YOU_ser show at ZKM

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Would anyone like to critique this show, its premises, contents, etc., for positive or negative? If Rhizome.org is pursuing the magazine model there should at least be some occasional spicy opinion. What prevails now on the features page is verging on neutral information blurbism. I fully accept that Rhizome.org is somewhat newly entered to the institutional artworld and needs to be a positive team player. Yet still, as readers and members we too have the right to say "hey now let's have some pushing-the-envelope quality-attempts, at least."

Without such a drive for incisive presentation Rhizome is settling for a low common denominator. Which is certainly no crime, understandable, and little if any threat to art, society, or the artworld. But it is not necessarily the truest path to excellence in new media or online or technologically-oriented culture, either.

Therefore here are some possible discussion points:

1. Is ZKM proposing a new art-historical period by saying "the century of the consumer" [italics mine]?
2. Is the show a case of Low Networkism, i.e. a passive or default acknowledgement of a new cultural period in superficial terms but using the aesthetic ideas of a previous period, rather than those suited to the new one, i.e. High Networkism?
3. Should Rhizome.org answer on the discussion board whether they remove texts from the TextBase either on their own initiative or upon request? If they do, it might be best just to admit it. Subtopic here is whether you think I should e-mail this as a "quiet question" to the Rhizome staff for sensitivity reasons.
4. If ZKM is an appropriate organization to propose a new art-historical period, could that proposal be done via a show such as "YOU_ser" and if yes, what kind of an art-historical period do you think they should propose or are proposing?
5. Do you disagree at all with any themes, premises or works of the ZKM show, and if yes, do you think it is inappropriate to mention them on this discussion board due to Rhizome's mission of supporting "contemporary art that uses technology in significant ways"?

I admit these are challenging and mildly negative comments, and I regret if the Rhizome membership or leadership are affronted by them. However I think it is important to go on the record for a couple of days each year to speak in favor of the dynamic debate and vigorous discussion-oriented community that Rhizome started out as, and which seems to be giving way to a more non-profit trade-magazine model, a tax-exempt Techforum as it were.

Nevertheless I am certain that hope does spring eternal and all good things will return in time, and thus I need not post beyond my January 31 limit for the time being.

Best regards,

Max Herman
The Genius 2000 Network
Le Cafe online now
http://www.geocities.com/genius-2000

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