More and more I am becoming aware of the fact that facilitate is all I want to do. All the time.Creating structures, systems that are mostly automated but make live easier, more practical, fun, interesting, you name it and I want to do it!
It all started with a discussion we had at a party in 1999 about art on the internet. We all agreed finding art was difficult or wasn’t there at all. Not that we had real internet experience, but that didn’t stop us to have an opinion.
So I started the snack-bar foundation in 2000 together with another artist.
Creating a snack-bar on the internet. Giving people the opportunity to get a snack in between surfing dull websites. These snacks should represent small net.art. So we could close the gap between the mainstream internet and net-art. Also tried to help artists who had ideas for net.art but didn’t have a clue how to realize it.
The project never really took off. Due to lack of time money and off course expertise. We both were new to the medium internet.
But I got hooked to internet and the idea that I could generate interaction between different parts of society and people in general. And idea’s how to do that started to pop up on a regular bases.
After 4 years and the birth of my two children, I finally getting my act together. Got a studio in a building with 13 more artist we occupy the top floor (attic). Created a computer network with a direct connection to internet, facilitating about 8 other people. I’m sharing my studio with 4 people from all kinds of disciples an backgrounds. Bought a table-tennis table so people can play with eachother. Going to start a tournament between artist-collectives in Amsterdam (hopefully). Recently bought a Cup-A-Soup Dispenser that was part of an art exhibition. And now it has a permanent spot in the building I work. Accessible to all (see photo).
In a few weeks I will have a dedicated server directly connected to the backbone of internet with 80GB to share. Feeling butterflies.
There will be no excuse left not to realize my projects. Except for the lack of time and money. But that can be overcome by the originality of my ideas and the way I promote them and myself. The central website that will control that will be publicworks.nl.
Still some work to do, but that will never change.
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