re: Galloway, Carnivore clients

> It's unfair to characterize Galloway's project in the way you are. He
> created a platform and different artists responded in different ways;
> he wasn't trying to capitalize on the "screensaverization" of new
> media.

i'd have to agree here - the attack on Carnivore diverted some of your
questions Ben. making a career is not necessarily oppositional to
making "critical art." if the piece doesn't represent the kind of
severity your looking for, it's not because Galloway is making a career
out of his work in the process. Sure marketing is involved, if it
isn't, your working your ass of at a 9-5 to support the things you
"really believe in." i've applied for enough teaching gigs (and
reappointments) to know that there's marketing involved in just getting
and keeping a job.
while i think specificity is needed in criticism, the level of
personalization in your critique is not exactly constructive or
reflexive.
and this isn't a defense of "careerism," which could stand a good deal
of critique, but it would benefit from a more systemic analysis.
and just a one liner on current abstraction: the reconfiguration of
data into abstractions is connected with a whole range of post-image
representation that is replacing naturalistic signs of "truth." (see
the visible human project, the human genome project and the use of
satellite/surveillance imagery).
ryan

On Oct 8, 2004, at 1:37 PM, ryan griffis wrote:

> i'd have to agree here - the attack on Carnivore diverted some of your
> questions Ben.

Interesting – how so? I was asked directly about a few pieces,
Carnivore being one. I delivered my honest response. Besides, I think
Carnivore (as a non-feeling entity) can weather the criticism. ;)

> making a career is not necessarily oppositional to making "critical
> art."

No, nor do I think successful people are "selling out." My problem with
Carnivore is that it is duplicitous in its careerAspirationalism.

> i've applied for enough teaching gigs (and reappointments) to know
> that there's marketing involved in just getting and keeping a job.

MosDef, but there are many different marketing strategies, the brand
aGalloway employs being one of the more distasteful (at least in my
book). I'm all for marketing – Jeff Koons' [late80s/early90s] work
made a huge impression on me. ++ I know what the job market is like,
but aGalloway has a great job, and it's in no danger….

> while i think specificity is needed in criticism, the level of
> personalization in your critique is not exactly constructive or
> reflexive.

I just calls 'em likes I sees 'em! To discuss Carnivore, I think you
have to discuss and examine aGalloway as well. Although my view of the
two and their relationship may not be flattering, I do believe it's
constructive to the discourse surrounding Carnivore.

> and just a one liner on current abstraction: the reconfiguration of
> data into abstractions is connected with a whole range of post-image
> representation that is replacing naturalistic signs of "truth." (see
> the visible human project, the human genome project and the use of
> satellite/surveillance imagery).

That's a nice way of putting it. However, all of the projects you
mention are fascinating because they offer us new insight and ways of
viewing our world. In contrast, zoomyDataBoxes in Flash give me no new
insight, and no new tools for seeing my world. Which is not to say that
you were making that connexion – I just want to make sure no one reads
this and equates the massive effort and implications of the Human
Genome project with some of the abstract dataTwiddling that goes on
here.

best,

- ben