Steven Kurtz is coming to Toronto this Saturday to give a talk hosted by InterAccess (details here). Kurtz is a political artist -- a founding member of the collective Critical Art Ensemble -- and he was spuriously charged with bioterrorism last spring.
Here's a bit from the IA press release: "Kurtz’ appearance in Toronto offers the public the opportunity to hear Kurtz
and Gregg Bordowitz, spokesperson for the CAE Defense Fund. They will speak
about the work of CAE and the importance of creative freedom and privacy
rights to educating the public about the effects of “militarized”
biotechnology practices. A moderated discussion period will follow Kurtz's
talk, led by Sally McKay."
CAE employ "Contestational Biology" as a means of bringing amateur citizens into the ethical discourse around biotechnology. Says CAE: "Within a very brief period of time, anyone who is modestly literate can learn the fundamentals of scientific study and ethics." The publisher Autonomedia puts out the collective's highly readable manifestos in the form of cute little books, and CAE also makes the papers available in PDF format on their website. The stuff is easy to read, and while they play with coporate terms and turns of phrase, the stance is only a tad tongue-in-cheek, offering very solid analysis on modes of resistance, the power dynamics of technological mythmaking, and functional info on how science works.
CAE is all about information, and the website provides an excellent access to the work. In the project "Free Range Grain", the group set up in Europe with a portable lab for testing food for genetic modifications. The equipment they use is detailed in a webtour, as well as photos of the event and an articulate, thorough position paper, which states: "Biotechnology and the science behind it have to be one of the most misunderstood areas of production in the cultural landscape. Myths, fantasy, misleading speculation, disinformation, and so on abound in the public sphere. Part of the reason for this state of communicative disorder is that the scientific process never makes a public appearance, only the miracle products as commodity fetish. We want to bring the routinized processes of science to the public to let them see them and act within them.
For information on the US federal case against CAE, and how you can help, go here.
NB: On the occasion of Kurtz' arrest back in May, I made a post on CAE quoting their publication Flesh Machine on the false promise of virtual reality.
Gregg Bordowitz! He's one of my favorite artists and a terrific speaker!
He made a video/film in the late 80's called "Fast Trip, Long Drop" about AIDS. He had/has AIDS and the film was quite controversial at the time for showing how crappy it is. At the time everyone was supposed to "remain optimistic" because if you were depressed the disease grew faster. Bordowitz's movie cleverly exposes the real motives behind that kind of rationale.
here's an interview
http://www.artistswithaids.org/artery/artist/artist2.html
awesome! he is coming as the spokesperson about the court case, as Kurtz is not allowed to speak about it. I like this quote from the interview you posted: " It comes as no surprise that we, people with AIDS, became legitimate, credit-card-carrying members of the general public after the appearance of products to sell to us. People With AIDS were scapegoats, then we became a community and now we're a marketing demographic. " ("products" being medication)
Howdy!
Steve is a great speaker. If you have a chance, take him out for a beer.
Greg is better! Take him for two beers!
I jest.
The talk that I heard he was describing the complex relationship between the AIDS activism community and the drug companies. Hard, yet very important to criticize the the company that's making the drug that's keeping you alive. Quite a paradox. he was describing one activist who he was working with in South Africa. This activist was offered free medication (for himself) by the government, which he refused, even though he was dying. At the time (as I recall) the big struggle was getting cheaper grey market drugs from Asia through customs. The government was letting the most of the drugs through, pissing off Pfizer & company. So Pfizer & company was putting great lobby pressure on the government, and this activist was trying to counter that pressure.
Greg was making a video about it, I'll bet its finished by now.
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Steven Kurtz is coming to Toronto this Saturday to give a talk hosted by InterAccess (details here). Kurtz is a political artist -- a founding member of the collective Critical Art Ensemble -- and he was spuriously charged with bioterrorism last spring.
Here's a bit from the IA press release: "Kurtz’ appearance in Toronto offers the public the opportunity to hear Kurtz and Gregg Bordowitz, spokesperson for the CAE Defense Fund. They will speak about the work of CAE and the importance of creative freedom and privacy rights to educating the public about the effects of “militarized” biotechnology practices. A moderated discussion period will follow Kurtz's talk, led by Sally McKay."
CAE employ "Contestational Biology" as a means of bringing amateur citizens into the ethical discourse around biotechnology. Says CAE: "Within a very brief period of time, anyone who is modestly literate can learn the fundamentals of scientific study and ethics." The publisher Autonomedia puts out the collective's highly readable manifestos in the form of cute little books, and CAE also makes the papers available in PDF format on their website. The stuff is easy to read, and while they play with coporate terms and turns of phrase, the stance is only a tad tongue-in-cheek, offering very solid analysis on modes of resistance, the power dynamics of technological mythmaking, and functional info on how science works.
CAE is all about information, and the website provides an excellent access to the work. In the project "Free Range Grain", the group set up in Europe with a portable lab for testing food for genetic modifications. The equipment they use is detailed in a webtour, as well as photos of the event and an articulate, thorough position paper, which states: "Biotechnology and the science behind it have to be one of the most misunderstood areas of production in the cultural landscape. Myths, fantasy, misleading speculation, disinformation, and so on abound in the public sphere. Part of the reason for this state of communicative disorder is that the scientific process never makes a public appearance, only the miracle products as commodity fetish. We want to bring the routinized processes of science to the public to let them see them and act within them.
For information on the US federal case against CAE, and how you can help, go here.
NB: On the occasion of Kurtz' arrest back in May, I made a post on CAE quoting their publication Flesh Machine on the false promise of virtual reality.
- sally mckay 1-10-2005 5:41 pm
Gregg Bordowitz! He's one of my favorite artists and a terrific speaker!
He made a video/film in the late 80's called "Fast Trip, Long Drop" about AIDS. He had/has AIDS and the film was quite controversial at the time for showing how crappy it is. At the time everyone was supposed to "remain optimistic" because if you were depressed the disease grew faster. Bordowitz's movie cleverly exposes the real motives behind that kind of rationale.
here's an interview
http://www.artistswithaids.org/artery/artist/artist2.html
- joester 1-10-2005 10:00 pm
awesome! he is coming as the spokesperson about the court case, as Kurtz is not allowed to speak about it. I like this quote from the interview you posted: " It comes as no surprise that we, people with AIDS, became legitimate, credit-card-carrying members of the general public after the appearance of products to sell to us. People With AIDS were scapegoats, then we became a community and now we're a marketing demographic. " ("products" being medication)
- sally mckay 1-10-2005 10:59 pm
Howdy!
Steve is a great speaker. If you have a chance, take him out for a beer.
- Zeke (guest) 1-11-2005 4:47 am
Greg is better! Take him for two beers!
I jest.
The talk that I heard he was describing the complex relationship between the AIDS activism community and the drug companies. Hard, yet very important to criticize the the company that's making the drug that's keeping you alive. Quite a paradox. he was describing one activist who he was working with in South Africa. This activist was offered free medication (for himself) by the government, which he refused, even though he was dying. At the time (as I recall) the big struggle was getting cheaper grey market drugs from Asia through customs. The government was letting the most of the drugs through, pissing off Pfizer & company. So Pfizer & company was putting great lobby pressure on the government, and this activist was trying to counter that pressure.
Greg was making a video about it, I'll bet its finished by now.
- joester 1-12-2005 1:07 am