Armin Medosch
Born |
September 16, 1962 Graz, Austria |
---|---|
Lives in | Graz (1962-85), Vienna (1985-2017), London (1997-?) |
Died |
February 23, 2017 Vienna, Austria | (aged 54)
Web | Academia.edu, Aaaaarg, Wikipedia, Wikipedia-DE |
Armin Medosch (1962, Graz - 2017, Vienna) was an artist, curator, theorist and critic. He worked in media culture, wireless networks, online communities, and art and technopolitics. Medosch wrote a book on the international art and technology movement New Tendencies (2016). He received PhD in arts and computational technology from the Goldsmiths London (2012).
Armin Medosch studied German literature and philosophy at Graz University (1982-1985) and theatre direction at the Academy for Music and Drama, Graz (1982-1985). In 1985 moved to Vienna. 1986 founded Radio Subcom art group and 1989-1992 participated at art festivals (Ars Electronica), warehouse-parties, VJing. Worked as a journalist for ORF, Radio Ö1.
1992-1994 co-founded STUBNITZ Kunst-Raum-Schiff, Rostock, and curated and organised exhibitions and symposia in Rostock, Hamburg, Malmö and St.Petersburg (Jul-Sep 1994). With Stefan Iglhaut and Florian Rötzer, he curated Telepolis (Luxembourg, 1995), an exhibition and symposium about the interactive and networked city.
From 1996-2002 he was co-editor of Telepolis: The Magazine of Netculture (founded together with Florian Rötzer). With Telepolis he won the European Online Journalism Award 2000 for investigative reporting and the Grimme Online Award 2002 for media journalism.
From 1997 he was based in London. There he co-initiated the monthly Cybersalon events, joint the University of Openess, a self-learning institution, and organised Art Servers Unlimited conference (with Manu Luksch, 1998). He was associate senior lecturer at the MA course on Interactive Digital Media at Ravensbourne College, London (2002-07).
Together with Yukiko Shikata and Shu Lea Cheang, Medosch curated the research-activist project Kingdom of Piracy (<KOP>, 2001-06) [1]. The initiative produced DIVE - collaborative tools for online communities (2003), a printed catalogue and CD with texts, art projects and software. With <KOP> and xxxxx he organised Plenum as a novel event format (2006).
In 2002 he co-organised "BerLon" - Berlin/London wireless community networking workshop in bootlab, Berlin. In 2004 he held a NinePin research residency by Scan Network in the South West of England, investigating real and virtual ports and their role as cultural socio-economic hubs of transmission, gatekeeping and control with the Ports project.
Medosch curated the exhibitions Waves (Riga, 2006; Dortmund, 2008) and Fields (Riga, 2014), and convened the conferences Goodbye Privacy (Ars Electronica, 2007) and Creative Cities (Vienna, 2009).
In 2009 Medosch founded the Technopolitics working group together with Brian Holmes. Since 2011, the group has been regularly hosting talks and workshops with invited guests in Vienna, growing to comprise about 10 core members and 30 contributors (artists, theoreticians, curators, journalists) as of 2015. They launched the project Tracing Information Society resulting in a Technopolitics Timeline, first displayed in the exhibition Social Glitch: Radical Aesthetics and the Consequences of Extreme Events at Kunst Raum Niederösterreich (2015) [2] [3], later at MAK Vienna (2016), nGbK Berlin (2017) and elsewhere.
He was a regular speaker at international conferences on digital culture and frequently involved in organising and curating conferences. He contributed articles and essays to many books, catalogues, magazines and newspapers.
Books[edit]
- editor, with Stefan Iglhaut and Florian Rötzer, Stadt am Netz. Ansichten von Telepolis, Mannheim: Bollmann, 1996, 298 pp. (German)
- editor, with Janko Röttgers, Netzpiraten. Die Kultur des elektronischen Verbrechens, Hannover: Heise, 2001, 192 pp. [4] (German)
- Pirati na mreži: kultura elektronskog kriminala, trans. Relja Dražić, Dragan Prole and Rade Pujin, Novi Sad: Futura publikacije, 2008, 133 pp. (Serbian)
- Freie Netze. Geschichte, Politik und Kultur offener WLAN-Netze, Hannover: Heise, 2004. On the politics, history and culture of (wireless) community networks. (German)
- "Radio Visions: Technological, Commercial and Artistic Radio Utopias", trans. Nadezda Kinsky Müngersdorff, continent 7:1, 2018, pp 86-89. Trans. of excerpt (pp 231-235). (English)
- Lernen in der Netzwerkgesellschaft, Vienna: Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Kultur und Kunst, 2011, 95 pp. (German)
- The Rise of the Network Commons, [2014]. Book draft. (English)
- New Tendencies: Art at the Threshold of the Information Revolution (1961-1978), MIT Press, 2016, x+395 pp. (English)
Catalogues, journal issues[edit]
- editor, with Manu Luksch, Art Servers Unlimited: Conference, Meeting, Party, London, 1998, 67+[10] pp. Booklet.
- editor, DMZ Media Arts Festival, London, 2003. Catalogue. [5]
- editor, DIVE - collaborative tools for online communities, Liverpool: The Virtualcentre-Media.Net, 2003, 51 pp. With CD.
- editor, with Rasa Smite and Daina Silina, Waves: Electromagnetic Waves as Material and Medium of Art. Acoustic Space #6, Riga: RIXC, 2006. [6]
- editor, with Rasa Smite, Spectropia: Illuminating Investigations into the Electromagnetic Spectrum. Acoustic Space #7, Riga: RIXC, and Liepaja: MPLab of Liepaja University, 2008. [7]
- editor, with Inke Arns, Raitis Smits and Rasa Smite, Waves: The Art of the Electromagnetic Society, Dortmund: HMKV/Kettler, 2008. Catalogue.
- editor, with Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits, Art as Research. Acoustic Space #9, Riga: RIXC, and Liepaja: MPLab of Liepaja University, 2010. [8]
- editor, with Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits, Networks and Sustainability. Acoustic Space #10, Riga: RIXC, and Liepaja: MPLab of Liepaja University, 2011. [9]
- editor, with Stefan Vater and Ina Zwerger, Magazin Erwachsenenbildung.at 22: "„Ästhetische Erziehung“ im Digitalzeitalter", Vienna, Jun 2014. (German)
- editor, with Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits, Techno-Ecologies 2. Media Art Histories: ReNew. Acoustic Space #12, Riga: RIXC, and Liepaja: MPLab of Liepaja University, 2014. [10]
- editor, with Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits, Open Fields. Acoustic Space #16, Riga: RIXC, and Liepaja: MPLab of Liepaja University, 2016. [11]
- editor, with Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits, Renewable Futures. Art, Science and Society in the Post-Media Age, Riga: RIXC, and Liepaja: MPLab of Liepaja University, 2017, 308 pp.
Theses[edit]
- Technological Determinism in Media Art, Ravensbourne College / Sussex University, 2005, 57 pp. Master's thesis.
- Automation, Cybernation and the Art of New Tendencies, 1961-1973, London: Goldsmiths, 2012, 369 pp. Ph.D. dissertation.
Book chapters, papers, essays[edit]
- "Understanding Man - Extensions of Media", Kunstforum 133: "Die Zukunft des Körpers 2", ed. Florian Rötzer, 1996. [12] (English)
- "Community - Content - Interface. Publishing on the Internet", in Informationsgesellschaft, Sozialwissenschaftliches Forum, 1998. Originally given as a talk at Cyberconf, Oslo and Siggraph, LA, both 1996. (English)
- "A Very Private Affair", Mute 21, London, 2001. (English)
- "Einen Hoax will er sich machen", in Netzpiraten, eds. Medosch and Röttgers, Heise, 2001, pp 66-78. (German)
- "On želi da napravi hoax", in Pirati na mreži, eds. Medosch and Röttgers, Futura publikacije, 2008, pp 61-73. (Serbian)
- "The Kids are out to play", in Netzpiraten, eds. Medosch and Röttgers, Heise, 2001, pp 87-93. (German)
- "The Kids are Out to Play", in Pirati na mreži, eds. Medosch and Röttgers, Futura publikacije, 2008, 83-89. (Serbian)
- "DVD-Prozess: Showdown im Gerichtssaal", in Netzpiraten, eds. Medosch and Röttgers, Heise, 2001, pp 97-98. Extended version appeared in Telepolis, 21 Jul 2000. (German)
- "DVD-Proces: sukob u sudnici", in Pirati na mreži, eds. Medosch and Röttgers, Futura publikacije, 2008, pp 93-94. (Serbian)
- "Network 404", in Art for Networks, eds. Hannah Firth and Simon Pope, Cardiff: Chapter, 2002, HTML. (English)
- "Neurath im WWW", in Bildersprache. Otto Neurath Visualisierungen, eds. Frank Hartmann and Edwin K. Bauer, Vienna: WUV, 2002; 2nd ed., exp., 2006. (German)
- "Pull the Plug: Ars Electronica Review", Mute 25, London, Winter 2002/Spring 2003. (English)
- "Piratology", in DIVE - collaborative tools for online communities, ed. Armin Medosch, Liverpool: Fact/KOP/Virtual Media Center, 2003. (English)
- "London.ZIP: A Mapping of Media Arts in London", in DMZ Media Arts, ed. Armin Medosch, London, 2003. (English)
- "Demonstrieren in der virtuellen Republik", in Bürgerrechte im Netz, ed. Christine Schulzki-Haddouti, Bonn: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, 2003, pp 261-306. (German)
- "The Construction of the Network Commons", trans. Mel Greenwald, in Timeshift: The World in Twenty-Five Years. Ars Electronica 2004, eds. Gerfried Stocker and Christine Schöpf, Linz: AEC, 2004, pp 190-195. (English)
- "Not Just Another Wireless Utopia: Developing the Social Protocols of Free Networking", 2004. Written for The Future of Computer Arts & The History of the International Festival of Computer Arts, Maribor, 1995-2004, ed. Marina Gržinić, Maribor: MKC, and Ljubljana: Maska, 2004. (English)
- "Die Gesellschaft im Ad-hoc-Modus--dezentral, selbst organisiert, mobil", in Interaktivität: ein transdisziplinärer Schlüsselbegriff, eds. Christoph Bieber and Claus Leggewie, Kassel: Campus, 2004. [13] (German)
- "Society in Ad-hoc Mode: Decentralised, Self-organising, Mobile", trans. Nicholas Grindell, in Economising Culture: On the (Digital) Culture Industry, eds. Geoff Cox, Joasia Krysa and Anya Lewin, New York: Autonomedia, 2004, pp 121-146.
- "Roots Culture: Free Software Vibrations Inna Babylon", in How Open is the Future? Economic, Social & Cultural Scenarios Inspired by Free and Open Source Software, eds. Marleen Wynants and Jan Cornelis, Brussels: VUB Brussels University Press, 2005, pp 135-162; upd. in Engineering Culture: On 'The Author as (Digital) Producer' , eds. Geoff Cox and Joasia Krysa, New York: Autonomedia, 2005, pp 177-201; repr. in Sarai Reader 2005: Bare Acts, New Delhi: Sarai, 2005, pp 222-239. Draft. (English)
- "The Wireless Loveboat: ISEA 2004", Mute 29, London, 2005. (English)
- "Landscape Painting in the Information Age, or Romanticism in Media Art", in Open Nature, eds. Yukiko Shikata, et al., Tokyo: NTT InterCommunicationCentre, 2005. (English)
- "Meshing in the Future: The free configuration of everything and everyone with Hive Networks", 2005. (English)
- "Auf freien Wellenlängen: Funknetze als techno-soziale Entwürfe", in Open Source Yearbook. Zwischen Softwareentwicklung und Gesellschaftsmodell, eds. Bernd Lutterbeck, et al., Berlin: Lehmanns Media, 2006. Draft. (German)
- "On Free Wavelength: Wireless Networks as Techno-Social Models", trans. Nicholas Grindell, in Ambient Information Systems, eds. Manu Luksch and Mukul Patel, London: Ambient Information Systems, 2009, pp 99-115. Draft. (English)
- with Shu Lea Cheang and Martin Howse, "Plenum Scenario and Patches", in [the] xxxxx [reader], London: xxxxx & Mute, 2006. [14] (English)
- "Waves: An Introduction", in Waves: Electromagnetic Waves as Material and Medium of Art. Acoustic Space #6, eds. Medosch, et al., Riga: RIXC, 2006, pp 14-23. [15] (English)
- "The Spychip Under Your Skin", ed. Marina Vishmidt, 2006. Commissioned by Space Media Arts. (English)
- "The Next Layer or: The Emergence of Open Source Culture", 2007. Draft for Pixelache publication, London/Vienna, 2006-07. (English)
- "45 RPM / Revolutions Per Minute - Radio Art Histories Remixed, Maxi Single Version", 2007. Subjective and abbreviated history of radio told from the angle of radio art as an emancipatory project with a 100 year life-span so far, including remarks covering Brecht, Benjamin, Subcom, Dyne, Pure Data and others. (English)
- "45 Revolutionen per Minute", in Was tun: Figuren des Protests. Taktiken des Widerstands: ein Reader des Festivals Basics. Medien-Kunst-Gesellschaft, Salzburg: Müry, and Vienna: Salzmann, 2010, pp 12-27. (German)
- "45 RPM.- 45 revoluçoes por minuto (historia da midia em alta velocidade)", in Mediações, Tecnologia e Espaço Público: Panorama Crítico da Arte em Mídias Móveis, eds. L. Bambozzi, M. Bastos and R. Minelli, Sao Paulo: Conrad Do Brasil, 2010, pp 99-118. (Brazilian Portuguese)
- "Paid in Full", in Deptford.TV Diaries II: Pirate Strategies, eds. Adnan Hadzi and Jonas Andersson, London: Deckspace, 2008, pp 73-97. (English)
- "Waves - The Art of Electromagnetic Society (Introduction)", in Waves: The Art of the Electromagnetic Society, eds. Medosch, et al., Dortmund: HMKV/Kettler, 2008. (English)
- "Waves: The Art of Deconcealment", in Spectropia: Illuminating Investigations into the Electromagnetic Spectrum. Acoustic Space #7, eds. Armin Medosch and Rasa Smite, Riga: RIXC, and Liepaja: MPLab of Liepaja University, 2008. [16] (English)
- "AmbientTV.NET: Open Doors, Open Processes", in Ambient Information Systems, eds. Manu Luksch and Mutul Patel, London: Ambient Information Systems, 2009, pp 336-368. Draft.
- "Situating Nodes and Narratives: Hidden Histories/Street Radio", in Node.London Reader II, London: Mute Publishing, 2009, pp 94-106. (English)
- "Margins of Freedom: Privacy and the Politics of Labour and Information", in Beyond Privacy: New Perspectives on the Public and Private Domains, eds. J. Seijdel, L. Melis, and R. Laermans, Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, 2010, pp 68-77. (English)
- "Kreative Milieus", in Vergessene Zukunft: radikale Netzkulturen in Europa, eds. Clemens Apprich and Felix Stalder, Bielefeld: transcript, 2012, pp 19-26. (German)
- "Overcoming Alienation / Aspects of New Tendencies (1961-1973)", in L'Internationale: Post-War Avant-Gardes Between 1957 and 1986, ed. Christian Höller, Zurich: JRP Ringier, 2012; L'Internationale Online, 2015, pp 285-296. (English)
- with Stefan Vater and Ina Zwerger, "Editorial", Magazin Erwachsenenbildung.at 22: "„Ästhetische Erziehung“ im Digitalzeitalter", eds. Medosch, et al., Vienna, Jun 2014, pp 1-10. (German)
- "Shockwaves in the New World Order of Information and Communication", in A Companion to Digital Art, ed. Christiane Paul, Wiley-Blackwell, 2016, pp 355-383. (English)
- "Art as Visual Research: The Tendency in New Tendencies", Journal of Research Cultures 1, Vienna: Research Institute for Arts and Technology, 2016. (English)
- "Mehr als nur eine Funkwelllen-Utopie. Netzfreiheit - von der Technologie zum Kommunikationsmodell drahtloser Bürgernetze", MedienJournal 28:1, Apr 2017, pp 25-35. [17] (German)
- "Cutting the Networks in Former Yugoslavia: From New Tendencies to the New Art Practice", Third Text 153: "Actually Existing Artworlds of Socialism", Jul 2018, pp 546-561. (English)
- "The Network Commons and the City as Project and Utopia", International Journal of Electronic Governance 10(2): "Empowering Citizenship in the Hybrid City", Aug 2018, pp 120-137. (English)
Interviews[edit]
- Pauline van Mourik Broekman, "Mute in Conversation with Telepolis (Armin Medosch)", Mute, 10 Jan 1997. (English)
- Erik Kjaer Larsen, "Interview with Armin Medosch (Telepolis)", Nettime, 11 Jul 1997. (English)
- with Karl Grossman, "The Fourth Medium of Warfare: Land, Sea, Air, Space", Mute 14, London, Summer/Autumn 1999. [18] (English)
- "We gotta be good neighbours. Interview with Bruce M Simpson", London, Summer/Autumn 2006. On FreeBSD, ZORP and free networks. (English)
- "The computer lets us rediscover imaginative power. Interview with Eleonora Oreggia", Amsterdam, Jun 2006. (English)
- "Interview with Harwood / Mongrel: Between Social Software and the Poetic", Southend/Leigh On Sea, 30 Jun 2006. (English)
- "Plötzlich gibt es nicht nur eine Stimme. Interview mit Elektra", Berlin, 16 Sep 2006. On Freifunk, C-Base and mesh-routing. (German)
Lectures[edit]
- Piratology: The Deep Seas of Open Code and Free Culture, kuda.org, Novi Sad, 19 Dec 2003. Video, 59 min. [19]
- Wireless Utopia, 100 Years of Free Energy, Wireless Socialist Dreams and Telecommunications monopoly, kuda.org, Novi Sad, 20 Dec 2003. Video, 69 min. [20]
- Wireless London, AA School of Architecture, London, 18 Jan 2005. Video.
- Technopolitics, Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, 27 Nov 2010. Video.
- The Need for a Utopian Vision, Ekonomski Institut, Zagreb, 6 Dec 2013. Video, 35 min.
- Non-Aligned Modernism: The International Network and Art Movement 'New Tendencies', Haus der Kunst, Munich, 22 May 2014. Video.
- Art and Technopolitics, tranzit.sk, Bratislava, 11 Jun 2015. Video.
- Mapping New Tendencies and the Emergence of Networked Thought, siva) (zona, Korčula/CR, 25 Jul 2016. Audio, 34 min.
On Armin Medosch[edit]
- Armin Medosch, 1962-2017, Vienna, 2017, 45 pp, Issuu. Collection of memorial notes and tributes from friends.
Links[edit]
- TheNextLayer, a research project investigating the culture of open sources. (archived 2017)
- medien.Kunstlabor wiki (personal wiki, archived 2007)