alt.SPACE Festival 2007: The Radical & The Revolutionary

Philadelphia announcement

[1] Today's event 4th of July!
[2] Sound research group
[3] Letter to Philadelphia – declaration of independent research
[4] Further info about international Festival in London

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[1] Today's event 4th of July!

July 4, Philadelphia: noon – 4pm
Basekamp space & vicinity

As it is the 4th of July (Independence Day in the US), we begin the alt.SPACE Festival in Philadelphia by taking part in Red76’s Bring the War Back Home project – simultaneously broadcast in Philadelphia and London. To join us in Philadelphia, come to 8th & Chestnut Street between noon & 4pm – call us at +1 215 206 8176. Project info below:

"Bring The War Home"

(a proposal by Red76 - http://www.red76.com)

Bring The War Home.mp3

Since the war in Iraq began in March of 2003 the US media has given the American public nothing but sugar coated versions of the reality of the situation on the ground in that country, as well as here at home in America. The glossing over of the realities of this conflict have led the general America public, even those who are (seemingly) informed, engaged, and upset, into a state of numbness and detachment.

With this in mind we encourage you, on this upcoming Fourth of July (2006), to Bring The War Home. Since we don't get much from the American media these days we went and looked over the internet and downloaded video and audio, shot and recorded by US Soldiers in the field, which they uploaded onto personal blogs and sites like YouTube; footage chronicling their life in combat in Iraq. We've taken this material and turned it into a sound collage of the gunfire, explosions, and voices the public at large is not hearing here at home, but that they, and the citizens of Iraq, hear day in, and day out.

We encourage you to download this MP3 and, along with any fireworks you may be lighting off on the Fourth, play it outdoors at your barbecue - LOUD: play it to remember, and help your neighbors remember, what those fireworks are meant to symbolize each Fourth of July, and so we can begin to discuss what we want those fireworks to symbolize on Fourth of Julys to come.

Please distribute this audio far and wide.

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[2] Sound research group

alt.SPACE research groups: [1.] Sound.

The alt.SPACE Festival 2007, the third annual alt.SPACE Festival, kicks of with a series of events on the notion of sound within the overall theme of the festival: ‘The Revolutionary & The Radical’. What are the possibilities and radical points of departure that lie behind the intentional production of sound waves? This theme will attempt to engage with sound on a number of different levels, through theoretical discourse in the form of presentations and reading groups, but also through many practical examples of improvisation and listening events where an emphasis still lies on the discussion/theorisation of the production of audio and sound work.

To join this research group, visit www.altspace.info – or in Philadelphia, call +1 215 206 8176

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[3] Letter to Philadelphia – declaration of independent research

Dear Philadelphians,

This July marks the official declaration of independence for the Philadelphia splinter group from the "alt.SPACE Network of artist research groups", during the international alt.SPACE Festival held in London this year under the overall theme "the Radical and the Revolutionary".

The Philadelphia group will continue to take part in the international alt.SPACE Festival, planned as a series of several events at various locations in this city over the month of July by a core group of experimental researchers headquartered at Basekamp's artist-in-residence program. These Philadelphia events will also include other related projects by local artists, and artist-run spaces – all of which are free and open to public participation.

These events were initially planned to culminate at the end of July in a 24-hour conference between members of the Philadelphia and London alt.SPACE groups, to present to one another the events that will have taken place in each city. We will now use that conference to negotiate the terms under which the Philadelphia group will merge with, or remain autonomous from the european alt.SPACE network moving forward. In Philadelphia, this 24-hour event will be open to all artists and participants in any of the Philadelphia alt.SPACE Festival events.

In the meantime, please join us for our weekly events, officially starting today July 4th with "Bring the War Home", an audio event by Red76, during which we will have an outdoor picnic and will be signing our "declaration of independence" from the alt.SPACE Network currently centralized in the UK. Further events in Philadelphia are planned for every Saturday in July, at a different location, and will include other related artist-projects and events in-between. Look out for further emails with dates, times, and locations.

See you there!
The Philadelphia alt.SPACE workgroup

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[4] Further info about international Festival in London

alt.SPACE Festival 2007 | London
The Radical & The Revolutionary

It is time for the third annual alt.SPACE Festival. This time it will take the form of a month-long peripatetic symposium, criss-crossing the urban wilderness that is London in a variety of ways, through a variety of means and involving a variety of events and activities ranging from dinner parties, picnics and informal walks, to project presentations and discussions, to more theoretical papers and a concluding 24 consecutive hour long conference.

The overall theme this year is the Radical and the Revolutionary. What is the validity and usefulness of these concepts in terms of contemporary, and future, forms of politically engaged cultural practice? Can they be reclaimed, rendered affirmative and dissentious tools, and if so, how? What kind of histories can we access and how do we access them? What strategies are ours to employ? What forms of linkages and connections, what kinds of networks and collaboration? This year the overall theme will be engaged with from four perspectives each of which involved its own set of events and activities: Sound, Cartography, Illegality, and Dissemination. Please see program below and our brand new website: www.altspace.info for further details.

This year also sees the launch of alt.SPACE Radio - our IT-radio station which will broadcast much of the festival and many other forthcoming alt.SPACE events. Additionally, the festival celebrates the very first issue of our journal: alt.SPACE hardCOPY. Please see www.altspace.info for further details.

Come join us. All events are free of charge. Everyone is welcome. For some events we ask you to let us know beforehand, particularly those that involve public space meetings or preparatory readings or discussions. It's all very informal and convivial. We look forward to seeing you. If you have received this directly from the alt.SPACE Network you will receive updates as of the specific events of the festival: specific speakers, presentations and other details will be announced week-by-week. If you did not receive this email directly from us but wishes to continue to receive these updates, please feel free to join our mailing list. Simply visit www.altspace.info and follow links for 'workspace' and then 'mailing lists' for directions. If, on the other hand, you do not wish to receive these emails, simply respond to this email putting the word 'unsubscribe' in its title, and that will be it.

We very much look forward to the festival & hope to see you all in July.

Best wishes -

The alt.SPACE Network
coregroup@altspace.info

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