot of my time in the >> Essex Library, >> >> which thankfully was in Southend-on-Sea, a town 50 miles >> from London. >> >> Some examples of what I read from the age of 12 and 13 and >> (of course) >> >> onwards, were books such as the The Mass Psychology of >> Fascism by >> >> Wilhelm Reich, The Divided Self by R. D. Laing, James >> Joyce, T. S. Eliot >> >> and D. H. Lawrence. Carl Jung, Fear of Flying by Erica >> Jong, Herbert >> >> Read - especially Education Through Art and The Paradox of >> Anarchism, >> >> loads of art books. I am not saying that I understood these >> >> >> publications, but I am saying that it encouraged me to >> learn more and I >> >> have not stopped since. >> >> >> >> So, when I think of education I do not immediately think of >> official >> >> education as in universities or colleges. For I am a strong >> advocate of >> >> self-education, which also involves one being self critical >> as well. >> >> There is larger and broader context where individuals have >> the choice to >> >> explore life, art and all the other equally important >> subjects outside >> >> institution environments as well. One of my personal >> worries in respect >> >> of UK culture, which may be also the same regarding USA, >> although >> >> influenced through different historical, political >> situations is that, >> >> my own class - as in, working class has turned into a mass >> of gibbering >> >> X Factor driven bimbos. Of course, this is not a universal >> issue, but >> >> the consumer orientated mediation of our cultures via neo >> liberal >> >> agendas have not helped. >> >> >> >> I personally do not think that individuals themselves >> should deny any >> >> official forms of education. For there are some good >> educators here and >> >> there who are decent and authentic in appreciating how to >> learn >> >> themselves, and are active in the process of engaging with >> students in >> >> ways that attempt in spirit, to transcend beyond the bland >> and >> >> over-efficient trappings of slack management structures >> that manner are >> >> dealing with. Not just this, economics is factor in the >> real world and >> >> gaining degrees and learning via institutional means gets >> you a job. >> >> From that, if you are artist you get some proper >> money to fund your own >> >> projects on your own terms etc... >> >> >> >> The irony of learning outside of my school environment at >> that age was >> >> that, at 14 I was asked to go to college at weekends by the >> Essex >> >> council. Which was strange because all the other students >> were on >> >> average 17-20 years of age. I was told to go back to school >> or they >> >> would put me in a Borstal, so I did in the end. >> >> >> >> From this experience ideas around education have also >> been informed by >> >> writers such as 'Deschooling Society' by Ivan >> Illich, and other works >> >> such "Pedagogy of the Oppressed' by Paulo Friere. >> Yet, in contrast to >> >> all of this art (whatever medium) as a from of creative >> expression has >> >> always been my main agenda and always will be :-) >> >> >> >> wishing you well. >> >> >> >> marc >> >> > Hi Rob (and all), >> >> > >> >> > Fun quotes (for the prose alone). Yes. stones, glass >> houses, logs in >> >> > eyes and specks in eyes. The following quote is from >> the >> >> > acknowledgements of Rita Raley's 2009 >> "Tactical Media" book (which I >> >> > will teach this semester in a freshman "liberal >> studies introductory >> >> > colloquium" course called "Tactical Media / >> D.I.Y. Anarchy"): >> >> > >> >> > "It is my fervent wish that this book will become >> obsolete becaues >> >> > the world will have changed so dramatically that this >> study of >> >> > art-activism could only appar as a quaint historical >> artifact, its >> >> > latent pessimism misguided, its failure to imagine >> otherwise >> >> > indicative of the author's poverty of imagination. >> Until such a >> >> > point, I will continue to look to tactical media >> artists for >> >> > inspiration and guidance." (xii) >> >> > >> >> > Not that I myself look to "tactical media >> artists" for much >> >> > inspiration or guidance, and probably by the end of >> the course we >> >> > will have critiqued their approaches from >> contradictory perspectives >> >> > -- the work is too didactic/hamfisted/pragmatic; the >> work is too >> >> > disengaged/esoteric/impotent. (Throw a critical stone >> in the air and >> >> > you will hit a tactical media artist.) >> >> > >> >> > It is always amusing to me when artists and/or >> educators try to >> >> > out-ethicalize each other, as if any of us are all >> that directly, >> >> > pragmatically, quantitatively, measurably changing >> anything. For me, >> >> > art and teaching are a gamble -- a gamble that some >> kind of abstract >> >> > affective agency will eventually modulate actual >> aspects of the world >> >> > in some way that will "matter." >> Consequently, I admire others who are >> >> > making similar wagers. But I don't ever fool >> myself into believing >> >> > that I'm on the street feeding the poor. Because >> I've done that kind >> >> > of work as well, and it's quite a different >> thing. >> >> > >> >> > Rock & Roll Ain't No Pollution, >> >> > Curt >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> >> There's more irony to be had in the quotes, >> that's why I posted them. >> >> >> That and, as Michael points out, they are funny. >> >> >> >> >> >> Art & Language are anti-academic but started >> and have often ended up in >> >> >> academia. They are politically committed but show >> at a gentrifying, >> >> >> market-leading gallery. Despite protests to the >> contrary they are >> >> >> radical artists who have artworld careers. I like >> them. >> >> >> >> >> >> It's very easy to criticise academia, artistic >> careerism, the art >> >> >> market, politically/socially committed art etc. >> from the security of >> >> >> one's own, virtuous, position outside of them. >> But there's no point >> >> >> outside the world where we can stand and point and >> laugh at it. >> >> >> >> >> >> We all need to be careful about glass houses, or >> at least work on >> >> >> smashing our own windows, whether our teaching >> means we are objectively >> >> >> in academia or our radical socially committed >> artistic practice means we >> >> >> are objectively part of gentrification. >> >> >> >> >> >> The most important criticism is self-criticism, >> although this may >> >> >> sometimes mean that we have to admit we are not >> criticising others >> >> >> enough. ;-) I've taught, I've wired up >> abandoned warehouses, I've >> >> >> attended private views, I write reviews for a >> techno-art-and-society web >> >> >> community. We are all guilty... >> >> >> >> >> >> - Rob. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> >> >> [email protected] >> >> >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> >> >> >> > >> >> > _______________________________________________ >> >> > NetBehaviour mailing list >> >> > [email protected] >> >> > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> > >> >> > >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> >> [email protected] >> >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Edinburgh College of Art (eca) is a charity registered >> in Scotland, number SC009201 >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -----Inline Attachment Follows----- >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NetBehaviour mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list [email protected] http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
