organized_networks

Picture: Bureau d’Etudes (FR). Electromagnetic Propaganda. Exhibition “Waves”, Riga, 2006

ORGANIZED NETWORKS
Training Programme for Cultural Network Management
Riga, December 3 – 5, 2009

By addressing issues of cultural sustainability with focus on networking, the Training Programmefor cultural network management entitled “Organized Networks” will take place in Riga,December 3 – 5, 2009, gathering together representatives from more then 20 cultural organisations, new media centers and networks from Baltic, Nordic and other European regions, as well as Caucasus countries.

The Training Programme is co-organised by the
RIXC, the Center for new media culture (Latvia)
and partners from Finland (Pixelache festival,
MARIN Association), Norway (Piksel, iolab,
Atelier Nord), Iceland (Lorna), Sweden
(Kultivator, C-Studio/Interactive Institute, New
Media Meeting), Denmark (FieldWork,
WindFestiva/Energy Academy), Lithuania (KCCC),
Latvia (Association for Cultural NGOs), the
Netherlands (Baltan Laboratories), Armenia
(ACCEA/NPAK) and Georgia (Center for Contemporary
Art – Tbilisi, GeoAir).

. . . Conceptual background

The current global crisis motivates us to think
again of “how to remake the world” as many of
methods used previously have turned out finite
and unsustainable. Today, new approach in terms
of both – design and production is urged nearly
in all fields, including culture.

The idea of “networks” is not new, but it
contains potential that hasn’t been exploited to
a great extent yet. New media networks have
already had more than ten years of history.
Translocal as well as local networking has played
an important role in supporting operation of
small-scale cultural organisations.

However, networks as such are not only virtual
structures, there are real people and real
technical infrastructures behind them. Our
network culture today is also faced by
sustainability issues. We are asking now: how to
work out new strategies and methodologies for
improving and developing more sustainable
translocal cooperation practice (“organized
networks”)? And how to develop new
(network-based) models for facilitating
individual / local cultural organisations
(“network nodes”)?

The idea of “organized networks” (as proposed by
Ned Rossiter, Geert Lovink) poses a question, can
network be seen as a new form of institution, and
considers that it is relevant not only to work
out new methodologies for networking practice –
i.e. tools and protocols (agreed ways to support
activity in the network), but also to discuss
‘collaborative value system’ (dealing with issues
such as funding, internal power plays, and the
demand of “accountability” and “transparency”,
etc.).

The Training Programme will investigate what
strategies “organized networks” can offer for
sustainable development in cultural sector, and,
in particular, in translocal cooperation. The
Training Programme will specifically focus on
evaluating the cultural network practice of
Baltic-Nordic-EU region. This will include NICE
and Pixelache festival networks, Baltic-Nordic
artists residency programmes, Nordic funding
structure, future development of new media art
centers, their local and translocal cooperation
strategies, etc. Ways how networks can create and
sustain their own infrastructure will also be
discussed.

Geographically, the Programme also aims to
enhance European cultural area by drawing out new
cultural cooperation axis connecting Nordic,
Baltic and Caucasus regions on the Northern and
Eastern border of Europe.

With regard to the content, the Training
Programme will explore the potential of emerging
interdisciplinary cooperation among the fields of
arts, science and sustainable (information and
energy) technologies, in order to set up a common
ground for developing Art and Renewable Energy
Network and to discuss possible future
co-projects.
Seminar will also discuss how artists, new media
activists, renewable technology researchers,
social software developers, open source
activists, designers of autonomous and
alternative infrastructures who already work
together, deal with sustainability issues,
discussing how may cultural organizations and
their networks benefit from these artistic
innovations for building their future
sustainability.

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PROGRAM

Thursday, December 3
Location: Spikeri, kim? Building, 3rd floor
19.30 – 21.00 Public Lecture: Erik Kluitenberg
(the Netherlands) “Design for Sustainable
Immobility”

Friday, December 4 (Day 1)
Location: RIXC Media Space, 11. Novembra
krastmala 35 (entrance from Minstereja street)
10.00 – 14.00 [Work Session 1]: Networks (/ Organized Networks)
15.00 – 18.00 [Work Session 2]: Sustainability (/ Design for Resilience)
Location: Spikeri, kim? Building, 3rd floor
20.00 – [Open Programme] Screenings / Public Presentations
(Kultivator / Sweden, Baltan Laboratories / the
Netherlands, One Minute Video Festival / Armenia,
Survival Kit / LMC, Latvia, Serde / Latvia,
Arctic Perspectives Project / Lorna, Iceland,
etc.)

Saturday, December 5. (Day 2)
Location: RIXC Media Space, 11. Novembra
krastmala 35 (entrance from Minstereja street)
11.00 – 12.00 Michael Psallidas (Greece) Lecture “Intelligent Energy Networks”
12.00 – 14.00 [Work Session 3]: p2p Infrastructures (/ Energy Issues)
15.00 – 18.00 [Work Session 4]: Open Code Infrastructures (/ Social Media)
Location: Spikeri, kim? Building, 3rd floor
20.00: [Open Programme] Presentations
(MoTA / Slovenia; MARIN mobile residency project
/ Finland; GeoAir / Georgia; Homo Novous / JTI,
Latvia; Nordic-Baltic Videoarchive Project /
Noass / Latvia, Pixelache festival network /
Finland, etc)

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. . . Thursday, December 3:

The Training Programme will begin with public
lecture “Design for Sustainable Immobility” by
Eric Kluitenberg on Thursday, December 3 at 19.30
in Spikeri. The lecture will explore a rather
contradictory topic – mobility continues to
spread all around the planet regardless of the
current financial crisis. On one hand, everyone
has rights to travel without restrictions. But on
the other, it is clear that our planet can no
longer sustain such hypermobility as today. New
design ideas must deal with how to develop
interconnections between people and how to
organize an alternative lifestyle that would be
less determined by constant speed and mobility.
Designers, architects and artists in particular
are invited to discuss ideas and possible models
for solving this issue.

. . . Friday, December 4:

Day 1 of the Training programme will focus mainly
on discussing theoretical questions in relation
to “network” and studying previous networking
experience.
The working session will start off with a general
discussion on terms “network” and
“sustainability” and the relations between them:

Do we all know what is the ‘network’?
Do we understand what makes something sustainable?
Can network be considered as a new type of
institution that is translocal, distributed,
mobile and decentralized?
How can we maintain our networks to be
sustainable, if they are in principle unstable?
What are the most relevant organizational issues regarding networks?
What approach of “organized networks” offer that
would contribute towards network sustainability?
What does creative labour mean in the context of organized network?

First working session will feature also an
on-line presentation (live from Shanghai) by Ned
Rossiter (author of the book “Organized
Networks”) introducing ideas behind the
“organized networks” concept, which will be
followed by work in discussion-groups of on-site
(and remote) participants.

Whilst an on-line interview on “design for
resilience” with John Thackara (founder of design
forum “Doors of Perception” and expert on design
and sustainability issues) will introduce the
second working sessiong that will address issues
of “sustainability” in relation to “mobility”.

Mobility issues will be discussed from two
different perspectives. The “mobile
sustainability” working group (faciliated by
Tapio Makela) will discuss physical
infrastructures for mobility and communication –
from e-cars to green wifi, M.A.R.I.N. (residency
project on a sailing boat) and other projects and
current topics.

A contrary session on “sustainable immobility”
will focus on online tools and tactics,
introducing ideas of the forthcoming Electrosmog
festival (March 2010 in Amsterdam). This session
will be faciliated by Eric Kluitenberg, and it
will focus on how to imagine closer co-operation
using real-time connections over the internet and
how that might work both in tightening
collaboration and networking between cultural
organizations as well as contribute ecologically
to breaking down the cycle of continuous travel
to sustain cultural networks.

. . . Saturday, December 5:

Day 2 of the seminar will discuss more practical
questions – how to organize the practice of
cooperation network and how to design network
infrastructure.

Day 2 will start with lecture “Intelligent Energy
Networks” by Michael Psallidas, introducing
general infrastructures of p2p-networking and
energy issues. The working group afterwards will
focus more on a particular issues around newly
founded Art and Renewable Network – discussing
tools, finances, resources, events, exchanges, as
well protocols: ways how to support activity in
the network.

The second part of the day will be focusing on
issues of open source infrastructures and social
media that will start off with another on-line
lecture “Social Media: Re-introducing
centralization trough back door” by Armin Medosch.

This working session will include evaluation of
situation in Baltic-Nordic-EU region and previous
networking experience (NICE, Pixelache, Nordic
funds, participating organizations, etc.),
introduction to case studies (current cultural
situation in Latvia, case of Caucasus region) and
will discuss how to enhance regional and European
cooperation, by involving Caucasus region. Also
other practical and theoretical issues brought up
by participants, will be discussed during this
day.

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PARTICIPANTS

Eric Kluitenberg (De Balie / The Netherlands)
Andrew Paterson (Pixelache / Finland)
Angela Plohman (Baltan Laboratories / The Netherlands)
Margrét Elísabet Ólafsdóttir (Lorna / Iceland)
Edward Balassanian (NPAK / Armenia)
Gagik Ghazareh (NPAK / Armenia)
Malin Lindmark Vrijman (Kultivator / Sweden)
Mathieu Vrijman (Kultivator / Sweden)
Nino Palavandishvili (GeoAir / Georgia)
Kristin Bergaust (Norway)
Ignas Kazakevicius (KCCC / Lithuania)
Skaiste Kazarauskaite (KCCC / Lithuania)
Paulius Klisevicius (KCCC / Lithuania)
Martin Bricelj (MoTA / Ljubljana)
Linda Våge (Atelier Nord / Norway)
Tapio Makela (MARIN / Finland)
Juha Huuskonen (Pixelache / Finland)
Michael Psallidas (p2p network / Greece)
Lars Nordqvist (New Media Meeting / Sweden)
Rasa Smite (RIXC / Latvia)

. . . Online speakers:

Ned Rossiter (author of “Organized Networks” books)
John Thackara (design and sustainability expert,
founder of Doors of perception)
Armin Medosch (writer, artist, curator of “WAVES” exhibition project)

. . . Online participants:

Björn Norberg (Mejan Labs / Sweden)
Daniela Ariado (iolab / Norway)
Gisle Frøysland (Piksel / Norway)
Thomas Rydell (Interactive Institute / Sweden)
Nis Rømer (Fieldwork / Denmark)
Per Platou (PNEK / Norway)
uc.

. . . Participants from Latvia:

Members of Association of Contemporary Culture
NGOs of Latvia: RIXC, NOASS, LLMC, SERDE, JTI,
DIC, and others.

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. . . Locations:

Public lectures: Spikeri, kim? building, 3rd
floor, Maskavas iela 12/1, Riga (near Central
Market).
Training programme: RIXC Media Space, 11.
Novembra krastmala 35, entrance from Minsterejas
iela (in Old Town).

. . . Organisers:

RIXC, the Center for New Media Culture in
cooperation with Association for Contemporary
Culture NGOs (Latvia) and international partners.

. . . Contact:

rixc@rixc.lv
tel. +371-26546776 (Rasa Smite)
tel. +371-67228478 (RIXC office)

. . . Support:

European Culture Foundation, Nordic Culture
Point, State Culture Capital Foundation, Hotel
Elizabete.

By addressing issues of cultural sustainability with focus on networking, RIXC in collaboration with partners is organizing a Training Programme in Cultural Network Management “Organized Networks”which will take place in Riga, December 3-5, 2009.

The Training Programme will gather representatives from more then 20 new media art centers, culture organisations and networks from Baltic, Nordic and other European regions, as well as Caucasus countries.

The Organized Networks project is supported by European Culture Foundation, Nordic Culture Point, State Culture Capital Foundation, Hotel Elizabete.