A List Called London

'London Calling' has a special place in my vinyl collection, so I was interested to see why journalists Roberta Bosco and Stefano Caldana had recycled the name for their representative list of 16 web sites by London-based artists. Originally presented as "Invisible London" in 2001 at the Sonar festival, 'London Calling' provides updated links to the artists' current works. You can peruse the diverse list at SonarOnline, where it's followed by an interview with Bosco and Caldana. They explain that they chose the name of an album that defined an era because their list aims to define another era, and they dedicate their 'London Calling' to the late Joe Strummer. They also draw parallels between punk's journey from grassroots revolution to corporate exploitation, and net.art's evolution. Who knows what Joe would think of that ... - Helen Varley Jamieson