..on Fri, Oct 02, 2009 at 08:53:46AM +1300, Bronwyn Holloway-Smith wrote: > Morena, > > Thought I'd better point y'all towards Makerspace - already happening in > Wellington: http://makerspace.org.nz/ > > ...sounds a bit like what you were describing Damien. > > There is a real techy focus at the space in Wellington, but I'm sure the > fine folk there would be most welcoming to ADAers, and even more keen to > hear of funding possibilities!
Great to see! I'll be sure to visit it when next in Wellington. Julian > On Fri, Oct 2, 2009 at 4:47 AM, Julian Oliver <[email protected]>wrote: > > > ..on Thu, Oct 01, 2009 at 04:27:39PM +0200, Damian Stewart wrote: > > > i remember some discussions that happened hear a couple of years back > > along > > > the lines of 'does New Zealand need a medialab?' well, i don't know about > > a > > > /media/lab, since 'media' is a bit of a loaded word and corries with it a > > > lot of the kind of pretentious nonsense that can have a whole lot of > > money > > > spent on flash without very much content (eg the Film Archive 'Mediaplex' > > > in Wellington). > > > > > > but, based on what i've seen in my travels, some of the most interesting > > > creative stuff seems to be happening in and around /hack/lab spaces: the > > > kind of spaces which put together, in one place, open-source enthusiasts > > > who want to spread the word, and artists who are interested in working > > with > > > new technology and want access to equipment, workshop space, or just a > > > social space to hang out with other likeminded people. > > > > > > i just went this morning to visit the Metalab in Vienna ( > > http://metalab.at) > > > and am inspired. they have a very small space - 200 square metres - and > > in > > > it manage to pack the following: > > > > > > . main room with couches, chairs, tables and cheap roll-down projection > > > screens for presentations, meetings, or just hanging out > > > . library/meeting room with books, tables, a more quiet/intimate > > > workshop/work space. > > > . tiny sound studio with some basic synth gear (lent from one of the > > > members, who occasionally takes it back to use at his house) > > > . kitchen with cooking equipment (to facilitate social interaction), > > > honesty-box fridge with beer and energy drinks (Club Mate of course) > > > . the 'whateverlab', with a bunch of electronics gear, electronics books, > > > two kitset 3d printers (offspring of the RepRap), a 3-axis CNC lathe, and > > a > > > laser cutter. > > > . a darkroom/chemistry experiment lab > > > . blinkenlichts of some kind in every room > > > > > > membership is 20$/month but you can go in and hang out and use the > > > equipment without membership; it's a lot smaller, friendlier, and more > > > practical/workshop-feeling than CBase in Berlin (if anyone else has been > > > there). it's funded by the City of Vienna and some commercial sponsors, > > and > > > seems to have been initially set up as an 'innovation incubator' kind of > > > project. > > > > > > > > > so, in my mind, the best, cheapest single thing they could do is > > part-fund > > > the formation of a hack-space or several hack-spaces, strategically > > located > > > in major cities. in Wellington, a small space (Happy-sized) somewhere in > > > the not-yet-gentrified bits around upper cuba or tory st, or in newtown. > > in > > > Auckland, divert some of the funding from the absurdly enormous Galatos > > > place into a smaller, more realistic sized space. > > > > > > this could be funded all sorts of ways, in Wellington at least. if only > > the > > > City Council still owned Citylink, that would take care of some things. > > and > > > back in the day i'm sure paradise.net would have been interested. the > > > Wellington Linux Users Group might like to play. certain people > > associated > > > with 127 Abel Smith would be interested i'm sure. on the open source > > side, > > > Catalyst IT might be interested; from the graphics programming/hacking > > > side, Sidhe or Wandering Monster might like to play too. > > > > I reckon this is also a good basis for a proposal. Good words Dames. > > > > More often than not it's the medialabs that help make media-artists sing. > > I've > > especially seen this again and again with the Medialab Prado in Madrid, > > who've > > I've worked as teacher and participant. You've seen it first hand too > > Damian, > > being a valued collaborator and artist at the Medialab Madrid on more than > > one > > occassion. > > > > There's an excess of technical/creative talent in NZ. Recycle! > > > > A hacklab with: > > > > - coffee machine > > - hard and soft knowledge archive (leverage FLOSSManuals) > > - strict open-source distribution and development models > > - working area with lockers > > - free code repositories for remote collaborations > > - Friday arvo "I'll tell you how I made this project" talks with > > a beer and concert chaser > > > > .. would be a great contribution. > > > > Take 'Grow Your Own MediaLab' as a good model for aquiring a basic > > inventory vis > > a vis Sheffield's Access Space; ie engineer a little guilt with a > > corporation > > like BNZ, convincing them to redirect the mandatory obsolescing of 20 PCs > > and > > give them a sponsor badge on your web site. > > > > Here's a template: > > > > http://www.access-space.org/?c=recycling > > > > This is something I'd be tempted to sink my teeth into one day. > > > > >From what I see NZ seems to have overlooked this opportunity.. Rather, it > > seems > > a culture of individualism in art and curatorial interest is predominant, > > even > > at the artist-run-space level. > > > > Chairs, > > > > -- > > Julian Oliver > > home: New Zealand > > based: Berlin, Germany > > currently: Berlin, Germany > > about: http://julianoliver.com > > > > > > > > Douglas Bagnall wrote: > > > > So this one is really boring. I mean, "Creative New Zealand Strategic > > > > Plan" -- any one of these words would send you to sleep by itself. I > > > > won't be surprised if no-one answers. Here's the link > > > > > > > > > > http://www.creativenz.govt.nz/WhatWeDo/StrategicPlan/StrategicPlanPublicConsultation/tabid/4910/language/en-NZ/Default.aspx > > > > > > > > but don't look. It's boring. It is better that we have an uninformed > > > > and interesting debate. Supposing we did submit something, what should > > > > we say? > > > > > > > > The obvious and expected tactic would be to notify them of our > > > > unrecognised brilliance and diversity, of the exceptional art > > > > experiences that we offer New Zealand and International Audiences, of > > > > the warm glow they will feel from seeing our well-funded, important, > > > > edgy work rise up on the world stage and represent the wise, culturally > > > > aware, courageous CNZ. But we will be cunning, and carefully frame it > > > > in such a way that we don't look like greedy sycophants. We don't like > > > > money, but we will accept it for the good of the nation. We will also > > > > not mention that they are funding our rivals to make crap, nor that > > they > > > > are a bunch of conservative retards, nor anything else at all that > > might > > > > sound disparaging of bureaucrats or strategic plans. > > > > > > > > That would be expected, and it would probably be wise. Perhaps > > > > accurate. But it also sets up the temptation to do the opposite, to > > > > scream and yell, and let them know that they have no idea about > > > > anything. They are at best irrelevant, we'd say. They should disband > > > > and give the money back to the paupers who bought lotto tickets. > > > > > > > > Then, of course, there's an expanse of middle ground, where we outline > > > > the areas about which they have no clue, and try to tell them how they > > > > could do better. Most likely they would like to. Which brings us back > > > > to: what should they do, actually? > > > > > > > > Personally, I have few ideas at the moment. That's mainly because it > > is > > > > one in the morning, but also because I haven't had much to do with them > > > > for a while. The paperwork is not worth it for the piddly amounts I > > > > apply for: I do better just getting a job for the days that I would > > > > spend writing proposals and aquittals, and I don't get bound up in the > > > > kinds of idiotic commitments I put in funding proposals, nor do I have > > > > to wait at the letterbox to know what I'll be doing over the next six > > > > months. But you lot will have ideas. > > > > > > > > > > > > Douglas > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Ada_list mailing list > > > > [email protected] > > > > http://aotearoadigitalarts.org.nz/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > damian stewart | skype: damiansnz | [email protected] > > > frey | live art with machines | http://www.frey.co.nz > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Ada_list mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://aotearoadigitalarts.org.nz/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Ada_list mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://aotearoadigitalarts.org.nz/ > > > _______________________________________________ > Ada_list mailing list > [email protected] > http://aotearoadigitalarts.org.nz/ -- Julian Oliver home: New Zealand based: Berlin, Germany currently: Berlin, Germany about: http://julianoliver.com _______________________________________________ Ada_list mailing list [email protected] http://aotearoadigitalarts.org.nz/
