ALTERMODERNISM by Tim Holloway

Where we are now and where we are going.

ALTERMODERNISM: Expanding the definition of our new modernity; how the semionautic artist now navigates every dimension of the present. >>> <<<

TIMOTHY HOLLOWAY

>>> CONTENTS <<<

07.

Introduction

15.

Altermodern

29.

Case Studies

57.

Analysis & Conclusion

63.

Modes of Design

71.

Bibliography

>>> INTRODUCTION <<< This paper presents and discusses the advent of our new Modernity. As the declaration “Postmodern is Dead!”1 resonates throughout the land, whilst the grand relics of Postmodernism lay in the halls of the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A: 2011), where does that leave us now? What is going to be the forming cultural mindset of Now? Nicolas Bourriaud—renowned French curator and ar t cr itic (The Banf f Centre: 2011)— says we are entering an Altermodern age; where artists function as Semionauts, navigating paths through an information saturated landscape of images, signs and creolised languages spanning a truly global community. I have set out to expand the definition of Altermodern. By discussing artists who are not explicitly linked to Bourriaud’s conversation, but who’s work is nevertheless tending towards the key themes of the Altermodernity he describes. Specifically, I have looked at the emerging prominence and reconfiguration of the artist’s collective. It is now possible for us to communicate simultaneously w it h anyone, any where in t he world. Our influences are no longer restricted by our geographic location, or to the people we meet or to the media we are exposed to. This possibility is just beginning to be explored by a number of artists collectives who, v ia networks and social media, are staging local exhibitions and events with global contributors and a global audience—A ltermodern is a phenomenon belonging to a new global era (Deuchar: 2009, p.8).

1. Alan Kirby (2009, p.5 & 2010a) gives a fairly comprehensive list of notable scholars who have all argued the Death of Postmodernism, including many of the early champions of the movement such as Charles Jencks.

I have begun by outlining the underlying theory of A ltermodernism to establish a clearer idea of the development of the logic, themes and ideas that form the structure of the theory. This will establish a clear foundation on which to comment on the practice of contemporary artists and collectives who I will argue to be working towards an A ltermodern aesthetic. I have first described the conversation concerning Altermodern theory as it currently stands by discussing the manifesto written by Nicolas Bourriaud as the basis for the seminal Altermodern exhibition held at Tate Britain in 2009. From this point I have worked backwards to look at the origin of the ideas which have converged to establish the current theory. There are wide ranging discussions regarding the question of “what comes after Postmodernism?”. With numerous variants of prefixes, suffixes and ‘ism’s to describe our current and emerging Modernity. There are countless scholars all denouncing the current validity of Postmodernism, making it clear that we have certainly entered a new epoch.2 The values at the core of Postmodern thought are becoming increasingly less appropriate to describe our current situation. The origin of the artist is no longer of foremost importance as multiculturalism loses its relevance in our society of instantaneous communication not limited by our own physicality

2. Including, but by no means limited to: Okwui Enwezor’s four breeds of Post-Postmodernity: Supermodernity, Speciousmodernity, Andromodernity and Aftermodernity (2009, p.25); Robin Laurence’s New Aestheticism (2009); Gilles Lipovetsky’s Hypermodernity (2005); Robert Samuels’ Automodernity (2007); and Raoul Eshelman’s Performatism (2000)

and we begin to see ourselves within a global context. Global—not as in a standardised, westernised notion of Globalisation—but in a truly international context, where ar t f rom what would be descr ibed as t he peripheries of the Art World (Bourriaud: 2009a, p.11) by western Postmodern standards now becomes truly contemporary. Two broad surveys of contemporary art, just published by Terry Smith (2011) and Francesca Gavin (2011) respectively, show in detail the geographic range of truly contemporary art. Furthermore, the idea of Personal Identity as being a main basis for critical analysis of an artist’s output are being undermined by the fact that artists are now operating within a Radicant mentality, no longer defined by their roots, but by the journeys they have taken (Bourriaud: 2009a, p.22). However what we have entered is still unclear, but the possibilities and ideas described by Bourriaud as Altermodern are the most appealing to me. Where Postmodern posed the question “Where do you come from?” A ltermodern asks “W here should we go?” (Bourriaud: 2009a, p.182). As the Postmodern ‘you’ extends to the Altermodern ‘we’, the shift from the singular to the plural forms the delineating difference between the movements. The Altermodern collective is superseding the Postmodern individual. Bou r r iaud is not decla r i ng a rad ica l new PostPostmodern movement by proclaiming the absolute end of Postmodern or calling for a paradigm shift in the way we perceive culture (ignoring his showboater opening of the Altermodern Manifesto [Bourriaud: 2009 b]). But he is instead suggesting a logical progression from Postmoder nit y, to an “A lter native Modernity” reconfigured for our age (Bourriaud: 2009a, p.186, 2009: b & 2009: c, p.12).

The concept of collaboration and the Altermodern Collective is my main focus as I believe it strongly exemplifies the most important shifts from Postmodern to Altermodern. I believe that the collective is the contemporary equivalent to the Modernist Avant-Garde system of Art Movements. Today there is no established Salon, no Cabaret Voltaire, no single Artists hang out in Montparnasse where the next Apollonaire sits beside the next Duchamp 3. In this paper I am questioning what has replaced these cultural platforms in our mass communication age. The ideas of cross pollination between creative individuals in a collaborative context is going to be all the more relevant to me this coming year as the four schools of Central Saint Martins (Fine Art, Fashion, Industrial Design and Performance) come together in a shared space at the new Kings Cross campus. I hope that by studying how others are working collectively in similar contexts, it will influence and benefit my own design practice in this new creative space.

3. Wikipedia’s entry on Guillaume Apollinaire (Wikipedia: 2011a) shows just how densely populated Montparnasse was with masters of 20C art: “Apollinaire was one of the most popular members of the artistic community of Montparnasse in Paris. His friends and collaborators in that period included Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Max Jacob, André Salmon, Marie Laurencin, André Breton...Jean Cocteau, Ossip Zadkine, Marc Chagall, and Marcel Duchamp.”

Pioneers of the Modern age, here Picasso stands alongside Max Jacob, Manuel Ortiz de Zarate, Henri-

Pierre Roché and Marie Vassilieff outside one of Montparnasse’s famous cafés, La Rotonde, in 1916.

>>> ALTERMODERN <<< Everything happens at once, we are now capable of seeing all dimensions of the present (Bourriaud: 2009b). We can watch live feeds from the other side of the world whilst reading updates from our friends across town and following breaking stories as they happen. Art movements are no longer limited by the physical location or even temporality of the artist, we can communicate and collaborate with anyone, anywhere in the world, instantly. Altermodernism concerns the shifting concept of how we perceive culture using the model and metaphor of an A rchipelago (Bourriaud: 2009 c). The model describes the clusters of artists, ideas and cultures co-existing—intrinsically linked, aware and informed— but not homogenised.The idea that we all connected within the sense of the Archipelago (or similarly a Constellation) however we do not become unified into a single state. That the artist is free to travel between ‘islands’, collecting inspiration and themes from each one he visits, nomadically traversing a network of linked ideas within multiple temporalities—the journey being the most crucial element. This differs from the Postmodern idea of Globalisation as it distances itself from the negatives of standardisation and instead embraces the positives of sharing and merging cultures, without the loss of individuality caused by imposing a single set of ‘accepted’ values. Bourriaud’s A ltermodern manifesto provocatively beg i ns w it h t he at tent ion g rabbi ng statement “Postmodernism is dead”; he declares that the global cultural environment has moved into a new phase, no longer definable under the realm of Postmodernism. He proposes Altermodern not as a paradigm shift in

The Archipelago: a cluster of entities, intrinsically linked, but not directly connected. Their individuality defined by the journeys made between them.

cultural theory, but as a progression of Postmodernism, reconfigured for our age. A ltermodern, Bourriaud continues, assumes that we start from a globalised culture: culture is transnational, the result of mass exchange facilitated by the instantaneous quality of the internet and mass communication, the ease of travel and the rise of migration. We can no longer see culture from the Post/Modern viewpoint of western centricity; culture is no longer classifiable by specific area, as physical space becomes irrelevant when we can be digitally be anywhere and everywhere at once. Whilst maintaining an awareness of what is happening all over the world. Because of this the Postmodern concerns of origin and identity have become redundant, hence Altermodern embraces the concept of creolisationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the idea of more than one language coming into contact with another and bor row ing elements for mutual enr ichment. Meaning we are no longer defined by our origin or individual identity as Postmodern focussed on but instead defined by the journeys and connections we make. It is this concept of the journey that defines the Altermodern Artist as their role shifts to that of the Semionautâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the semiotic navigator of the Altermodern Archipelago (Bourriaud: 2009b). There are two main connected relationships that form the foundation of Altermodern thought relative to its predecessors: Modern and Postmodern. Firstly the relationship of Space and Time (Temporiality) and secondly the relationship between Signs and the Artist (Semionaut).

>>> TEMPOR ALITY <<< In Fredric Jameson’s The End of Temporality (2003), he describes the difference between modern and postmodern in terms of their relationship with time and space respectively. Jameson describes how—in respect to the idea of the “End of History”4 being the end of Modern times and thus the end of ‘time’— consequently Postmoder nism held its domain in Space—such as work based on multicultural identity, and site-specific works. Post-Postmodern “combines and enmeshes the two”, to paraphrase Alan Kirby (2010 b), a contemporary to Bour r iaud, who is a lso t heor isi ng t he end of Postmodernism. This characteristic can be described in an A ltermodernistic sense as the ar tist is now able to “wander in geography as well as in history,” (Bourriaud: 2009 b) the art work encompassing the journey rather than a fixed space-time. We have entered an era when we can communicate w ith each other instantaneously, render ing time differences obsolete, and our temporalities irrelevant. An era where we can collaborate with our peers in Real Time from across the globe or travel freely to see them, distance is no longer an obstacle. The artist now explores all dimensions of the present: Time and Space become superimposed (Kirby: 2010 b). This concept of superimposing space and time as the basis of our Post-Postmodernity is more deeply

4. The theory on The End of History is described in detail in Fukuyama’s (1992) seminal text on the topic The End of History and the Last Man and also by Anderson (1992) in The Ends of History: A Zone of Engagement.

d iscussed by A la n K i rby, who i n 20 09 w rote Digimodernism at the same time as Bourriaud was writing the Altermodern Manifesto. Digimodernism focuses more on the cultural effects of new technologies on text, art and the relationship between reader/ author. Where Altermodern looks at the connections between text and images: Art as Hypertext (Bourriaud: 2009a). Digimodernism explores the idea of information in constant flux, and the act of engaging with content: information is open source, by commenting, sharing and interacting with text, the viewer can “tangibly shape the narrative development” (Kirby: 2009). He goes onto explore the application of the platforms available (reality TV, video games, Web 2.0, etc) looking at what they signify, and how, and also the aspect that a text can be co-created, altered and shared instantly across the globe: space becomes irrelevant and time is no longer an obstacle. In agreement with Bourriaud, Kirby does not insist that we have encountered a paradigm shift as we detach ourselves from Postmodernism, instead he also describes it as a logical progression. This means that any description of a Post-Postmodern theory is always heavily associated with observing what is happening now and how that view differs from a Postmodern or even Modern perspective5. Kirby theorises that Digimodern/Altermodern are no longer concer ned w ith isolating and choosing 5. To describe Post-Postmodernism expects an understanding of what Postmodern was as to explain why it is no longer relevant, Kirby lists his definition of Postmodern as based on these texts: Malpas, S (2005) The Postmodern; Connor, S (1997) Postmodernist Culture, 2nd Edition; Berten, H (1995) The Idea of Postmodern.

between relationships of time or space, but come at the intersection of the two; by redefining them and superimposing them. Time becomes Real Time, space becomes Cyberspace (Kirby: 2010 b).

>>> SEMIONAUT <<< T h is leads to t he second core relat ionsh ip of Altermodernism. Bourriaud often describes the new artist as a Semionaut, meaning a Semiotic Explorer. When we are free to explore all dimensions of the present the amount of information visible to us grows infinitesimally. Altermodern art is thus characterised by its ability to transcode signs, to reinterpret them, translate them, subtitle them and repatriate them: art becomes hypertext, linking together signs and symbols; the output becoming the journey, and visa versa. The concept of the Semionaut was developed by Bourriaud over a number of years and by reading his essays—from his book Relational Aesthetics published in 1998 (and translated to English in 2002) right through to The Radicant published in 2009 —it is easy to see the progression of thought that inspired the theory. One of the first published appearances of the word Semionaut was in Relational Aesthetics, which formed the basis of the exhibition Traffic curated by Bourriaud at CAPC Musée d’Art Contemporain de Bordeaux. It is only briefly mentioned, and it is defined in the glossary (Bourriaud: 1998, p.113) as “The contemporary artist is a Semionaut, he invents trajectories between signs.” In the advent of widespread internet accessibility, Relational Art uses the changing mental space offered by technological advancement as its point of

departure—themes and concepts later developed by Kirby in Digimodernism—that artwork becomes more than an encounter of viewer and object, but an interactive experience. The audience becomes a community, tangibly shaping the work by their involvement and input. The artist brings signs together to create a starting point for the audience, the boundary between the two becomes blurred as both affect the meaning by their interaction with the work: meaning becomes collective rather than an individual experience. It is this sphere of inter-human relations that forms the basis of Relational Art, Art being defined in the essay as: “an activity consisting in producing relationships with the world with the help of signs, forms, actions and objects” (Bourriaud: 1998, p.113). The concept takes centre stage in Bourriaud’s next defining essay, Postproduction: Culture as Screenplay: How Art Reprograms the World (2002), which later was elaborated into the exhibition Playlist (2004) at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Although only explicit ly ment ioned t w ice in t he tex t, t he Sem ionaut concept is integral to both Postproduction and Playlist. Postproduction explores the artists relationship with connecting and superimposing signs using the analogy of Artists as DJ’s. In music postproduction, loops, tracks, edits and samples are mixed into each other, reused, taken by others, remixed and cut up again and again in the creation of new songs and melodies (Bourriaud: 2002 & 2004). Postproduction showed the visual equivalent to this, using signs, symbols, language and motifs as the track list, and mixing them together in the creation of new work, work that would inserted back into the process. Playlist focused on bringing artists together that had no shared identity or theme, but instead a shared methodology in their practice (Bourriaud: 2004). The concept of sketching

out a topology of signs and creating narrative through networking images and text. These two exhibitions, Playlist and Postproduction, show the development of this concept of artist as semionaut in a trans-national culture, the foundations of Altermodern’s concern with translating, transcoding, and subtitling signs from a global network. Bou r r iaud’s T he Radicant, publ ished i n 20 09 (though w r itten between 20 05 - 20 07 ) acts as the basis for his Altermodern Manifesto. The definition of ‘Radicant’ derives from the biological term: an organism that grows roots and adds new ones as it advances(Bourriaud: 2009 a, p. 22). In contrast to the Postmodern multiculturalist reliance on origin and identity, exemplified by the question “Where are you from?”, R adicant A r t (and subsequently Altermodern Art) asks the optimistic question “Where should we go?”. This idea of roots in motion is key to what has become Altermodern; following the idea of form created by a journey, the Artist becomes the Semionaut. Their practice informed by journeys taken by combining, selecting and organising signs in order to multiply one identity by another. It is this navigation of signs in an infinite, chaotic field that defined the Radicant Aesthetic and since become a fundamental element to the Altermodern Aesthetic.

I devised this installation in an attempt put the principles of Altermodern into practice. A full description of the logic and thought behind the piece can be found on page 63.

The installation is mapped online, and in doing so encourages more response and engagement. Meaning becomes collective as the community creates and pulls in content. There is no shared identity to the work collected, rather it is the conversation, methodology and journey created around the piece that is of significance.

Altermodern art combines and enmeshes Real-Time and Cyberspace. The piece presents live interaction in the physical space integrated with live feeds from the internet, and content drawn from social networks.

Actual INSTALLATION PHOTOS

Art as Hypertextâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the connection between image, video, intepretation and audience become directly visible, almost tangible, combined together in the physical space.

Artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impression of the actualised piece

>>> CASE STUDIES <<< Having introduced the key aspects of Altermodern thought, I have chosen three case studies which support the idea of contemporary Art shifting towards an Altermodern mentality. That is not to generalise all Art as beginning to conform to these ideas, or say that Altermodernity is the only reality available, but i nstead to ex pa nd what t he def i n it ion of Altermodern can be. As we are free to access all the information we could want from any where in the world, that we can communicate with one another constantly regardless of timezone or location, the artists role is moving towards that of collaborator and Semionaut. My case studies aim to outline the process of working in an alter moder n sense: the role the indiv idual artists plays in the grander context, the collectives in which they function, and the facilities that enable these possibilities.

>>> MATTHEW STONE <<< Firstly the individual artist: I have chosen to discuss Matthew Stone, London based “artist, shaman and DJ”(Sciortino: 2010 a, Wikipedia: 2011b). It is not possible to define Stone’s work in isolation because whenever he works it is in collaboration with others. “You are not identified w ith one contex t,” Hans Ulrich Obrist said of Stone. Extended community is central to his work: his principle philosophy is away from that of the lone artist working in solitude, but towards the idea that the more people involved will result in the creation of a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Stone explains: “When I exposed this

level of constant collaboration, the work developed a much wider meaning, and became stronger. As I tried to destroy myself (by recognising other people), my individual identity actually became stronger. For me it really ex posed a rational arg ument for altruism” (Stone: 2009). Born in 1982 , Stone achieved a 1st class degree in painting at Camber well College of A r ts in 20 04 . W h i lst study ing, Stone rose to notor iet y for h is involvement in establishing the South-East London collective !WOWOW! with Hanna Hanra (Wikipedia: 2011c), based in an abandoned 7,000 sq ft Victorian Co-Op in Peckham. !WOWOW! quickly became known for throwing the most elaborate and decadent squat parties in the capital (Sciortino: 2010 a). The space became a hub for creative talents; “we were a squatbased collective that involved not only artists, but fashion designers, writers and musicians” recalls Stone (2009), many of whom have gone on to great success, fashion designer Gareth Pugh as a most notable example. The defining aspect of !WOWOW! was the focus on “creative interaction and community” (Stone: 2009). Whilst in their Peckham squat, they would frequently host performance nights attended by up to 2 , 000 people. The pinnacle of !WOWOW!’s achievements came to fruition in 2008 when Tate Britain invited them to host a week of inter ventions and performances. Stone’s performance famously attracted a record crowd of over 4,000 people (Tate Britain: 2008 & Sciortino: 2010 a). A s wel l as Tate Br ita i n, Stone has a lso been a n important influence at the ICA, pushing community based events such as Noug ht to Si x t y, a project

which draws on a network of artist-run initiatives. Emphasising the ICA’s founding role as a club which fosters exchange between artists and between artists and the public (Sladen: 2008). The artwork and performances produced at these events can easily be seen as examples of the ‘Relational Aest het ic’ descr ibed by Bour r iaud. T he ar t and performance produced at these events relies on the interaction between artist and audience, the audience in turn helping to create the piece and the ‘outcome’ presenting itself in the realm of human interaction. This is a radically different notion of how we produce and experience art. In Postmodern and Modern, art was seen in a private and individual way (Bourriaud: 1998, p.15). The artists individual interpretation at the act of creating the piece, or the act of looking passively at an artwork and creating your own interpretation are two activities which are quite separate from each other. In Relational Art—and consequently Altermodern Art which has evolved from this earlier concept—it is no longer possible to experience a contemporary work as a space to be walked through, but rather as a space to be lived through. Terry Smith summarises the difference between the three epochs: the audience has gone from being the consciously distanced viewer of modern art, the fascinated spectator to Postmodern art, to the participant observers, active within works of art, cooperative makers of their presence in the world (Smith: 2011, p296). More recently, Stone has established the mantra of Optimism as Cultural Rebellion. This stance acts as the basis for the work Stone is currently creating and provides a theorised summary of his practice. Stone defines optimism as “the vital force that entangles

left Self

portrait by Matthew Stone

top !WOWOW!

performance, 2008

above Performance,

2008

itself w ith, and then shapes through action, the future” (Oliver: 2009) as opposed to the old definition which more basically defines optimism as the naive philosophy that “everything will be ok in the end.” He elaborates “the very act of art-making itself implies a belief in the future possibility of communication between artist and public.” Meaning that the very act of the artist wanting to engage with the audience is a positive gesture towards “creating interaction and warmth between humans” (Stone: 2008). Stone has initiated several projects to exemplify his theory, including the exhibition ‘Optimism’ and his own salon called Interconnected Echoes (Stone: 2007– 2011) where discussions are held in an open forum between ar t ists and t he audience. T hese discussions are then documented and hosted online whereby those unable to attend the physical meeting can still input on the discussion. This optimistic vision and social interaction is what Stone believes to make the “whole worth more than the sum of its parts”, the “whole” he describes as “everybody and everything and takes in the vast interconnected nature of the universe” (Oliver: 2009). Throughout Stone’s work, the discussions I have attended, and the one to one talks I have had with h im, Stone’s Opt im ist ic ph ilosophy towards his practice always strikes me as wholeheartedly genuine. Optim ism, as Stone descr ibes, is about str iv ing forward. Creating and forging new ‘paths’ between images, signs and ideas, with a compelling forward momentum. These ideals harmonise perfectly with the Altermodern Semionaut’s question of “Where should we go?”. I think that this attitude is a key element of our new modernity, and a striking difference to the Postmodern conflicts of self referential imagery and irony.

As well as these activities, Stones current visual artworks also adhere to these philosophies. Stone creates sculptural installations using interconnected shapes wrapped in photographs of entwined nudes. The photographs depict piles of bodies, curled into each other, obscuring where one body ends and another begins. Stone blurs the line of the subjects identities and thus emphasising this sense of shared community where “we do not finish at the end of our finger tips” and that we have a reach far greater than that of our physical bodies. It does not stop at the subject matter, the act of creating these images is also a collaborative feat; Stone only works with sitters who he feels to have both beautiful minds and beautiful bodies, leading to images “that will become infused with the combined energy of their physicality and thinking” (Sciortino: 2010b). Because Stone’s ‘materials’ are principally the people he works with, his practice could be said to be like the collaborative result described by Joseph Beuys as “the world as a living sculpture”(Sciortino: 2010b). By collaborating across the range of media that he does—through his music as a DJ, his community centred performances, his use of social media, his salon discussions, and his visual artworks—Stone brings people together. Creating links between the audience and the images, signs and sensory experience employed by him and his many collaborators. It is this Relational aspect of Stones practice that aligns him so strongly to the Altermodern. It is important to remember the concept of Relation Aesthetics when discussing Altermodernity. I have already noted the importance of instantaneous communication in the advent of these events, but this is relative to the physical interaction of the audience as well. It is not a purely digital realm. Stone is again a

Rules Forever (Installation shot) By Matthew Stone, 2011

good example of how to function in this new epoch, to draw these enormous crowds he made adept use of social media. Stone explains: “With these new forms of communication, communities and human networks have become tangible and commercialised, like with kids using Myspace. My communities are wide-ranging, and I do use these forms of communication as tools, but I’ve always travelled between different worlds and circles” (Oliver: 2009).

>>> BYOB <<< This bring me on to my second case study, open-source collective BYOB, an acronym for Bring Your Own Beamer, a ‘Beamer’ being Berlin slang for a digital projector. The BYOB project was created by Rafaël Rozendaal, a Dutch-Brazilian visual artist who uses the internet as his canvas. His work sits somewhere between animation and painting, and involves digital artworks taken off line and integrated into spatial experiences (Rozendaal: 2011a) BYOB came about as a means to creating a large, collaborative, visually immersive exhibition space, on the same scale as that of the grand Parisian Salon, but with a budget of zero. The idea is that you find a space (preferably with ample electricity), invite as many fellow artists as you can, ask each person to bring their laptop and a projector, then blanket the walls and ceilings around you in digital light. The exhibitions are one-night only events with a DIY aesthetic. Rozenda a l su m ma r ises t he concept of BYOB as “a celebration of the new world we live in and a glimpse of what computing could look like in the future. Today the internet is confined to screens. Tomorrow information will surround us, composing

our surfaces, defining our spaces, enmeshing itself w ith the ether” (Rozendaal: 2010 ). Not only are projectors a straightforward way of creating an immersive environment, they are also ideal for creating a dynamic collaborative space. The events make use of mass communication systems and social media on the internet throughout the process of curating a show. Firstly the event is advertised online to the BYOB community; artists involved then spread the word across their own networks making it possible to reach a vast number of like minded people extremely quick ly. They can then upload and share content between one another on open web platforms such as Youtube and Tumblr (BYOB: 2011). During the show, contributions can continue to be made as the projectors stream content live whilst in turn, their output in the physical space is then streamed out to the wider web community. During a recent BYOB event held in London, Matthew Stone posted on his Facebook page “In a work titled “I’ll be there in Spirit” I will be sending and projecting live Skype video of myself attempting to astral project to the same location from Italy” (Stone: 2011). BYOB is a highly contemporary way of holding and curating an ex hibition, and it adheres to all the grounding principles of Altermodernity. Though the content is digital, the fact that the project does not live solely online and doesn’t just become a Blog or Youtube Channel is key to the experience. By operating in a physical space, the events again take the form of a Relational Artwork; it is the interaction between artists at the space that creates the real dynamism as the contributors bounce ideas off one another, and link videos to what is being played by others.

left A above BYOB

grand Salon wall

London Performance, 2011

This is an exemplary model of Artists as Semionaut; the navigators and inventors of trajectories between signs. BYOB facilitates a means for ar tists to be brought together in a shared space irrespective of their location or temporality. The work they show begins as an individual response to the space but as more collaborators become involved and start beaming work, the others respond to what is being shown, curating content in the form of a dynamic feedback loop. The event maps out the visual journey travelled by the artists as they share their work in the space. Each artist is influenced by the work they see played on the walls by their peers, they then bring in their own influences to which their peers respond. This exchange of visuals creates a rich dialogue of sign, image, video and sound between the diverse audience experiencing the show. Hy pertext, as first coined in 1963 by Ted Nelson ( 2011), is a system of creat ively l i n k i ng objects (Webopedia: 2011). It was adopted as a branch of Postmodern thought to describe the inter-connectedness of all literary works and their interpretation (Wikipedia: 2011d). In this sense, the connection is mostly static. The texts are viewed as connected to each other, but only by the associations created by the reader, or direct links through a database. In the Altermodern sense, the Postmodern definition of Hy per text is fused w ith the Digital definition (Wikipedia: 2011e): Hypertext becomes a dynamic network of paths, where the reader directly interacts and creates connections between texts. The journey the reader creates through the texts is the key element of Altermodern semiotic navigation. I f â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lter moder n a r t is to be read as hy per tex tâ&#x20AC;? (Bourriaud: 2009 a) then BYOB facilitates a physical

way of representing this concept. Hypertext and the Hyperlink are digital terms to describe an image or key word that links towards a new destination. They offer a path through a rich landscape of information and allow us to forge logical journeys in an infinitely vast environment. The act of projecting videos, images and signs in a physical space, and creating a platform for a collective of artists to simultaneously respond to the images they are being shown acts as a way of hyperlinking images; an artist sees the video projected by a peer, it triggers a reaction in their mind and they create an association to another media, this media is then played on their projector and the link is made for all the others present to see, and in turn respond in their own way. As this process continues over the course of the BYOB evening, a rich semiotic journey is created. BYOB could potentially be described as an intertextual phenomena. Julia Kristeva coined the term Intertextuality to represent how signs derive meaning within the structure of a text (Kristeva: 1980, p.69). The theory aims to show that when we read a sign, we are reading it through a series of filters and codes created by what we already know and from other signs we have seen (Wikipedia: 2011f)—that information does not exist in isolation and instead meaning is created by contex t. ‘Contex t’ being the complex network of texts that exist outside of a sign giving the desired meaning and rooting it within the vast ‘conversation’ within which it is read. One could argue that, because all of the images, videos and signs displayed throughout a BYOB event are part of this vast conversation, and could only be read in relation to one another thus it should be described as intertextual. However the important aspect here

This map shows the locations of all BYOB events that have happened to date.

is not the context that makes the images ‘readable’, but is in fact the journey that has brought those two signs together. This is why I have described BYOB as a hypertextual phenomena, because it is the pathways created that are the focus. Perhaps the best way to think of it is the Artist’s hypertextual navigation of an intertextual landscape. A lthough BYOB was only established 18 months ago, it is spreading v irally across the world, the events have already been held in ten cities worldwide including Los Angeles, Mexico, Bogota, Jerusalem, and Tokyo (Rozendaal: 2011b) with more in the pipeline (Davies-Crook: 2011). It is this global appeal of the BYOB concept that aptly shows how A ltermodern work is not definable by provenance alone. In contrast to Postmodern shows such as Magicians of the Earth held in Paris (Centre Georges Pompidou 1989), the first major exhibition to showcase contemporary work from every continent. Here, the work of each artists was catagorised by origin, and although showed work from all across the world, it was mostly ‘primitive’ art that was shown from non-western countries, and was not regarded as ‘Contemporary’ in the same sense as the western art shown. In August 2011, BYOB hosted an evening of performance at Ron Arad’s Curtain Call at the Round House in Camden, London. The Curtain Call space is designed as a response to the Roundhouse’s spectacular Main Space by creating a curtain made of 5,600 silicon rods, suspended from an 18 metre diameter ring—a canvas for films, live performance and audience interaction (Arad: 2011). This international exhibition offered huge exposure for the group and allowed openly submitted and spontaneously curated work to be shown in a world renowned venue. This space is another great

example of how the concept of a gallery or exhibition is shifting from a passive space, to one that alters and reacts in response to its audience, in a similar way to those early !WOWOW! performance evenings and club nights. It is interesting to think how systems such as BYOB have reconfigured the concept of an Artists Collective, how artists are responding to new technologies and holding contemporary exhibitions in a way that has not been seen before. Although the medium is new, the spirit is very much the same as many other artists collectives. A prime example would be the Dadaists of the Cabaret Voltaire in the early 20 th Centur y. The Cabaret acted as a catalyst—though under very different political circumstances—to bring together a group of likeminded artists in one space regardless of their geographic origin, and allowing them to play off the influences and ideas bought to the table by each individual.

>>> SOCIAL NETWORKS <<< The outcomes I have described as Altermodern over the course of these two case studies are both heavily reliant on the emergence of new technologies in mass communication and social media. It is the nature of their immediacy and widespread connectivity that defines an Altermodern aesthetic and facilitates this broad collaborative way of working. These networks are becoming increasingly integrated into our lives and much debate surrounds the impact this is having on us and our relationships. Without looking too deeply into the many issues involved, I am instead focussing on the potential of this network

above Dadaism

became the first truly international

avant-garde movement. left Marcel

Janco’s depiction of a typical performance at the Cabaret Voltaire

and the role it might play in the cultural development of our emerging Modernity. As previously discussed, Altermodernity is essentially to do with forging paths between signs and images to create new, richer meanings. That these signs could come from anywhere in an infinite landscape of material at the artists disposal with a few quick google searches, or some absent minded browsing is the defining shift between Altermodern and Postmodern. It is the immediacy and quantity of the results (â&#x20AC;&#x153;About 237, 000 , 000 results in 0 . 21 secondsâ&#x20AC;? as a typical google result) that exemplifies the paradigm shift in the way we access information that defines our current Modernity and to which Altermodern seeks to act. T wo key plat for ms t hat exempl i f y A lter moder n qualities are Tumblr, a predominately image based micro-blogging site, where users share and distribute images; and Facebook, the social networking giant that allows the mass communication and connections needed for Altermodern concepts to be achieved. In addition to this there are dozens of other platforms that are equally important, but these are the two sites most relevant to my own case studies, and the ones that they make broadest use of. Matthew Stone has a broad social network which he uses to develop his artistic practice. As an artist whose work is so heavily entwined with discussion and collaboration, the immediacy and coverage of Facebook g reat ly increases t he audience he can speak to which consequently enriches his practice by exposing him to a greater range of responses. It was through use of social networks that he was able to attract the record numbers at !WOWOW!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tate events. This mixing and sharing of ideas between people is of

key importance to Altermodern philosophy as the idea that as we share and discuss, our language becomes ever more creolised. Here Facebook acts as “interactive setting of immediate experience and direct exchange” (Smith: 2011, p.296). In addition to this, Stone also documents and shares his work t h roug h Tumblr. Sites li ke Tumblr are probably the most accelerated forms of semionautic activity: the speed at which images are shared, linked, relinked, discussed, altered, commented on, criticised, reposted, recontextualised, and viewed again and again is on a level that has never been experienced before. In minutes, one can browse through hundreds of images, collected and sorted into never ending scrolling pages. Categorised by themes and tags, the images create a huge network of connections between themselves and those that share them. Allowing users to traverse vast pools of images in unexpected directions in an infinite pathway of hyperlinks. BYOB uses Tumblr (2011) as a way of building excitement around its events, as more people peruse and share their imagery, more is created and linked back to the original site, driving traffic and expanding the community. Facebook is then used by the site to advertise and attract members by instant message across their established community. Both of these sites, along with their numerous counterparts, owe their success (and their continued pervasion into almost every aspect of contemporary life) to the way in which they tap into a basic human desire. This is described by Terr y Smith: “the technical potential of universal network ing has converged with the basic human desire for community to generate constant, instant connectivity, a compulsion to broadcast the details of ones ever yday life as it is happening” (2011, p.296).

above A

collage of BYOB posts by the Tumblr community

right Matthew

Stone’s social media platforms

The sites also exemplify the shifts Bourriaud was describing back in 1998 when he wrote Relational Aesthetics to describe trends he observed in the art world; â&#x20AC;&#x153;a set of artistic practices which take as their theoretical and practical point of departure the whole of human relations and their social context, rather than an independent and private spaceâ&#x20AC;? (p.113). However the sites, Facebook especially, are achieving this on a scale that Bourriaud can not have anticipated.

date: November, the 6th in 2011. reblogged from: xjoiedevivre. originally posted by: timefliestoday. total notes: 4,559 notes.

orig

magic-believer reblogged this from darkfantasyxoxo magic-believer reb darkfantasyxoxo reblogged this from bergdorfprincess darkfantasyxoxo rebl chlawrence reblogged this from int0xicatedlove chlawrence reb kayl3n0 reblogged this from ch1llout kayl hereyourdreamsaresweet reblogged this from xochicago hereyourdreamsareswe staywithme--always reblogged this from hereyourdreamsaresweet reblogged xochicago reblogged thisstaywithme--always from chanelchainbags reb stefanyliu likedxochicago this chanelchainbags reblogged this from bergdorfprincess rebl swagical-b reblogged this fromchanelchainbags h00da-b00da swagical-b thatportlandgirl reblogged this from l-o-v-e-ohmissira thatportlandgirl sentimentoosguardados reblogged this from mimsay reblo sentimentoosguar mimsay reblogged this from dressavieira micabot liked this mimsay jbsteeezy reblogged this from nikkigirone jbsteeezy tossandturnlikethesea reblogged this from freshmenforbreakfast itossandturnlikethesea holly-beee reblogged this from takeherdownreblogge holly-beee whileimyoungnbeautiful reblogged this from itsjustnotmyyear whileimyoungnbeautiful rebl geexjodie liked this fifth-avenue-dreams reblogged this from bergdorfprincess fifth-avenue-dreams rebl imeffincutesoshutup liked this xo-smilewithnoregrets-ox reblogged this from xo-smilewithnoregrets-ox fromchristy-withlovereblogge fatgirlfavorites liked this roadtotheunknown liked this itsjustnotmyyear re itsjustnotmyyear reblogged this from heyletsmakeout manthissucks liked this manthissucks rebl manthissucks reblogged this from bergdorfprincess rosechristie liked this fuckyeahfistpumps liked this eileenlikeacow rebl eileenlikeacow reblogged this from bergdorfprincess uhlayne liked this sammi-420 r sammi-420 reblogged this from untoldst0ries tayluhbo0 reblogg tayluhbo0 reblogged this from breakfastattiffanystaylorjeang liked this thewaythestorygoes liked this nutellarizer reblogged th nutellarizer reblogged this from holdmeuntilforeverisover kellywhui reblogged this from jacku1us kellyw abbadabbadoobie rebl abbadabbadoobie reblogged this from bergdorfprincess abiguru reblogged this from abarnaaarun abiguru rebl lamourestcommelevent reblogged this fromlamourestcommelevent bergdorfprincess mulberrymannequin rebl mulberrymannequin reblogged this from bergdorfprincess casey773 reblogged casey773 reblogged this from theprettylittleblogger reblogged uncoveringneverland reblogged this from uncoveringneverland theprettylittleblogger jahdaethedre jahdaethedreamer reblogged this from alwaysj infectedangel reblogged infectedangel reblogged this from theprettylittleblogger ivejoinedthecircus reblogged ivejoinedthecircus reblogged this from theprettylittleblogger reblogged dreamsinphotographs reblogged this from dreamsinphotographs theprettylittleblogger littlecroissant reblogged littlecroissant reblogged this from theprettylittleblogger krystelkaith reblogged krystelkaith reblogged this from theprettylittleblogger alwaysj reblogged alwaysj reblogged this from theprettylittleblogger southernauburn liked this simply-pleasa simply-pleasant reblogged this from mcpikachu r livelifethroughmusic reblogged this fromlivelifethroughmusic lightupmyeyes heekyunggx3 rebl heekyunggx3 reblogged this from bergdorfprincess zoecacheria reblogged zoecacheria reblogged this from theprettylittleblogger theprettylittleblogger rebl theprettylittleblogger reblogged this from bergdorfprincess imshiny rebl imshiny reblogged this from the-perfect-tale omjeanna reblo omjeanna reblogged this from keepthisbetweenus paperandcloth rebl paperandcloth reblogged this from bergdorfprincess suzy-swagg suzy-swagg reblogged this from herownheart

>>> ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION <<< The immediacy and volume of information accessible to us now is causing a shift in the way artists create new work. One of Postmodern’s legacies to the Altermodern is the shift away from physically working a material as an outlet of artistic expression and instead towards the reappropriation and recontextualisation of imagery. No longer is the artists manipulation of paint on canvass, the sculpting of material, the capture of photographs and videos or expression through performance the most fundamental way to express themselves. Instead today’s artists express themselves by forging links and narratives between existing entities. By combining, juxtaposing, recontexualising and reformatting images and signs we are able to happily cope with what could easily be seen as a deluge of unnecessary information6. Bourriaud articulates this methodology of navigating signs in the form of the Semionaut; facilitated by new technologies to search and traverse endless pools of information and imagery. New technology has not only opened up these vast planes of information to us, but has also given us access to huge global communities facilitating Real Time sharing, exchange and collaboration. Never in human history have we had access to a database which

6. James Gleick (2011) writes in detail about the evolution of information technology in his book The Information from the beginnings of language and alphabets up to the present day and the rise and rise of the internet. Of particular note is the examples he gives of philosophers and theoreticians warning of the dangers of information overload—from cries that the written word would destroy mans memory; to the sheer volume of books being produced would lead to a hellish land similar to the Library Of Babel; to the present day notion of the internets overwhelming store of knowledge.

is capable of connecting us to over 800 million people in the way Facebook does. These paradigm shifts in the way we engage with culture in the last decade have caused us to rethink the models to which we analyse and criticise art. Moving away from western centric establishments and towards a truly global, trans-national network. Altermodern, as detailed by Bourriaud, is the theory I have found to be most compelling in its analysis of the methodology and techniques being applied in contemporary art and the new forms of image, journeys and spatial experiences that are emerging. The ar tists and collectives that I have discussed through my case studies have never explicitly claimed to be part of the Altermodern movement, in fact there is no documented evidence of them ever using the term or any other variation of it. This is important as I believe, as Bourriaud states, that the progression from Postmodern to Altermodern has been gradual and logical. Artists are operating in response to the systems and situations presented to themâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Altermodern theory derives from observations of these responses, and aims to describe this shift rather than impose it. Hence I present these case studies as independent examplesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;I could have easily chosen to write about any one from the long list of artists identified by Bourriaud across his illustrious curatorial career building up to the Altermodern Tate Triennialâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;though that would have been somewhat pointless as these artists are already to a certain extent operating with knowledge and appreciation of Altermodern philosophy. Whereas the groups I have chosen exemplify the gradual and natural progression towards a new modernity that is slowly evolving and shaping itself to our age.

Through my case studies I have given a brief look into the process by which Altermodern art can be created with the intent to expand the definition of Altermodernity, not to criticise it, or to disregard other modes of thought and creation in contemporary art. From the individual artist operating Radicantly across many collectives and situations with varying personasâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;adaptive to the roaming roots of their identity infor med by the paths they take, rather than the location they started from; to the collective forms emerging from the meetings and intersections of these individuals working collaboratively with one another with an emphasis on the creolisation of their practises; and finally to the systems that are facilitating these possibilities, on a scale which has never before been experienced. Graphic Design, as taught at CSM, is the study of visual communication: the creation of signs and images to manipulate the direction of meaning, the ability to inform, persuade and influence an audience; whether that is an individual, a niche market or a global brand. Every aspect of the Altermodern domain is thus of huge relevance to how Graphic Design will function in the future, as the Graphic Designers too becomes more aware of their roles as Semionauts. As a profession we deal in semiotics, so it seems to me crucial that we not only embrace, but pioneer these new ideas. C SM, especia l ly at ou r new K i ngs C ross home, is at t he foref ront of t h is new moder n it y. Wit h students from ever y corner of the world working toget her in one space in t he most cosmopolitan cit y on ear t h, all of t he f undamental aspects of A lter moder n t houg ht ca n be seen in pract ice at CSM; from semionautism to creolisation and crosscollaboration. The building itself could be described using the Archipelago metaphor employed by Bourriaud

in his description of Altermodernity. Each student and tutor acts as an individual, but are equally influenced by their shared surroundings and peers as this new space unites us together. The reason I have written this report and conducted this research is, I hope, to open up a discussion on how the methodology present in Altermodern Art can begin to be implemented more prominently into the context of Graphic Design and the infinite possibilities that are waiting to be navigated.

>>>â&#x20AC;&#x201A;â&#x20AC;&#x201A; <<<

>>> MODES OF DESIGN <<< There are two parts to the presentation of my written paper: a publication and an installation. Both of these parts have been constructed as accompaniments to one another, like an exhibition catalogue to the exhibition. The two pieces work both independently from each other and also as mutually supportive elements. The documentation of the installation is framed within the book as a diagram to the text. In other words, the purpose of the installation is illustrate the points made in the text, in the same way that a diagram in a physics book illustrates the theory being described in the text. For simplicity, I have broken this report into two sections: Installation and Publication.

>>> INSTALLATION <<< Hav ing researched the concepts of A lter moder n, I was keen to ex per i ment w it h how t hese ideas could begin to be integrated into my own practice. Over the past few years I have frequently used projectors in my work—creating interactive performances, t wo -screen overla id d ig ita l col lages, a nd ma ny experiments with light and scale. I am drawn to the possibility the devices offer by allowing one to cover such a large area of space w ith mov ing image so instantaneously. Inspired by BYOB, I wished to create my own event specifically structured as a response to my text. By analysing my own text, I created a brief of the key concepts that I wished to explain diagrammatically by using the documentation of the installation as a visual example:

1. R elational Aesthetics—must engage with people so far that the interaction forms the outcome of the piece. 2. A rt as Hypertext—visually show the links and connections between images and videos, allow a platform to create a journey of otherwise unconnected images and invite others to act as Semionauts. 3. C yberspace —The content is sourced from the inter net, thus is not in any way limited to the physical space the installation occupies, but rather can draw on content on a global scale. 4. R eal time—facilitate live action, live footage, live feeds and immediate engagement. 5. Non-physical interaction—allow the interaction to come from anyone regardless of their physical location, they can have an effect on the actual space. 6. Physical interaction—someone who is in the room however becomes physically part of the piece. In both the introduction and conclusion of the text, I have mentioned the potential of the new Kings Cross site and it was therefor obvious to stage this event at the new building for many reasons: firstly I wanted to encourage a wide range of participation and interaction by staging it at the most populous area of CSM, The Street; this also allowed me the space to stage an installation on a large scale; it then gave me the opportunity to directly involve my peers within the installation and lastly gave me the means and access to the equipment I needed. In answer to this brief, I proposed to set up a multiscreen interactive video wall. Made up of as many projected screens as I could acquire, each of the projections would show a combination of:

1. V ideo footage—sent in by a large number of contributors, both before hand and during the event, from the vast range of material on Youtube. 2. L ive action—webcams to capture the event unfolding in front of them, and input the videos straight back into the event, putting even the passive observers into the centre of the action. 3. L ive feed—a real-time Twitter feed which draws all of the comments made about the project onto a single screen, allowing people both in the space and outside to respond with comments and post links to additional content. Two weeks prior, I created a Facebook group calling for submissions to gather content for the event, and to advertise it to as wider audience as I could. I also created an identity for the project: naming it ‘IN’, derived from my key words: In—Involved, Incidental, Interactive, Installation, Interpersonal and Interdisciplinary. This title, as short as it is, stems from all of the key concepts. ‘In’ is defined as: in | in | preposition 1. E xpressing the situation of something that is enclosed by something else 2. The period of time in which an event takes place 3. E xpressing inclusion or involvement 4. I ndicating the language or medium used 5. A s an integral part. (Apple Dictionary: 2009) The logo for the event shows the word ‘IN’ filled with changing imagery and colour on a grey concrete background. It is a purely digital logo, as it is designed to be seen as an animated GIF, not a still image. The changing content within the ‘IN’ represents the

projection, whilst the concrete background represents the otherwise blank walls of the new building. The physical installation comprised of a fairly simple set up of projectors arranged on a table within the space, each showing a different image, the layout of the projections creating a huge video wall. The social networking aspect work superbly, I obtained over 300 submissions from over 200 individuals in less than 2 weeks. The Facebook group facilitated a fantastic dialogue of content, with many people responding to videos that others posted, and bringing in their own personal content as well as found content. In reality, I was only able to create a proposal of the installation, and create a small scale test piece in the space using two projectors. It was unfortunate that the process of setting up this simple installation required such a vast amount of bureaucracy and permission from college management, that the entire physical output of it was so severely restricted due to entirely artificial constraints. This new space does indeed have the potential for great things, but this will only be realised when those in charge decide to allow the students, who the space was designed for, to actually use it.

>>>â&#x20AC;&#x201A; PUBLICATIONâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; <<< One of my main aims has been to make this paper as readable as I can. I have endeavoured to make the text both enjoyable and accessible for what could otherwise be a fairly abstract text and to share a topic I find extremely interesting with others in an engaging way whilst maintaing a critical and analytical stance.

With this is mind I have elected to produce a very straightforward design with an emphasis on legibility. My inspiration for the format and layout came from a French book I picked up on a recent trip to Paris. The book, Dans Voyagé, published in 1886 uses a very classical and formal layout. The format is ideal for practical purposes of production, slightly shorter and somewhat narrower than A5, the book’s proportions lend themselves to print with a standard A4 printer, whilst being a more intriguing ratio than standard A size, and also allowing for full bleed images. The layout of Dans Voyagé is derived from the Villard de Honnecourt grid system. I have taken this structure as the basis of my design, and given it a contemporary twist by introducing a number of additional elements such as the full bleed titles and images. I have then made the tex t follow a slightly modified version of this classical system as it provides an age-old, tried and tested format for clearly legible text. The typography derives from this grid, choosing a typeface (Matt Antique 9pt on 12pt) that of fers exquisite readabi l it y by g iv i ng a n opt i mu m l i ne leng t h whilst maintaing a desirable colour on the page. Designed in the late Modern period of the 1960’s, the typeface borrows classical elements from traditional t y pog raphy (as seen in Dans Voyagé) but w ith a modern sensibility. The images then work to a 6 by 6 grid (defined again by the Honnecourt system). The captions follow the layout, to create a balanced page, led by the position of t he images. A s many of t he images are ta ken from the internet I have photographed the images on screen—giving an interesting pixel texture whilst

allowing a high enough resolution for reproduction and also giving the images a grounding context. It was important for me not to strictly follow the classical system as I wanted the book to maintain a very contemporary feel. This is enhanced by use of a contemporary binding style and also using innovative new paper stocks for the cover and end pages. >>> CONCLUSION <<< I am satisfied that my design of the text and accompanying proposal for the installation work harmoniously together. Each standing alone as an individual piece, but also together to give greater mutual meaning. The interplay between the classical layout and contemporary detail in the text makes it engaging and readable, whilst being stripped back enough to allow the text to speak for itself. The digital side of the installation shows great promise that it will work as intended when given the appropriate hardware to facilitate it. I managed to instigate a discussion and also map, through the Facebook group documentation, the journey of images and videos created by a large community of my peers. I look forward to being able to carry out the installation as I had originally intended.

>>> <<<

Scan or visit: http://goo.gl/VTAq8 to access video footage and more images of the Installation.

>>> BIBLIOGR APHY <<< Anderson, P (1992) The Ends of History: A Zone of Engagement. London, UK: Verso. Arad, R (2011) Ron Arad’s Curtain Call. Roundhouse Gallery, London, UK. Exhibition, and [Internet] <http: //www.roundhouse.org.uk/ron-arads-curtain-call> 24 October 2011. Apple (2009) Dictionary [Software] The Banff Centre (2011) Nicolas Bourriard Biography. [Internet] Alberta, Canada: The Banff Centre. <http: //www.banffcentre.ca/faculty/faculty-member/4253/nicolas-bourriaud-.mvc> 24 October, 2011. Berten, H (1995) The Idea of Postmodern. London, UK: Routledge. Bourriaud, N (2009a) The Radicant. New York, USA: Lukas & Sternberg. Bourriaud, N (2009b) Altermodern Manifesto: Postmodernism is Dead. [Internet] London, UK: Tate Publishing. <http: //www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/ altermodern/manifesto.shtm> 24 October, 2011. Bourriaud, N (2009c) The Figure in the Carpet. Altermodern: Tate Triennial, edited by Nicolas Bourriaud. London, UK: Tate Publishing. Bourriaud, N (2004) Playlist. Paris, France: Palais de Toko: Editions cercle d’art.

Bourriaud, N (2002) Postproduction: Culture as Screenplay: How Art Reprograms the World. Translated by Jeanine Hermann. New York, USA: Lukas & Sternberg. Bourriaud, N (1998) Relational Aesthetics. English translation 2002. Paris, France: Les Presses du RĂŠel. BYOB (2011) Bring Your Own Beamer. [Internet]<http: // www.byobworldwide.com/> 24 October, 2011. Centre Georges Pompidou (1989) Magiciens de la terre. Paris, France. Collins, J (1989) Uncommon Cultures: Popular Culture and Post-Modernism. London, UK: Routledge. Connor, S (1997) Postmodernist Culture, 2nd Edition. First published 1989. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers LTD. Davies-Crook, S (2011) BYOB. [Internet] Dazed Digital, May 2011. <http: //www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/9737/1/byob> 24 October, 2011. Deuchar, S (2009) Directors Forward, Altermodern: Tate Triennial, edited by Nicolas Bourriaud. London, UK: Tate Publishing. Enwezor, O (2009) Modernity and Postcolonial Ambivalence. Altermodern: Tate Triennial, edited by Nicolas Bourriaud. London, UK: Tate Publishing. Eshelman, R (2000) Performatism, or the End of Postmodernism, Anthropoetics: the Journal of Generative Anthopology [Internet] Wasserburg, Germany: University of California, Los Angeles. <http: //www.anthropoetics. ucla.edu/ap0602/perform.htm> 24 May, 2011.

Fukuyama, F. (1992) The End of History and the Last Man. Michigan, USA: Free Press, University of Michigan. Gavin, F (2011) 100 New Artists: Despite Moments of Clarity, there is no â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ismâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in this Book. London, UK: Laurence King Publishing LTD. Gleick, J (2011) The Information. London, UK: Harper Collins. Jameson, F (2003) The End of Temporality, Critical Inquiry. Summer 2003, Vol 29, No. 4. Chicago, USA: Critical Inquiry. Jencks, C (1995) What Is Post-Modernism? 4th Edition. London, UK: Academy Editions. Kirby, A (2009) Digimodernism: How New Technologies dismantle the postmodern and configure our culture. London & New York: Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. Kirby, A (2010a) Successor States to an Empire in Free Fall, The Times [Internet] 27 May 2010. London, UK. <http: //www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?secti oncode=26&storycode=411731&c=2> 24 October, 2011. Kirby, A (2010b) Of Space and Time. [Internet] 16 August 2010. <http: //digimodernism.blogspot.com/2010/08/ of-space-and-time.html> 24 October, 2011. Kristeva, J (1980) Desire in Language: A Semiotic Approach to Literature and Art. New York, USA: Columbia University Press.

Laurence, R (2009) New Aesthetics, Adbusters. May/June 2009, #83, vol 17 number 3 issue, pg. 3. Vancouver, Canada: Adbusters Media Foundation. Lipovetsky, G (2005) Hypermodern Times. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. Malpas, S (2005) The Postmodern. Oxon, USA: Routledge. Multiple authors (1990) Art meets Science and Spirituality in a Changing Economy. Gravenhage, UK: SDU publishers. Nelson, T (2011) Who I Am. [Internet] < http: //ted. hyperland.com/whoIam/> 5 November, 2011. Oliver, W (2009) Norman Rosenthal in conversation with Matthew Stone. Norman Rosenthal’s Apartment, 2009, London. AnotherMan Magazine, Issue 8, Spring/Summer 2009. Rozendaal, R (2011a) About. [Internet] <http: //www. newrafael.com/about/> 24 October, 2011. Rozendaal, R (2011b) BYOB Worldwide. [Internet] Google Maps ‘Places’. Created June 2010, Updated 18 October, 2011. <http: //maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid =212075910558912156787.0004a5b8c0ef9d17698c2& ie=UTF8&t=h&z=3> Rozendaal, R (2010) BYOB FAQ. [Internet] <http: //www. byobworldwide.com/faq> 24 October, 2011. Samuels, R (2007) Auto-Modernity after Postmodernism: Autonomy and Automation in Culture, Technology, and Education. [Internet] Los Angeles, USA: University of California, Los Angeles. <http: //www.mitpressjournals. org/doi/abs/10.1162/dmal.9780262633598.219> 24 October, 2011.

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>>> IMAGE CREDITS <<< 12–13 . Cocteau, J (1917) Le Cornet à dés by Max Jacob. page

16 –17. NPA Arctic (2006) Franz Josef Land Archipelago. [Internet] <http: //npa-arctic.ru/html/ photogaller y.htmlb> 12 November, 2011 page

page

24 –27. Holloway, T (2011) Installation Images.

page

32 . Stone, M (2008) Self Portrait. [Internet]

<http: //w w w.matthewstone.co.uk / biography/> 12 November, 2011 33 . Stone, M (2008) Conduits/Gea Polti. [Internet] < http: //www.matthewstone.co.uk/performance-photos/ conduitsgea-politi-2008/> 12 November, 2011 page

33 . Stone, M (2008) Assab One. Milan [Internet] < http: //www.matthewstone.co.uk/performance-photos/ assab-one-milan-2008/> 12 November, 2011 page

36 –37. Stone, M (2011) Rules Forever. Union Galler y, London. page

40 . Haecht, Willem van (1628) The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest. Rubenshuis, Antwerp. page

41. BYOB London (2011) [Internet] <http: // www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/9737/1/ byob> London. page

44 – 45. BYOB Worldwide (2011) Worldmap. [Internet] <http: //www.byobworldwide.com/map> 12 November, 2011 page

48 . Janco, M (1916) Cabaret Voltaire. [Internet] <http: //dadasurr.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post. html> 12 November, 2011 page

49. (1921) Berlin Dadaists. [Internet] <http: // www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Dada.aspx> 12 November, 2011 page

52 . Stone, M (2011) Matthew Stone. [Internet] <http: //www.facebook.com/pages/MatthewStone/106490816085203> 12 November, 2011 page

52 . Stone, M (2011) Matthew Stone— Optimism as Cultural Rebellion [Internet] <http: //optimismasculturalrebellion.tumblr.com/> 12 November, 2011 page

53 . BYOB (2011) [Internet] <http: //www. byobworldwide.com/> 12 November, 2011 page