Lecture slides for MA Contemporary Art Theory and for MFA1 Studio students in the School of Art, Edinburgh College of Art. http://www.eca.ac.uk/pdf/getCourse.php?id=88

1. Networks

2. www.imaginaryfutures.net

3. Norbert Wiener (1894-1964)

4. Norbert Wiener’s SOCIAL NETWORK THEORY Non-linear complex system ~ networking is unavoidable. Social relationships seen in terms of: Nodes and Ties Nodes are actors Ties are the relationships between. Open networks are preferable to closed networks. Culture (art) is dialogical.

5. John von Neumann (1903-57) Developed right-wing theory of cybernetics to rival Weiner’s social cybernetics. Hawkish Coldwarrior (War Game Theorist behind M.A.D.) and Fordist/Taylorist Posthumanist: Humans (workers/hardware) process information (software) given to them by their managers (programmers)

6. Source: CybergeographyResearch Web, Universityof Manchester

7. William Whyte A belief in belongingness as the ultimate need of the individual; A belief in the application of science to achieve belongingness - to the group and organisation; A belief in the group as the source of creativity.

8. NiklasLuhmann (1927-1998)

9. Communication Reduction of Complexity Autopoiesis

10. Robert Rauschenberg Portrait of Iris Clert(1961). Telegram

11. Hans HaackeCondensation Cube, (1963-65)

12. Systemic Art and Serialism “In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.” – Sol LeWitt, "Paragraphs on Conceptual Art", Artforum, June 1967.

13. IBM introduced its System/3 computer (IBM 5410) on July 30, 1969 to meet the computing needs of small businesses.

14. Cybernetic Serendipity Curated by JasiaReichardt ICA, London, 1968

15. Cybernetic Serendipity Curated by JasiaReichardt ICA, London, 1968

16. Information Curated by KynastonMcShine Museum of Modern Art, New York City 1970 Formally established Conceptual Art in the United States.

17. Software, Information Technology: Its New Meaning for Art Curated by Jack Burnham New York: Jewish Museum, Sept 16 to Nov 8th, 1970. Participating artists: Vito Acconci, David Antin, Architecture Group Machine M.I.T., John Baldessari, Robert Barry, Linda Berris, Donald Burgy, Paul Conly, Agnes Denes, Robert Duncan Enzmann, Carl Fernbach-Flarsheim, John Godyear, Hans Haacke, Douglas Huebler, Joseph Kosuth, Nam June Paik, Alex Razdow, Sonia Sheridan, Evander D. Schley, Theodosius Victoria, Lawrence Weiner.

18. Traditional sculpture is not interactive, Burnham’s systems art theory allowed the audience to participate. “…the cultural obsession with the art object is slowly disappearing and being replaced by what might be called systems consciousness”

19. Art & Language Index (1972)

20. Keith Tyson ArtmachineIteration "An Emergency Meeting of the Doughnut Assembly" (1997)

21. What is Makrolab? Makrolab is an autonomous communications, research and living unit and space, capable of sustaining concentrated work of 4 people in isolation/insulation conditions for up to 120 days. The project started in 1994 and was first realised during an art exhibition, documenta X in Kassel in 1997.

22. Who is behind the project? The project was started by Marko Peljhan, but has evolved and includes work of many people from many different disciplines. The current setup of the project, the mark II, was designed by the architects MatevzFrancic and AljazLavric, the metal work is the work of JozeMiklic. The construction itself was designed already in 1997 and you can find more information on it on the website http://makrolab.ljudmila.org.

23. Steven Willats

24. Joseph Beuys – ‘social sculpture’

25. N55 LAND

27. The secret of free shopping - The Express - MatthieuLaurette washed shaved and ate for free by using only materials that came with offers such as 'Satisfaction or your money back' or 'First purchase refunded'.- The Guardian - Tomorow, we eat for Free. - Le Monde -

28. “My ideas about relational aesthetics started from observing a group of artists - RirkritTiravanija, Maurizio Cattelan, Philippe Parreno, Pierre Huyghe, Vanessa Beecroft. Relational aesthetics was a critical method, a way of approaching the art of the '90s, as well as a general sensibility that these artists shared. One of the most important ideas for me is what I called the "criterion of coexistence."

29. “I like art that allows its audience to exist in the space opened up by it. For me, art is a space of images, objects, and human beings. Relational aesthetics is a way of considering the productive existence of the viewer of art, the space of participation that art can offer.”

30. Turntablism – Performative - Analogue

32. Hegemonic Barmembers of basekamp & friends1999, Base Kamp gallery The exhibition was named after, and based on, neo-Gramscian hegemony theory. Using this as a departure point, the Base Kamp created the Hegemonic Bar, with the consumption of alcohol as representative of class struggle. The structure consisted of three platforms signifying class stratification into lower, middle and upper classes. The ability of guests to participate in each of the bars was determined by a random amount of phoney money distributed at the door.

33. Are You Meaning Company Two Getting Along, (2001-), ongoing project210 x 148drawings, colour pencils, pencil sharpener, leaflets, suitcase, DVD, table, chairs

34. GNS (Global Navigation System)Franz Ackermann, Nathan Carter, WimDelvoye, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Thomas Hirschhorn, Laura Horelli, Pierre Huyghe, Pierre Joseph, Jakob Kolding, MatthieuLaurette, Mark Lombardi, Julie Mehretu, John Menick, Aleksandra Mir, Ocean Earth, HenrikOlesen, Kirsten Pieroth, MarjeticaPotrc, Matthew Ritchie, PiaRönicke, Sean Snyder, Stalker, Simon Starling + Le Pavillon www.palaisdetokyo.com

35. Wang Du, "WANG DU Parade #4“

38. Loris Cecchini, Salon pour le Palais de Tokyo 2004-05

39. Altermodern (Tate Triennial 3 February – 26 April 2009) Altermodern claims that the period defined as postmodernism has come to an end and a new culture for the 21st century is emerging.

40. Lawrence Alloway – Network: The Artworld Described as a System (1972)

41. Hans HaakeShapolsky et al. Manhattan Real Estate Holdings, A Real Time Social System, as of May 1, 1971photographs, data sheets, charts, dimensions variable Work exposed the questionable transactions of Harry Shapolsky's real-estate business between 1951 and 1971.

44. Protoacademy, Edinburgh The objectives of proto academy are to develop ways in which an art institutional structure can take advantage of the wealth and knowledge in a particular city and serve as a meeting-point for artists and various academic specialists, cultural producers, politicians, business leaders, and citizens. Further than this the ambition is to provide an interface between art research and the wider public through exhibitions and other forms of representation.Charles Esche Entrance to Christiania, Free State, Copenhagen

45. Some problems with Relational Aesthetics: Networked art favours a corporatist approach to cultural management over cultural production. Does this make it consumerist rather than prosumerist?

46. Some problems with Relational Aesthetics: The instrumentalisation of culture ? or An antidote to instrumentalisation?

47. Some problems with Relational Aesthetics: Committee structure weakens agency (nodes) which can leave the agent powerless. Agency may not lie solely in human agents (Gell - 1998).

48. Some problems with Relational Aesthetics: Does RA transfer power to agents who have time and the resources to to pursue networking (i.e. collectors, curators and facilitators).

50. 1st Canary Biennial for Art, Architecture and Landscape, Spain APT 2006 - Asia-Pacific Triennial, risbane, Australia 10th Cairo Biennial, Egypt 2nd Moscow Biennale, Russia 3rd Auckland Triennial, New Zealand 8th Sharjah Biennial, United Arab Emirates 9th International Biennial of Cuenca, Ecuador Biennale Montréal, Canada Prague Biennale 3, Czech Republic 52nd Venice Biennial, International art exhibition, Italy documenta 12, Kassel, Germany Sculpture Projects Munster 07, Münster, Germany 6th Mercosur Biennial, Porto Alegre, Brazil 1st Athens Biennial, Greece 10th Istanbul Biennial, Turkey 9th Lyon Biennial, France 2007 Biennales

51. 1st Asia Art Biennial Taichung, Taiwan 5th Berlin biennale, Germany 1st Asia Triennial Manchester, England Glasgow International, Scotland 55th Carnegie International, USA Dak'Art 2008 Dakar, Senegal 13th Biennial of Young Artists from Europe and the MediterraneanPuglia, Italy 3rd Bucharest Biennale, Romania Arts Le Havre 2008, France Biennale of Sydney 2008, Australia SITE Santa Fe 7th International Biennial Manifesta 7 Trentino - South Tirol, Alto Adige / Italy U-TURN Quadriennial for Contemporary Art Copenhagen, Denmark Gwangju Biennale 2008, Republic of Korea Busan Biennale 2008, Republic of Korea 3rd Guangzhou Triennial, China 7th Shanghai Biennial, China Singapore Biennale 2008 5th mediacity, Seoul, Republic of Korea Yokohama Triennale, Japan 6th Taipei Biennial, Taiwan Liverpool Biennial, 2008 United Kingdom 8th Panama Art Biennial, Panama BIACS 3 International Biennial of Contemp. Art, Sevilla, Spain Brussels Biennial, Belgium 28th São Paulo Biennial, Brazil 2008 Biennales

54. Some problems with Relational Aesthetics: What happens when open systems become closed systems?

55. Some problems with Relational Aesthetics: Does network thinking disavow the haptic and sensuous? Do objects have agency in themselves (or just artists and their networks)? (Gell – 1998)

56. Some problems with Relational Aesthetics: Claire Bishop – democracy involves conflict or ‘antagonism’ rather than consensus; “we must turn for an alternative to the well-intentioned homilies that today pass for critical discourse on social collaboration.” Claire Bishop interviewed by Jennifer Roche online

57. Santiago Sierra8 Foot Line Tattooed on Six Renumerated People EspacioAglutinador Havana, 1999 In Havana the artist offered volunteers $30, if they agreed on having a horizontal line tattooed on their back, thus alluding to the fact that people in the third world are ready to sacrifice their health for a minimal amount of money.

59. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yREqd8QYtsQ Renzo MartensEnjoy Poverty, 90 mins 2008

60. FIN