[spectre] The File Room: an interactive web-based archive of censorship incidents
Svetlana Mintcheva
svetlana@ncac.org
Fri, 6 Dec 2002 16:53:19 -0500
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www.thefileroom.org www.thefileroom.org www.thefileroom.org
Aristophanes' plays were banned in the 5th century B.C. because of
obscenity and anti-war themes; Confucius' writings were incinerated =
around
250 BC after a change of dynasty made them politically incorrect; in =
1933, a
New York court declared a set of pictures of Michelangelo's Last =
Judgment
fresco in the Sistine Chapel obscene; in 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini issued =
a
fatwa against the life of Salman Rushdie for the publication of the =
novel
Satanic Verses; in 1999, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani threatened =
to
cut off funding to the Brooklyn Museum of Art and evict it from the =
building
because the Museum refused to remove one work from an art show; in 2001,
books from the popular Harry Potter series were banned from schools and
burned in churchyards in the United States. Manifestations of the =
control of
expression are historically and culturally specific. Nevertheless, close
investigation reveals recurring themes and issues.
The File Room - an Open Forum
The File Room, a web-based interactive archive of censorship cases, is
open to submissions by organizations and individuals locally, =
nationally,
and internationally. The project was initiated by artist Antoni Muntadas =
and
originally produced by the Randolph Street Gallery in Chicago in 1994. =
It
then went on the Internet as an open submissions archive. In 2002, the
National Coalition Against Censorship* re-programmed and updated the =
archive
and is currently maintaining it. The File Room already contains =
information
on hundreds of incidents dating from the 5th century BC to the present. =
More
cases from around the world are added every day.
Our Goals: Documentation and Resistance
The File Room locates acts of censorship in relation to social settings,
political movements, religious beliefs, and economic conditions. The =
wider
understanding of censorship adopted by The File Room allows it to record
instances of censorship through market mechanisms, the censorship of =
private
galleries or that of schools and colleges, institutional =
self-censorship, as
well as suppression of work by limiting its distribution or refusing it
publicity.
The File Room is not only a database or a tool for facilitating critical
discourse on the subject of censorship; it is also a tool of resistance,
i.e. a tactical medium. It makes public those actions of governmental =
and
private institutions (as well as individuals), which are usually =
intended to
remain out of sight. To resist the suppression of symbolic speech, we =
have
to acknowledge how pervasive and interconnected censorship incidents are =
by
recording the many cases of deletion, exclusion, or suppression of =
speech.
To submit a case or search the archive, go to www.thefileroom.org
For more information contact Svetlana Mintcheva at 212-807-6222 ext. 23/
Svetlana@ncac.org
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* The National Coalition Against Censorship (www.ncac.org), founded in
1974, is an alliance of 50 U.S. non-profit organizations, including
literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and =
civil
liberties groups. United by a conviction that freedom of thought, =
inquiry,
and expression must be defended, NCAC works to educate our own members =
and
the public at large about the dangers of censorship and how to oppose =
them.
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://www.thefileroom.org">www.thefileroom.org</A> &n=
bsp; <A=20
href=3D"http://www.thefileroom.org">www.thefileroom.org</A> =
<A=20
href=3D"http://www.thefileroom.org">www.thefileroom.org</A><BR><BR>Aristo=
phanes'=20
plays were banned in the 5th century B.C. because of<BR>obscenity and =
anti-war=20
themes; Confucius' writings were incinerated around<BR>250 BC after a =
change of=20
dynasty made them politically incorrect; in 1933, a<BR>New York court =
declared a=20
set of pictures of Michelangelo's Last Judgment<BR>fresco in the Sistine =
Chapel=20
obscene; in 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a<BR>fatwa against the life =
of=20
Salman Rushdie for the publication of the novel<BR>Satanic Verses; in =
1999, New=20
York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani threatened to<BR>cut off funding to the =
Brooklyn Museum of Art and evict it from the building<BR>because the =
Museum=20
refused to remove one work from an art show; in 2001,<BR>books from the =
popular=20
Harry Potter series were banned from schools and<BR>burned in =
churchyards in the=20
United States. Manifestations of the control of<BR>expression are =
historically=20
and culturally specific. Nevertheless, close<BR>investigation reveals =
recurring=20
themes and issues.<BR><BR><STRONG>The File Room - an Open =
Forum<BR><BR><EM>The=20
File Room</EM></STRONG>, a web-based interactive archive of censorship =
cases,=20
is<BR>open to submissions by organizations and individuals locally,=20
nationally,<BR>and internationally. The project was initiated by artist =
Antoni=20
Muntadas and<BR>originally produced by the Randolph Street Gallery in =
Chicago in=20
1994. It<BR>then went on the Internet as an open submissions archive. In =
2002,=20
the<BR>National Coalition Against Censorship* re-programmed and updated =
the=20
archive<BR>and is currently maintaining it. <EM>The File Room =
</EM>already=20
contains information<BR>on hundreds of incidents dating from the 5th =
century BC=20
to the present. More<BR>cases from around the world are added every=20
day.<BR><BR><STRONG>Our Goals: Documentation and=20
Resistance<BR><BR></STRONG><EM>The File Room </EM>locates acts of =
censorship in=20
relation to social settings,<BR>political movements, religious beliefs, =
and=20
economic conditions. The wider<BR>understanding of censorship adopted by =
The=20
File Room allows it to record<BR>instances of censorship through market=20
mechanisms, the censorship of private<BR>galleries or that of schools =
and=20
colleges, institutional self-censorship, as<BR>well as suppression of =
work by=20
limiting its distribution or refusing it<BR>publicity.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><BR><EM>The File Room </EM>is not only =
a database=20
or a tool for facilitating critical<BR>discourse on the subject of =
censorship;=20
it is also a tool of resistance,<BR>i.e. a tactical medium. It makes =
public=20
those actions of governmental and<BR>private institutions (as well as=20
individuals), which are usually intended to<BR>remain out of sight. To =
resist=20
the suppression of symbolic speech, we have<BR>to acknowledge how =
pervasive and=20
interconnected censorship incidents are by<BR>recording the many cases =
of=20
deletion, exclusion, or suppression of speech.<BR><BR><STRONG>To submit =
a case=20
or search the archive, go to </STRONG><A=20
href=3D"http://www.thefileroom.org"><STRONG>www.thefileroom.org</STRONG><=
/A><BR><BR>For=20
more information contact Svetlana Mintcheva at 212-807-6222 ext. =
23/<BR><A=20
href=3D"mailto:Svetlana@ncac.org">Svetlana@ncac.org</A><BR><BR>----------=
-----------------------------------------------------------------<BR>&nbs=
p;=20
* The National Coalition Against Censorship (<A=20
href=3D"http://www.ncac.org">www.ncac.org</A>), founded in<BR>1974, is =
an alliance=20
of 50 U.S. non-profit organizations, including<BR>literary, artistic, =
religious,=20
educational, professional, labor, and civil<BR>liberties groups. United =
by a=20
conviction that freedom of thought, inquiry,<BR>and expression must be =
defended,=20
NCAC works to educate our own members and<BR>the public at large about =
the=20
dangers of censorship and how to oppose =
them.<BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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