February 3, 2005
State of the Union [The Fateful Embrace]
How gently and quietly he smiles How tenderly he opens his eyes Do you see it, friends? Don’t you see? high-rez video How he shines ever more brightly Encircled by stars Lifting him up Don’t you see it?…
December 24, 2004
People Think They Know, But They Don’t
This line was spoken by the mother who lost her son to the war in Iraq in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. The most horrifying aspect of the current political situation in America, is that a nation of voters re-elected George…
December 17, 2004
Nothing Can Stop the Artist
Matters have exceeded all bounds… when the artist moves to ask for his rights, security agencies cannot stop him….
November 5, 2004
Non-Concession Decompression
My Fellow Americans and World Citizens, I have been asked to use this time to concede victory to the present Republican administration, to accept the rampant suppression of the vote, to trust in the electronic voting machines that leave…
October 17, 2004
A Neighborly Encounter from the Right
My neighbor placed his car in front of our signs (inset: one of his bumper stickers). With this sign, he tried to do exactly what he asked me not to do: place objectionable signage close to our property. We…
October 16, 2004
Scowcroft Lambasts Bush
The most interesting article in today’s Washington Post appears on its second page: Scowcroft is Critical of Bush. Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser to President George H.W. Bush, was highly critical of the current president’s handling of foreign policy in…
September 14, 2004
Independent Art
From an article by Philip Kennicott of the Washington Post: In a culture that processes information through controversy — through the conflicts set up in reality television, through punditry, gossip, scandal and gotcha journalism — independent art thrives and fails…
August 30, 2004
IMHO : A bloggers panel for the Imagine Festival
The WYSIWYG Talent Show Curated by Andy Horwitz with Dan Rhatigan Moderated by Jeff Jarvis (buzzmachine.com) Panelists: John Aravosis (americablog.blogspot.com) John Perry Barlow (barlow.typepad.com) Cam Barrett (camworld.com) Jen Chung (gothamist.com) Douglas Rushkoff (rushkoff.com/blog.php) Julian Sanchez (reason.com/hitandrun) This event is…
August 27, 2004
Caution: Angry Artists At Work
As most of these exhibitions demonstrate, the Conceptual Art movement, which was in part propelled by opposition to the Vietnam War, continues to expand art’s means, meanings and reach — with considerable help lately from the Web. This is most…
July 26, 2004
Appropriation & Transformation
“Revolution must of necessity borrow, from what it wants to destroy, the very image of what it wants to possess.” – Roland Barthes We are countering the disinformation and propaganda of the Republican party with our own techniques of media…
June 8, 2004
In Defense of Steve Kurtz and the Role of the Artist
A Letter in Defense of Steve Kurtz and the Role of the Artist in Society: As with many in the arts community, particularly those engaged in acts of artistic mediation, I am shocked and outraged that one of our own…
May 27, 2004
Secretary Interview I
Ryan Griffis from Furtherfield recently interviewed me for the on-line new media journal. For the next few entries, I will post excerpts from the interview. RG: I’m curious about the initial formation of the US Department of Art and Technology….
January 1, 2004
2004 Resolution: ‘Year of the Experimental’
The US Department of Art & Technology designates the year beginning January 1, 2004, as the ‘Year of the Experimental.’ Secretary Randall M. Packer has submitted the following New Year’s Resolution; which is referred to the Bureau for Experimental States…
September 21, 2003
Avant-art Practices in the 21st Century
Every party and their Presidential candidate needs his or her own house band and for the Experimetal Party, the party of virtualization, as well as the party representing avant-art practices in the 21st century - I can think of no…
June 25, 2003
recant and radical depolarization
Suddenly I realize that in two entries that I have conversely stated that freedom of speech should be taken to the limit, then complained about the abuses of same by writers such as Ann Coulter. Have I contradicted myself? Of…
June 7, 2003
Freedoms of Hate?
As of late I have been wondering about the nature of the First Amendment, and over the past couple of decades the trend in the excercise of this constitutional right has been inverted in a rather sinister fashion. For instance,…
April 28, 2003
First Amendment Censorship
In my last few posts, I have been taking a rather polemic view fo the current sociopolitical environment of the United States and its policies. However, there are much more subtle effects that are happening all around me as I…