Old Boys Network

Old Boys Network, 100 Anti-Theses of Cyberfeminism, 1997, HTML.

Old Boys Network (OBN) was a cyberfeminist alliance founded in Berlin and active from 1997-c.2001.

"Under the umbrella of the term 'Cyberfeminism' OBN contribute to the critical discourse on new media, especially gender-specific aspects. OBN is dedicated to appropriating, creating and disseminating Cyberfeminisms (plural). OBN creates real and virtual spaces where Cyberfeminists can research, experiment, communicate and act. The OBN platforms aim to provide a contextualized presence for the diverse and interdisciplinary approaches to Cyberfeminism." (Source)

The OBN members included Cornelia Sollfrank (Hamburg/Berlin), Susanne Ackers (Berlin), Julianne Pierce (Sydney), Helene von Oldenburg (Rastede/Hamburg), Claudia Reiche (Hamburg), Faith Wilding (Pittsburgh), Yvonne Volkart (Zürich), Verena Kuni (Frankfurt), Valie Djordjević (Berlin), Alla Mitrofanova (St Petersburg), Ellen Nonnenmacher, a.o.

The OBN organised the First Cyberfeminist International in September 1997 as part of Hybrid Workspace at the documenta X art event in Kassel, followed by another two major conferences in Rotterdam, 1999, and Hamburg, 2001. The twentieth anniversary of the First Cyberfeminist International was marked by the Institute of Contemporary Art, London with a five day event called the Post-Cyber Feminist International.

Processing Cyberfeminism, 1999/2022, 15 min. (Source) Members of the core-group of the Old Boys Network answer the question "What is Cyberfeminism?" Contributions by Verena Kuni, Cornelia Sollfrank, Susanne Ackers, Claudia Reiche, Faith Wilding, Yvonne Volkart, Helene von Oldenburg. Conception OBN/Janine Sack. Realization: Janine Sack..

the truth lies in between

A series of conversations with former members of the Old Boys Network conducted by Malin Kuht in 2021-2022 as part of the obn_archive project. See also reflection on interviews and other materials. Click on the captions to access the recordings.

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  Cornelia Sollfrank, Object: Photo Venice Biennal 2001, obn@venice

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  Susanne Ackers, Object: her text from OBN Reader 2

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  Ellen Nonnenmacher, Object: Stickers First Cyberfeminist International

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  Julianne Pierce, Object: Photo HWS showing all founding members

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  Valie Djordjević, Object: Gender Changer (Piece of Hardware)

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  Alla Mitrofanova, Object: techno lecture track (sound object)

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  Claudia Reiche, Object: Keyboard Ring

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  Yvonne Volkart, Object: Video Processing Cyberfeminism, 1999

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  Shu Lea Cheang, Object: Group Photo First Cyberfeminist International, 1997

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  Verena Kuni, Object: green crocheted doily

Events

First Cyberfeminist International: Old Boys Network Reader 1, 1998, Log, PDF.

Next Cyberfeminist International: Old Boys Network Reader 2, 1999, Log, PDF.

Very Cyberfeminist International: Old Boys Network Reader 3, 2002, Log, PDF.

• 1. Cyberfeminist International, conference, Documenta X, Kassel, 20-28 Sep 1997. Organised by Old Boys Network. Participants: Susanne Ackers (.SE/.DE), Babeth (.NL), Ulrike Bergermann (.DE), Josephine Bosma (.NL), Shu Lea Cheng (.US), Valentina Djordejvic (.DE), Marina Grizinic (.JP/.SI), Sabine Helmers (.DE), Kathy Rae Huffman (.AT/.US), Margarete Jahrmann (.AT), Vesna Jankovic (.HR), Verena Kuni (.DE), Ellen Nonnenmacher (.DE), Vesna Manojlovic (.YU), Diana McCarty (.HU/.US), Alla Mitrofanova (.RU), Ingrid Molnar (.DE/.AT), Mathilde MuPe (.NL), Helene von Oldenburg (.DE), Natalja Pershina (.RU), Corrine Petrus (.NL), Julianne Pierce (.AU), Daniela Alina Plewe (.DE), Barbara Rechbach (.AT), Claudia Reiche (.DE), Tamara Rouw (.NL), Rasa Smite (.LV), Cornelia Sollfrank (.DE), Debra Solomon (.NL), Josephine Starrs (.AU/.DE), Barbara Strebel (.CH), Olga Egerova (.RU), Rena Tangens (.DE), Gudrun Teich (.DE), Kerstin Weiberg (.DE), Faith Wilding (.US), Eva Wohlgemuth (.AT), Ina Wudtke (.DE). CfP. Report. Book.

• Next Cyberfeminist International, conference, Rotterdam, 8-13 Mar 1999. Organised by Old Boys Network. Participants: Helene von Oldenburg (D), Cornelia Sollfrank (D), Corrine Petrus (NL), Marieke van Santen (NL), Faith Wilding (USA), Yvonne Volkart (CH), Ingrid Hoofd (NL), Claudia Reiche (D), Ursula Biemann (CH), Mare Tralla (UK, Estonia), Pam Skelton (UK), Nat Muller (UK), Caroline Bassett (UK), Maria Fernandez (USA), Rena Tangens (D), Barbara Thoens (D), Stephanie Wehner (NL), Rasa Smite (LV), Rachel Baker, Barbara Rechbach (A, UK), Gudrun Teich (D), Janine Sack (D), Josephine Bosma (NL), Veronica Engler (ARG), Vesna Jankovic (CR), Sunchana Spirovan (CR), Irina Aristarkhova (RU), Alla Mitrofanova, Shu Lea Cheang, Susanne Ackers, Maren Hartmann. CfP. Book.

• OBN@ZKM, performance, ZKM, Karlsruhe, 16 Oct 1999. Performative contribution to the net_condition exhibition.

• OBN@IFU, presentation, University of Hamburg, 24 Aug 2000. [1] [2]

• The Truth about Cyberfeminism, Die Höge, Högenhausen, 22-24 Oct 2000. Performance at Dialoge und Debatten, an international symposium on Feminist Positions in Contemporary Visual Arts. [3]

• Very Cyberfeminist International conference, Lichtmess-Kino, Hamburg, 13-16 Dec 2001. Organised by Old Boys Network (Verena Kuni, Helene von Oldenburg, Claudia Reiche, Cornelia Sollfrank). Speakers: ariane brenssell (D), christina goestl (AU), cindy gabriela flores (MEX), claude draude (D), corinna bath (D), faith wilding (Pittsburgh, USA), feminist indymedia austria (AU), genderchangers (NL), isabelle massu, jill scott (AUS/D), jutta weber (D), irina aristarkhova (Moskau/RU, Singapore), les pénélopes (F), margaret tan (SG), maria fernandez (New York, USA), nasya bahfen/SG, RAWA (AF), sara platon, susanna paasonen (FI), Synesthésie, TECHNO-TRICKSTER-TANK™(D), uli peter (D), waltraud schwab (D), a.o. CfP. Book. [4].

• more

Publications

• "100 Anti-Theses of Cyberfeminism", 1997.

• First Cyberfeminist International: Old Boys Network Reader 1, eds. Cornelia Sollfrank and Old Boys Network, obn, 1998, 88 pp. Documentation of September 1997 conference held as part of Hybrid Workspace at Documenta X, Kassel.

• Next Cyberfeminist International: Old Boys Network Reader 2, eds. Cornelia Sollfrank and Old Boys Network, obn, 1999, 104 pp. Extended documentation of the March 1999 conference in Rotterdam.

• Processing Cyberfeminism, 1999, 15 min. Series of videos introducing the Old Boys Network and cyberfeminism. [5]

• Very Cyberfeminist International: Old Boys Network Reader 3, eds. Helene von Oldenburg and Claudia Reiche, Berlin: b_books, 2002, 132 pp. Extended documentation of the December 2001 conference in Hamburg.

• Cyberfeminism: Next Protocols, eds. Claudia Reiche and Verena Kuni, New York: Autonomedia, and London: Pluto, 2004, 336 pp. TOC. [6]

Literature

• Ulrike Bergermann, "Intelligente Lebensformen. Das 'Old Boys Network' promotet den Cyberfeminismus", Frauen Kunst Wissenschaft 29, 2000, pp 21-37. [7] (German)

• Cornelia Sollfrank, "The Art of Getting Organized. A Different Approach to Old Boys Network", OnCurating 52: "Instituting Feminism", eds. Helena Reckitt and Dorothee Richter, 2021, pp 120–125. (English)

• Cornelia Sollfrank, "obn_a – A Situated Archive of the Old Boys Network", in Networks of Care: Politiken des (Er)haltens und (Ent)sorgens, eds. Anna Schäffler, Friederike Schäfer, and Nanne Buurman, Berlin: neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst (nGbK), 2022, pp 72-80. (English)
  • "obn_a – ein situiertes Archiv des Old Boys Network", in Networks of Care: Politiken des (Er)haltens und (Ent)sorgens, eds. Anna Schäffler, Friederike Schäfer, and Nanne Buurman, Berlin: neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst (nGbK), 2022, pp 157-166. (German)

Film

• En-Countering Cyberfeminism, dir. Malin Kuht, 2021, 33 min; short version, 2022, 7 min. Artist film. [8]

Archives, links

• obn_a – a situated archive of the old boys network, 2020 ff. [9]

• obn.org, archived version in Rhizome Artbase

• OBN mailing list, 2001-2009, [10]