[syndicate] \\

[Bassam Baroni]

spectacle yes! its just to easy to fire that bullet, YOUR CULTURE and MY CULTURE, are we not sick of this discourse. The thing is that we can go on philosophizing for a century but you either choose that path or choose to be pragmatic and do what you can in the midst of this system of neo-liberal capitalism we are all involved in. Have you ever been to Alexandria, do you know what kind of cultural equation we are caught in-between, i think not, although i do agree with a lot of what you are saying, it just seems far too distanced and judgmental, it is the spectacle of a text and of writing. The fact remains that you are in an internal imperialist struggle with your system and this is where your thoughts may be springing from, but here things can be seen very differently, i wish i had time to explain more but i don't. If you see it as a kind of school (because people are coming in as experts??!) then that's fine, because if thats whats needed then why not...all spectacles
 after all, right?... but it is a tactical school, a long term policy, in the end the situation might be different and we might not need to import. I think if this project was in any west european context we will not be having this conversation pushed to the front by far deeper layers, i think, than context responsive and an institution named after a dead german writer.

0f0003 | maschinenkunst <n2o at ggttctttat.com> wrote:   


> No it does mean something

Very nice.


>, in this paragraph at least it means that it
is
> designed to serve a specific context, a problematic one to say the
least.
> the cleotronica project attempts to respond to a specific 
situation in a
specific place that place is alexandria, egypt where "new media" is 
largely understood in visual terms only...

Do you find this simplistic ... compared to what +?
What do you think is lacking, in your opinion +?


>a continuation of the 'Fine
> Arts" discourse, the project aims to respond to this context in a 
simple
way by communicating a more thorough view of what media can mean today,

Ok. Are you of opinion that having people whose experience with ur 
culture is purely academical, if that, present works which consist 
largely of context less/free democratic ideals will somehow
provide a "more sophisticated and comprehensive understanding of 
media related concepts and practices" +?

A cursory read of the announcement gave me the impression that those 
arriving from outside the context were positioned as the experts, and 
the locals as the largely visual, unsophisticated dilettanti. The 
event didn't appear to be dialogical as only the arriving entities 
were named - perhaps as an attraction. It seemed rather one sided,
the scope being the "unfolding of similar discourses locally".


> this is done through workshops, lectures, shows etc. and we are not a
government funded institution,

Always good to hear of alternative means of facilitating spectacles. 
Could you share with others some of these funding strategies +?

Although, I must tell you that in my opinion, Embassies + Goethe 
Institut
are not only government, but the AWA (other western army)



>i don't think an initiative working to
give
> a clearer idea of what media is to its community can be simply 
written
off
> as a civilized parasite either.

I am not suggesting your/this initiative is parasitic.
If it didnt interest me I would not have bothered.
I would like to know more, hence my questions.

What I implied is that the entire edifice is supported by
life forms who dont usually discourse re: 'context responsive 
festivals',
nor attend them, although their life is very much about,
and illustrative of context responsive.









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Bassam El Baroni | Curator
Alexandria Contemporary Arts Forum [ACAF] 
10 Hussein Hassab Street, Flat 6, Azarita, 
Alexandria, Egypt. T: +20 (0)3 480 41 45 
E: office at acafspace.org / el_baroni at yahoo.com
       
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