opportunity de balie

[Claudia Westermann]

http://pleine-peau.com/home ( presentation de balie - 25. jan. )

introduction:

hello frederic,

>you guys suck trad art milk big time

ca va ?

>http://pleine-peau.com/home/top10.html

seems that people are pretty silent about your lovely in- and out-list ... 
oh, pardon .. it is good and out ;)

and there are so lovely things like Syndicate on the 'good' site opposed to 
'hope' on the out site ...
well, ... frederic, don't you think this could become some kind of ice walk 
? Should we really try to get through this discussion about artists and 
stars, net.art and context ?
( By the way, it could easily be that we will discuss alone. Do you have a 
problem with that ? )

Do you think we can do the walk, without leaving some more or less shot 
stars on the way ?
We have got Alan Sondheim ( hello, by the way ;) on the list - so this 
could become one of the ice walks I am talking about, as you have put the 
'hope' projects on the out side.
I actually wonder. It is actually a little bit strange, but it seems to me, 
that criticism is taken very personally. Oh, perhaps it is not even 
criticism but just another opinion. Actually I would not say that I do 
criticism, basically I ask questions. ( What do you do ? ). And basically I 
am an architect, so no reason why any artist should bother about my opinion 
...... hmmmmm ... and you a writer, pardon, photograph. Actually our 
opinion should be completely irrelevant. We are completely out. * ; * ) * 
......... voilà ... let's discuss freely .......


---------------
part 00: ( previously written / transmission de Balie )

>you mean you watched this thing, all of it ?!

no ... first of all, there was a lovely Turkish movie (TV production) when 
the whole thing was supposed to start. ( at least I think it was Turkish. 
not so sure about this. ) I actually asked myself if I should watch TV more 
often, perhaps I would not be that much surprised about the quality of 
films then. ... ok .. does not sound like a very good strategy.
I saw Tilman, you and the guy after you .. then there was the break and it 
broke also up the live-transmission ... there was some Turkish again I 
think .. someone told me that they came in later again, but I missed it ...
___________________________________

part 01: ( partly faked / previously written ;)

hi frederic,

was thinking about what you said. There was this one lovely sentence.
Something like: 'in fact we all want to know what car olia lialina drives.'
( by the way, do you think someone has understood this ?)

found this. was actually also interested in this interview subject.
Was completely unaware that the interview has partly replaced art.critic in 
a way.

----------------
http://absoluteone.ljudmila.org/51.php ---> olia lialina

Josephine Bosma wrote:
 > err.... ascii paparazzi? Sorry dear Olia, this is too insulting to come
 > from you. Anyway, the biggest problem net art journalists and observers
 > have is that we are too few with too much to do.

Josephine, I don't underestimate your work. The paragraph you refer to is 
full of love and respect. And I do enjoy interviews as a genre (I love 
dialogues).

But it is a pity that interviews dominate the critics' output.

The interview approach cultivates stars, not ideas. And stars, especially 
superstars, can be very lovely targets. You can pronounce them dead 
whenever you like. Ideas live longer.

Interviews are easy to read. They catch a moment. They let future readers 
touch the past. A picture develops. History's created. But it's a history 
of artists' arrogance, self promotion, mood changes.
-------------------

perhaps the artists do not want to be stars at all ? ... interesting 
question ...
the next question would be if art history or critic needs stars. ( I guess so )
to shorten it up, I get there where I was before ... art critic makes art, 
in a way .. as long as artists play the role ... it's not funny ...

--------------------------------------
part 02: (original)

hi frederic,

you see, I have left your answers out in the above text. Thought, if you 
feel like it, you can just insert them.
ok, you wanted to start with this good- and out-list. Guess I have made a 
little mess now. Somehow again had some problems with the form. ;)
so left the things in the 'letter' version.

;) actually why did you put 'hope' on the 'out' side ? opposed to 
Syndicate, hm, I mean ..
one is an 'art-project' and the other one a 'mailing list' - you could have 
opposed Syndicate to nettime or ... ;) ... no, I will not mention it ....

( you see, this is a trap question ... just because I do not feel like 
writing the many reasons I can think of, why you did it .... your turn ... 
hmmm ... perhaps we should pay attention that this does not become an 
interview, because if this is an interview, then perhaps you are a star. no ?;)

>f.

voilà
claudia


P.S. I actually think that everyone can insert his/her thinking, who feels 
like it.
I just had this little form problem, it is not necessarily meant, how it 
looks like ;)
Was there anyone at the discussion ? Anyone seen the transmission ?