[spectre] Re:[spect] list info

David Whittle mokus@freeuk.com
Wed, 29 Aug 2001 10:37:04 +0100


Inke wrote:

>>SPECTRE concentrates on the artistic and political situations of Eastern
>Europe to
>
>nope. ;). why should spectre concentrate on situations in eastern europe? i
>have to admit that I am as much interested in western "situations" as i am
>in northern, eastern or southern ones. Madrid, Warsaw, Stockholm, Budapest,
>Lisbon, Moscow, Berlin, Tirana, Marseille, Ljubljana, Genua, Bratislava,
>Sheffield, Lodz, Linz, Tblissi ...

I second that absolutely!

>
>>foster links of communication and collaboration among media art
>communities >throughout the continent.
>
>i like "throughout the continent" though
>perhaps we should really leave of the notion of "deep europe" and rather
>simply call it "europe", or "the continent", although "continent" might
>sound as if you were speaking from a GB perspective (I was once invited to
>a panel discussion in GB where i was supposed to give a "continental view"
>on the media art education situation in GB... i told the audience that i
>was "amused" ;)

you don't say!  I vote (again) for 'deep europe' for the reasons Honor
outlined, and for the resonances you mention below.

>
>the advantage of "deep europe" would be that it does not really designate a
>geographic territory, but rather a state of mind, a kind of openness, or a
>special way of joining different/separate entities together ...


>>This network connects artists, activists, theorists, and media producers
>from 28 >European countries through both online and offline venues,
>embodying the tensions >and conjunctions arising from the cultural,
>geographic, and economic remapping of >Europe.
>
>too much focus on "tension", and, more importantly: like this it all sounds
>like a "finished" project. I think it should be kept more open.

Yes. Also, for me the problem with this and the previous formulation is
that 'trajectory' or 'remapping' implies a relationship with the
'transition studies' industry, as well as, perhaps at a further remove, a
particular narrative of 'development'.  We should be open to every possible
perspective on current situations, including going backwards and standing
still...

pretty much sitting still,

D.