1. What is netart?

net.art is art that has network culture (socially, technically, politically) as its basis. This also includes some work that does *not* directly use a computernetwork.

2. Netart vs. Art on Net

It is very simple: art on the net is a reflection of all that is generally considered art, while net art is art that answers to the above definition

3. Art and Entertainment

There are a mainly two aspects of the net that make artistic practice around it special. Firstly everyone that has access to the net has an archive to her or his disposal that is larger then any archive we have seen before. (Let's leave the question aside whether this archive is easy to manage or use.) Even if some material on it is somehow secured the internet and its fellow networks leave us with tremendous resources of all kinds of information. This is not so much new in itself as it is an archive like a library is one, but because of its size we can speak of a database revolution in my point of view. Art is part of and made in this archive. The interesting question is whether net art that can not be archived will nevertheless leave traces in art history and if yes, how. Secondly there is the communication or exchange aspect. This is the most interesting, and it provides the artworld with changes in at least three important area's (that are all connected of course): media access, influence or power, and art definition. One should keep in mind that the networks (and the way they are used) are by no means completed or finished. They are still developing and have on the other hand been around for some time now. This means that we cannot really speak of one specific change that is affecting the artworld or art itself. We should look back first of all, then look at the present conditions, and maybe then we can do some speculation about the future.

In short the past of the net has seen three major changes: it went from text based communication to worldwideweb to now streaming media. These three coexist, mix and should be seen as three different layers rather then that they replace eachother. There is also a development from a small net 'community' with rather strict rules out of social and technical necessity to an ever expanding mesh of online worlds that are looking for new ways to deal with eachother and with individuals. For the artworld (art institutions, artists and art itself) the history of the net means that its representation in the net went from simple text based presence, which cost relatively little in terms of effort and money, to a much stronger (audio) visual presentation. Being present inside the net is becoming a more costly and complicated enterprise. The first change the artworld saw was a relativization of its influence in favor of independent artists sites and early web 'galeries'. This shift in power (for as far as it was one) might have been only temporarily though, as with the development of more and more institutional art sites independent sites are having more trouble competing. This is because independent sites simply do not have the money to hire fancy webdesigners or to pay fees for artists and writers. It turns out presenting art work independently is a tough job. In order to be rid of the trouble to push ones work and to earn money many artists are involved in making commissioned net art. Whereas traditional artists often work in their studio's whether they exhibit or not, one gets the impression some net artists only work when commissioned by an institution or gallery. This could be an aftermath of a part of electronic art culture in which art often seems to be made to enhance or present newly developed technology. There is a large group of independent net artists however that work from a basis of love or interest for art and the medium they are in, which present their work in either their own site or in collaborative sites (like irational.org, ljudmila.org, pavu.org etc). For the first time in history not only artists have direct access to a mass media like environment, also art institutions do. Art institutions create their own 'media channel' when they build their website. Not only that: when building their own website, they become part of the development of the net and worldwideweb. They interfere, like every new user, with the architecture and the traditions of 'the net'. Most of all art institutions have to now actually contemplate on how to deal with their newly born status of being a media channel, and how they are going to use and fill this. Will they acknowledge the importance of supporting independent artist sites, instead of dragging all art to their own server? The emphasis you place on entertainment as influence of net art is not completely correct in my point of view. Of course there is the tedious 'Webby Award' with its emphasis on popularity in presentation and decisionmaking, but most net art that uses entertainment strategies should be perceived more in the lines of pop art or politically critical art. Two slightly different genres maybe, but on the net the distinction between the two is often hard to make when artists mimick commercial sites and commercial practices. The fact that both artists and art institutions now create their own media channels does raise questions as to how they should do it, or how they are already going about it, how they should profile themselves in a world that is placing so much importance on 'hits'. The discussion about special (niche) audiences, or media without audiences even, has just started, and hopefully will guide the artworld through a small identity crisis. One could say we are about to rediscover what art means to us, when we discuss what is and what is not art, and when we include or exclude works and practices.

4. Avant-garde or Utopia or SF ?

Net art does not -aim- at anything, it just is, it simply exists. It is not a movement, even if there are a few artist groups that could be seen as a movement inside the field of net art. We can speak only in general terms about what net art adds to media art. With net art media art finally enters the mainstream media directly. That is, in places where internet access is easy to get. Media art seems to have found its destination somehow with net art: it is created by the means of the same medium it is represented in; there is (in theory) no real obstacle between the audience and the work.

5. Network communication vs. natural communication

I do not really like the term 'natural communication'. Mediated contact is different and limited, but not necessarely unnatural. Your question is also funny in that it seems to say that people were sort of struggling with communication in the past, and that they were waiting for some way to relief them from this struggle. That turns the general perception upside down I believe. But let me say some things I find interesting about mediated communication and about network communication (they are not the same). In mediated communication the limitations of the technology do not only create a distance between the communicating parties, they also create a distance between your 'self' and your body. Because there is no longer a reflection of or reaction to physical specifities like voice or smell or gestures we loose an awareness of their existence. Network communication -can- add something to this, which is a complete loss of the self. Not only do we not get a reaction to our physical presence, our identity becomes part of a mass or crowd. Without the physical limitations of live presence in a crowd, and without limits to the time we spend there, it is hard for our individual identities to survive. Not just is it harder for us to define ourselves, but it is also difficult to deal with the psychology and social tendencies of the mass, as it acts upon us.

6. Network Neo Imperialism or central power system

In theory the net could maybe be shut down by force, but it is highly unlikely this would happen easily. First of all is the internet not the only computer network (arpanet, intranet) and then there is also the fact that the net was built to survive a nuclear attack. If parts shut down, not everything shuts down. With the developments in wireless technology a major shut down would probably not mean total deprivation of the net for all. Add to this that the technologies involved have become cheaper and cheaper, and you will understand that it is almost impossible to shut the net down without a major intervention or an insane attack on the population and economies of the entire world as well. There are however more invisible interventions, and of course the Echelon email scanning system is one of them. The net is changing because of economical reasons. I already mentioned the fact that certain institutions and also corporations simply have more money to develop a stable and powerful net.presence. The development of the technology of the networks also costs a lot of money, and this money will at some point be asked from the 'user'. It is impossible to do a precise prediction here, there are different future scenario's. One possibility is that high bandwidth will only be accessible for large corporations and institutions, and poorer individuals and small institutions will have to work with slower routes and networks. Whether the latter then still will have any influence on the first is hard to say. Because these developments are so close to us and our interests as artists/consumers/participants within a networked society it is very important to be aware of them, and to even be actively involved in them.

7. Using International language on the net

This is a problem I have to deal with too, as I am not a native English speaker. I think we have to move towards a slacking of grammar and spelling rules for sure. It is of course important that we keep understanding eachother, and texts and communication should not be too multi-interpretable. Some flexibility of native english speakers is necessary though. Not just towards other languages or other uses of language, but also to different cultural inputs, different ways of thinking that come with other languages. All we non english can do is make good work to make this clear. I don't think it is wise to turn away from english completely, and become nationalistic. It is important that developments in network culture do get translated to local environments too, which means publications in other languages then english are also of great importance. In some ways being a non native english person makes life online more rich. The depth of your native culture is combined with that of a very diverse international one. For english speakers this seems to be less so. Other languages (and the cultures behind them) are exotic or obscure rather then another part of culture for them. At least that is my impression. I want to stress these are all generalisations though.

8. Internet and Life

School will not disappear, just like no physical gatherings will disappear. People will always need tutors and company of some sort, because the human physical system relies on more then purely cognitive learning to advance and succeed in life. I had a wonderful talk with a friend about the influences of the internet on 'everyday people'. We discussed the theories of Baudrillard, his ideas of simulation. I say we have left postmodernity when the masses discovered they were part of the media when they entered the internet. People now are aware of the fabrication of identity and reality inside media, and they participate in these fabrications. As we are no longer sure of the identity of our own neighbours this way (they could be those annoying spammers or they could be that famous theorist), my friend says our society is suffering from a loss of trust in not only the mass media, politics and so forth, but also in the social atmosphere. I think he is right.

9. Please list the names of the artists or the titles of ongoing projects and exhibitions you wish to recommend.

-Peter Luining Lfoundation http://www.lfoundation.org
-Netochka Nezvanova (antiorp) www.eusocial.com
-Dextro http://www.dextro.org/
-meta http://www.meta.am
-Robert Jan Leegte http://www.xs4all.nl/~leegte
-Yael Kanarek http://www.worldofawe.net/
-ascii project d2b and mi_ga http://www.o-o.lt/asco-o/
- beautiful net story at http://nickcrowe.net/
-closest to a personal media channel
http://www.entropy8zuper.org/wirefire/
-http://switch.sjsu.edu/web/v6n1/article_b.htm a long article I wrote, with a proposal for net art monuments. You will see mostly different names then above.
-degrees feet inches gallery, curator Matt Locke http://www.dfi.org.uk/
-www.thing.net/v++ click Lia
-www.pavu.org
-www.net-art.org interesting experiment in how to value net art

10. Please feel free to write any comments or ideas

If you want to investigate net art, make sure you dwell on the importance of art itself. What makes an artwork a good artwork: Does it have to make use of e-commerce rules? Does it have to be made according to the latest technologies? Is the best net art the kind of net art which uses technology in a way that has never been done before? Does a net art work have to be limited to the net only, can it not have extensions outside the net? My answer to all those questions is: no. It cannot be repeated often and loud enough. My second remark: net art is not a genre or style, it is more a symptom of our mediated culture. It is not like kynetic art, or pop art, or surrealism or dada. Eventhough computer networks have limitations like every other medium, one also cannot say net art is a seperate discipline, like sculpting, painting, dance or music. Complex works are made in net art, in which several disciplines can overlap.

idaf digital art festival 2000
www.idaf.org/whatisnetart/josephine/josephine_e_interview.htm