Running and Passing. » Culture

Things went dark : SOPA Protest and One Very Important Thought

Matt Kowal — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:55:48 +0000

Seven functions of the movement from Peter Marcuse

Matt Kowal — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:26:09 +0000

A confrontation function, “taking the struggle to the enemy’s territory, confronting, potentially disrupting, the operations at the center of the problem.”

A symbolic function which registers a collective and “deeply felt unhappiness about things as they are and the direction in which they are going.”

An educational function, “provoking questioning, exploration, juxtaposition of differing viewpoints and issues, seeking clarification and sources of commonality within difference.”

A glue function, “creating a community of trust and commitment to the pursuit of common goals; [providing] a way of coming together in a community for those who are deeply affected and concerned.”

An umbrella function, “creating a space … in which quite disparate groups can work together in pursuit of ultimately consistent and mutually reinforcing goals … a political umbrella, an organizing base for an ongoing alliance, not just a temporary coalition, of the deprived and discontented.”

An activation function, “inspiring others to greater militancy and sharper focus on common goals and specific demands … providing space for … cross discussions among supporting groups and interests, organizing … events in support of … reforms that [suggests] Occupy’s own ultimate goals of change.”

A model function, “showing, by its internal organization and methods of proceeding, that an alternative form of democracy is possible.”

Via – Peter Marcuse @ THE PURPOSE OF THE OCCUPATION MOVEMENT AND THE DANGER OF FETISHIZING SPACE through Occupy Colleges Now: Students as the New Public Intellectuals

Matt Kowal — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 17:27:17 +0000

It’s about being there

Matt Kowal — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:42:53 +0000

A selection from a chat conversation with Paige Saez.

Paige is in San Francisco, California and I am currently in Wilmington, Delaware.

July 27th – 12:59AM to 1:09AM

me: i meet nice people all the time, i dont want to sleep with them, i want to make friends and make stuff
paige: right!
paige: yes!
paige: i like that part!
me: i like the idea of sleeping with people
paige: i want the part though where i get all that.
me: like rooms of people
me: like in a cave
me: just warm bodies
paige: lots of love?
paige: love all over the place
me: i think it was mark allen of machine project
me: that organized a series of public projects at the hammer museum in LA
me: one was a big sleep over at the museum
me: they had dream workshops, bedtime stories, sound installations
me: i think i just like the idea of sleeping the best
me: feeling comfortable and warm with people
me: skin touching skin
me: not even anything sexual
me: more like community connectedness
me: i wouldnt even be about separating the natural sexiness/attraction of it
me: just not focusing on that
me: it’s about being there
paige: but why is that bad anyway
paige: i mean it can be all those things
me: it’s not bad
me: yeah
me: it’s just not all about that
me: like sleeping with people isnt just about sexiness
me: it’s about comfort and trust
me: it’s about being there
me: and not anywhere else or virtual
paige: right
paige: exactly
me: that’s the sexy part
paige: yep
paige: i want the part where i get to make things with someone i can sleep with
paige: which is hard to do
me: totally
paige: cause for me making things and being creative is what really excites me
paige: and sharing and the back and forth is what is so wonderful
paige: that’s why i like art and being creative
paige: and making projects and having ideas- the part where you get to share and be adventurous and learn with others
paige: is the magical part
me: agreeded
me: -ed
me: ha
paige: yeah?
paige: you get it?
paige: really?
paige: it makes sens?
paige: sense?
paige: it’s hard for me to say those things
me: so much so that i was thinking about asking you if i could take this transcript and put it on my blog
paige: it’s nerve-wracking
paige: sure. then you’d be making art.
paige: that would be ideal

* Paige and I are currently collaborating @ http://www.wevenevermetinreallife.com/

Digital Pure Green

Matt Kowal — Sat, 28 May 2011 23:48:48 +0000

Dear Artist, Dear Gallery

Matt Kowal — Wed, 04 May 2011 03:40:12 +0000

by-nc : Creative Commons

Matt Kowal — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 05:32:46 +0000

Unless otherwise noted, everything I post on this site is now under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License. Hooooray?!

“Learning to be comfortable with the idea that the circumference of a work is always larger than the boundedness of its nominated authorship.” - Raqs Media Collective : How To Be An Artist At Night. < Recommended reading

The University of Michigan’s library system has a nice guide on applying creative commons licenses to personal work.

Open Books (self-published photo book)

Matt Kowal — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 06:04:33 +0000

I have self-published a photo book for my Open Books Project. The project reflected on the digitization of printed media and this book serves as a meta layer to that abstraction of container, order, and accessibility. When contrasted with the online project page and resources, the limitations and experiential qualities of the physical book become more apparent.

The book is limited to an edition of 15 with one copy donated to the Indie Photobook Library. Copies are available through my AdoramaPix account or by contacting me at matt@mattkowal.net.

Wikileaks – Insurance.aes256

Matt Kowal — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 23:07:59 +0000

While it is far from clear what information is contained within the Wikileaks insurance.aes256 file, I feel it’s potential warrants continued mass dissemination.

BitTorrent magnet link to insurance.aes256

Wash. Rinse. Print. Repeat.

Matt Kowal — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:38:33 +0000

Print media still very much alive. However, I’m definitely printing more of my own media.

Web based articles and essays printed for personal consumption.

Amount paid directly to content producers and media sources? $0.00. Who receives my payments? The printer manufacturer, paper company, and my Internet Service Provider. Somewhere down the line advertising likely supported the distribution, but by utilizing an Adblock plugin or a tweaked HOST file I can keep online marketing to a minimum.