Hi Nathan, That's lovely news - my cynicism for crowd funding is suddenly restored ;-)
And, such a great project of course... looking forward to working with you on it. Wishing you well. marc On 28 July 2016 at 10:44, nathan jones <nat...@mercyonline.co.uk> wrote: > Hi, > > delighted to announce Torque's new book and public discourse project, in > partnership with Furtherfield. > > ARTISTS RE:THINKING THE BLOCKCHAIN will be a beautifully designed, > accessible introduction, speculative art and radical theoretical book about > this still largely mythical technology. It aims to reroute conversations > that up to now have been dominated by financial concerns, into less > utilitarian areas. > > We're over halfway through our small crowdfunder > <http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/artists-rethinking-the-blockchain>, so we > just need a few more pre-orders and pledges to help us get the project > launched. Your pre-order or donation will contribute to printing costs, and > most importantly help us compete for funding from Arts Council England, > which is tricky given the shadowy subject matter. > So we need all the help we can! > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kngWnLDyeCM > > We're also seeking proposals > <http://www.torquetorque.net/projects/open-call-artists-rethinking-the-blockchain/> > for > content. > > http://www.torquetorque.net/projects/open-call-artists-rethinking-the-blockchain/ > > After a range of public events, Artists Re:Thinking the Blockchain book > will launch in Jan 2017 as a limited edition print edition and freely > available digital copies, accompanied by a blockchain-based-protocol > version. > > It will be our third book after Mind Language Technology > <http://www.torquetorque.net/publications/torque-1-mind-language-and-technology/>(2014) > and The Act of Reading > <http://www.torquetorque.net/products-page/product-category/torque-2-print-ed/>(2015). > The book will be designed by Mark Simmonds. > torquetorque.net > > Do share the info if you think others will be interested. > > WTF?! > The blockchain is best known as the technology which underlies 'Bitcoin', > but our central assertion is that there is need for discourse, play and > speculation by practitioners outside of financial-technology circles - > particularly given the potential for democratic and cultural changes which > have been proposed as part of blockchain's evolutions. > > If you don't know anything or not much about the potentials of the > blockchain, this book aims to bring you up to speed on theory and mechanics > of this new technology. If you do, its a platform to combine the > inventiveness of creative culture with this emergent technology. > > It's a hugely resonant time to be undertaking this project, as the book > and discussions will show. Our current systems of governance, finance and > civic mechanics appear to be crumbling under 'post-truth' politics, > psychotic economics and media saturation. Is the blockchain going to be > our saviour? Probably not. But art is a great way to understand and > communicate the reach of new technologies - as well as bend and reroute > them. > > We also believe that artists are well placed to communicate with people > about what the future of the blockchain might *really feel like*. This will > strand will take the form of science fictions, experimental texts, > code-recipes, speculative essays, illustrations, diagrams, and hybrids of > all these. > > PLEDGE > £5 gets your name inscribed in this landmark publication, > you can pre-order the book at a discounted £15. > There's also screen prints and suchlike available. > http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/artists-rethinking-the-blockchain > > CONTRIBUTE > An Open Call for essays, artworks, poems etc. > > http://www.torquetorque.net/projects/open-call-artists-rethinking-the-blockchain/ > [another open call specifically for poets/text artists, based on PW > Studio's Txtblock concept, will launch in a few weeks] > > As well as a book, we're going to be hosting several events in Tate and > Furtherfield in London and with St Helens' Heart of Glass project in the > North West getting people engaged in these kinds of ideas, and gathering > their thoughts for publication. > > There's loads of lovely rewards there for pledgers. > > Hope you enjoy it. > > best wishes, > > Nathan > > -- > -- > Nathan Jones > language media art > > http://mercyonline.co.uk > http://torquetorque.tumblr.com > http://alittlenathan.co.uk > http://electronicvoicepheneomena.net > > mob: 07877660150 > twtr: @nathmercy > > also follow @syn_dro_me > > _______________________________________________ > NetBehaviour mailing list > NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org > http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour > -- -- Marc Garrett Co-Founder, Co-Director and main editor of Furtherfield. Furtherfield - A living, breathing, thriving network http://www.furtherfield.org - for art, technology and social change since 1996 Furtherfield Gallery & Commons, Finsbury Park, London N4 2NQ T +44(0)208 802 1301/+44(0)208 802 2827 M +44(0)7533676047 www.furtherfield.org <http://www.furtherfield.org>
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