wrong. I like those video sharing websites as much as the next person, and frankly I am not that concerned about the obvious product placement, because most people nowadays are too smart to get tricked into those types of advertising. That is my prediction anyway. But I am concerned about what the future will bring. So, my concern is about how the distribution of information takes place, how the media structure is built, how content regulations try to prevent us from learning from stimulating content, and how we are not allowed to take part in a dialogue. We are not killed physically with guns because we have emotions, express ourselves, read a book, or watch a movie. We are killed metaphorically as soon as copyright, trademark, and brand disparagement laws become the weapons of choice for the conglomerates to prevent us from speaking out about further branding, from criticizing corporate colonialism, and from opposing further intrusion into the public domain.
›
Within the physical, public domain there are different movements that try to be part of the dialogue, for instance Reclaim The Streets
Kilian Idsinga, Selection of
(RTS). This movement reclaims space which is polluted by both car
stencil-art in the public space,
fumes and corporate branding. RTS is part of a bigger philosophy,
taken down by the police after
namely “Culture Jamming”, the practice of parodying advertisements
two days, 2006
and hijacking billboards in order to radically alter their message. The idea is that concentration of media ownership has successfully devalued the right of free speech by severing it from the right to be heard.* This brings the physical and non physical public domain together. Culture Jammers write theory and critique on the streets, the only place where content can be free.
›
Thus, brands are taking over public space, every space imaginable is being privatized and we are not allowed to enter, unless we follow the rules the brands come up with. That form of privatization we can see directly; we can even point at places were it happens. However, in the realm of content production, privatization is harder to discern. One has to read between the lines; one needs insight in the corporate world in order to be able to understand how the owners of content try to maREFERENCES
nipulate and control the distribution of information. One could argue
° Aoki, Keith; Boyle, James and Jenkins, Jennifer, 2006, Tales From the Public Domain, Duke Center
that the control over authorship and ownership of content could be
for The Public Domain, Creative Commons (A-NC-SA)
one of the last possible fights left against the corporate oppressors. So, I would say, let the content owners and possible collaborators know
° Bey, Hakim, 1991, Temporary Autonomous Zone, www.hermetic.com/bey/taz_cont.html
that you will not take it anymore. Let’s take information and content
° Bierut, Michael, 2006, I Am a Plagiarist, www.designobserver.com/archives/014444.html
into our own hands. A revolt doesn’t have to last forever and become a
° Boese, Alex, 2002, The Museum of Hoaxes, Dutton Books
revolution. It only has to last long enough to get noticed and under-
° Dunne, Anthony and Raby Fiona, 2001, Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects, Basel; Boston; Berlin, Birkhäuser
stood.**
° Gibson, William, 2003, Pattern Recognition, London, Viking Publishers 60 * **
Klein: 2001, 280 Bey: 1991
editorial symposium critical methodologies PAULINE TERREEHORST par tners in science DANIEL VAN DER VELDEN pro-activity in design MARTIN BECK connector joints STEFAN DILLEMUTH self-organized research FLORIAN PUMHOSL contextualizing abstract language DAVE HULLFISH BAILEY some notes on language in research WENDELIEN VAN OLDENBORGH staging real situations
interview ROBBERT DIJKGRAAF
essays HEINO SCHMID a solipsistic argument of ar t documentation KILIAN IDSINGA public domain according to corporate colonialism
research reports KARIEN VAN ASSENDELFT repor t symposium out of focus JORIS LINDHOUT review chronology (daniel birnbaum)
° Goodman, Barak, 2000, Coolhunters, Frontline; 10/20 Productions; WGBH ° Grierson, John, (ed. Forsyth Hardy), 1979, Grierson on Documentary, London, Faber and Faber ° Hajer, Maarten and Reijndorp, Arnold, 2001, In Search of New Public Domain, Rotterdam, NAi Publishers
° Klein, Naomi, 2001, No Logo, London, Harper Collins Publishers ° Liang, Lawrence, 2004, Guide to Open Content Licenses, Rotterdam, Piet Zwart Institute ° Mute Magazine, Volume 2 #1, Underneath the Knowledge Commons ° New Scientist Magazine, issue 2549, page 16, www.newscientist.com ° Siegel, Dmitri, 2006, Broadcast vs Broadband, www.designobserver.com/archives/011921.html ° Swatch Time, www.swatch.com/internettime ° Winston, Brian, 2000, Lies, damn lies and documentaries, London, British Film Institute