Softly from the ruinsÖ
 

efemera> she breathes the uncertainty of her time
plastique> the decay of overused images that barely elicit a pang of recognition
efemera> this is a cry for new memory systems to build in
liquid_nation> come, dress yourself in love, let the journey begin

darkness crossed every now and then by invisible rays
reveals a space in their image
the only incandescent transparency
is the skeleton and the shape of heart
 
 

CONCEPT
 

"Softly from the ruinsÖ" is a proposal for an inhabitation, a temporary lab for stubborn and unstable media, a research space, generating a drifting matrix of constructive (dis)content arising from critical gazes directed at specific elements of the military-industrial-entertainment complex as it is currently being played out in hard space and media space by the United States and its conspirator|allies in the current so-called "war on terrorism".

plastique> I am always doing calculations with numbers I don't understand to escape a historical fixation, a kind of desperation that makes a landmark out of every passing moment -- landmarks of failure

The inhabitation would bring to London three warriors of perception from the media art collective identity_runners. From Rome, Discordia; from New York, Ephemera, from Adelaide, Liquid_Nation. A temporary lab would be set up in a large room/space, and quickly filled with digital micro-machines, analogue tools and creative traces of the group.

DiScORDIa> how do you pretend to resemble the body called flesh?
efemera> the need for optimum integration, caught in a pulse of wet media
liquid_nation> we are infinite open source -- ghostware in the shell
DiScORDIa> we move to infect the simulacra with our flesh

Starting with each individualís research obsessions ­ including US military defense contracts and related corporate interests profiting from state-sponsored aggression, narrations of the disaster - and material generated by group members in the period preceding arrival in London, the lab will shapeshift over a period of 2 or 3 weeks between organically changing from physical space to human network mapped onto technological systems.
 

ErosIoNE> it is in gathering that we move closer to the feeds we are constantly
circuiting but unable to access alone
efemera> here we meet writing the future
liquid_nation> a howling chaos into which a black rain pours without ceasing,
consuming all traces of Power's empty pageant
plastique> remembering nothing but the unforgettables
 

With the local expertise and practical assistance of the MAP team, invitations will be extended to London-based community, activist, immigrant or refugee groups who might share an interest in the inhabitation as an inspiration to work together on the critical and creative shaping of personal stories and cultural perspectives arising out of the consequences of this current war and associated geo-political-corporate deal-making .

plastique> the heavy burden of knowledge must not anymore be shut away in silence
liquid_nation> adrift in the network resembling the body called flesh, packets of soft recognition
ephemera> these anchors for listening, watered by the tears of the dead

"Softly from the ruinsÖ" is more interested in the processes of individual and collaborative research, dialogue, skill-sharing and participatory media making shared amongst people from varied cultural and ethnic backgrounds than in the end result of some kind of esoteric art product. We aim to build media systems as systems of organisation that can potentially empower people. That said, the project will also set itself specific artistic goals related to material outcomes. These goals will be defined following the initial phase of the inhabitation and will depend to a large extent of the skills and interests that people bring to the temporary media lab. MAP could play a role here facilitating discussion and decision making within the core team and visiting participants come to a consensus about what is possible given the time and resources available to the project. We imagine that the outcomes could include one or more of the following manifestations, along with other outcomes not yet imagined:

* webspace
* video live set with sound/DJ mix by local London-based chicks
* radio performance
* IRC text
* Zine
* Fly-posters
* Series of subvertisements

plastique> ask me once again who I am so I have another chance to lie to you.
DiScORDIa> how can you pretend to resemble the body called flesh in this
shattered universe?
efemera> i suck salt from the neglected desires of the unremembered
liquid_nation> you are all illegal

The focus of the research will also depend on the participants, and could include links between specific military companies and high-level government functionaries; the refugee camps on the border between Afghanistan and Iran; how the war is congruent with other British strategic goals; Australiaís involvement via the US Pine Gap base; the ripples out to Afghani communities in London and Adelaide; the detainment of asylum seekers in Australiaís concentration camps in the desert and the detention of soldiers and others at Guantamono Bay; the uranium mining industry in remote South Australia and its deployment in off-shore US wars; the differences between representations of the war in television and print media in the West and in the Middle East.

liquid_nation> and so we drift into a sea of storms
ErosIoNE> growing fins becoming fish
liquid_nation> what falling star has set the ocean ablaze?
 
 

OBJECTIVES

* to stimulate research, discussion and awareness about the focus areas

* to inspire the creation of participatory media experiences arising out of the research

* to create crimes of poetry

* to share ideas, skills and expertise

* to disseminate the outcomes of the project to a wider audience

* to explore the potential of further creative collaborations amongst project participants
 

METHODOLOGY

* Initial research

* Discusions and dialogue

* Various related consultations with additional interested individuals and groups

* Stage 2 research

* Production of media artefacts and performances
 
 

TIMING

Early July 2002
Or Sept 2002
 

BUDGET NOTES

International Travel + Insurance
* Adelaide/London
* New York/London
* Rome/London

Internal Travel
London Tube passes for travel for 3 from accommodation/temporary media lab

Accommodation
3 people for 2 - 3 weeks
(could be billets or share apartment)

Per Diems
3 people for 2 - 3 weeks to cover Londonís insane food expenses ;-)

Equipment Hire/In-Kind
* Data projector
* VCR
* Mini DV video camera
* Possibly some video monitors and possibly video mixing deck
* Sound equipment if we work with sound artists who donít have amp and/or speakers and sound deck
* Access to b/w photocopier
* Access to colour photocopier

Space
Hire or loan of physical space to set up temporary media lab