Rules for participating in the distributed library can be found here

“The deadlock between Minister Plasterk and the Raad voor Cultuur on the development of an infrastructure for the arts will lead to a step back instead of forwards. While we want to innovate and develop,” states Willem Velthoven, director of Mediamatic. “I do not want to revert to 2003. Though that is what the result of all this is threatening to be. We are not going to wait around and will concentrate on the core issues. Our own library will become a luxury we cannot afford,” according to Velthoven.

That is why Mediamatic is calling on the public to come and care for the library themselves. They are calling on everyone to come and collect the books, magazines and multimedia. That can be done on Saturday, June 28th from 16:00 to 21:00 and on Sunday June 29th from 12:00 to 17:00, in the office of Mediamatic in the Post CS building, Oosterdokskade 5, fifth floor. There will also be music and a book bar.

The only condition that comes with the free books is that the person needs to register (for free) on the Mediamatic website. And that he or she must promise to lend the book to another member if she or he requests it. Thus we create a distributed library. The books and the new owners will remain accessible through the Mediamatic website....

De crematieplechtigheid vindt op maandag 16 juni om 17.30 uur in Berlijn plaats, in het Haus der Begegnung, Fürstenbrunner Weg 10-12.

Op vrijdag 20 juni om 17.00 uur is er een herdenkingsbijeenkomst in het Nederlands Instituut voor Mediakunst, Keizersgracht 264, Amsterdam.

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With TokTek, DJ Sniff (NL/JP) + Fedde ten Berge (NL), OneManNation (SG/NL) + Richard Scott (UK), DNK-Friday DJ Unit (The Real Master Fader, Mr Fooo, The Snail, guest DJ Minty Fluttershy) and The paradigm of Intuitive Science, a Kirlian performance by Melanie Bonajo (NL) and Kinga Kielczynska (PL).

What is wrong with STEIM? Both the Amsterdam Kunstraad as the Raad voor Cultuur have advised to discontinue structural finance for STEIM. That means that the financial foundation needs to be entirely rebuilt. As far as we are concerned, STEIM is an important part of the basic cultural infrastructure. STEIM fulfills a necessary LAB function in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the rest of the world.

- Tom Verbruggen alias TokTek makes spectacular compositions with joysticks, laptops and many self made instruments. He will take you to a world where images have no meaning.

- DJ Sniff (Takuro Mizuto Lippit) is one of the best turntablists in the world. To him the turntable is the ultimate autonomous instrument. Seeing and hearing him will acutely make you a Sniff-fan for life.

- One Man Nation brings forth his own brand of music, visuals and performance art as the various disciplines amalgamate smoothly into the musical flow of improvises beats and samples to create his desolate soundtrack. Controlling his computer via various hardware controllers, you are promised a very physical and present performance.

- The DNK-Friday DJ Unit plays the ...

Beoordeling

Mediamatic voldoet aan de criteria die de subsidieregeling hanteert voor een ontwikkelinstelling. De instelling heeft een duidelijk accent op experiment en ontwikkeling. Verdieping en ontwikkeling van het e-cultuurterrein in relatie tot (ontwikkelingen in) de maatschappij staan hierin vaak centraal.
Mediamatic heeft een toegankelijk, zichzelf enigszins relativerend, beleidsplan geschreven. In het brede pakket aan activiteiten gaan experiment en publieksbereik hand in hand. De Raad is van mening dat Mediamatic een actief medialab is. Zo is het niet alleen zichtbaar in de e-cultuursector op zich, maar ook in de samenleving. Dankzij een duidelijke visie zijn de producten en projecten van de instelling scherp gekozen en bovendien worden ze vakkundig uitgevoerd. Wat Mediamatic aan research doet, brengt het ook naar buiten.
Mediamatic ontwikkelt nieuwe vormen van participatie en laat zich hierbij niet leiden door de techniek maar door (de vraag van) het publiek. Door de focus op daadwerkelijke participatie krijgen de plannen en projecten inhoudelijk handen en voeten, met een vanzelfsprekende inbedding van inter- en multiculturele issues. De resultaten van Mediamatic zijn publiek toegankelijk in de vorm van tentoonstellingen, workshops en andere openbare evenementen. Publieksbereik staat bij de instelling hoog in het vaandel. Bij Mediamatic worden de onderwerpen, de projecten en het publiek erg goed op elkaar afgestemd. Hierdoor worden soms honderd...

Leah Buechley, who designed the sewable version of the Arduino microcontroller, is fascinated with materials, and especially with using them for interactive projects close to her body. She was in Amsterdam for one day, and during that day she presented a circus of some of the cooler sensors and actuators she has been working with lately. Stretch, bend and press sensors, conductive thread, velcro and rubber, and much more.

Some people create their own aesthetic by creating their own software: Bob Sabiston's A Scanner Darkly or Waking Life are wonderfully unique in their imagery. However, not everyone has the cash for full fletched software development for a visual project. This results in too much motion too constrained by too little software. Animators and VJs have it tough.

Last week at the Mediamatic EcoVis salon, we had the pleasure of 6 pairs of VJs performing simultaneously to our local electro-acoustic improvisation band Oorbeek. These were the results of the 1-day Lo-Tech VJ workshop. None of them looked like Photoshop filters, nor did any of them look alike. They projected onto all the white walls available, on top of the Oorbeek band members, who politely donned white boiler suits to minimize their visual appearance for the occasion.

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It used a lot of footage from terror attack by islamist groups. The footage that we've all seen more than enough during the past years. Wilders' 10 minute collection is filthy. He interlaced it with Qur'an quotes suggesting that all these crimes are justified and prescribed by Islam. Of course one could have done the same with the old testament. Boring demagogy that is so transparent that it will hardly convince anyone of anything. Embarrassing indeed. Can we now get back to work please? Thank you.

Why? Well we can't stop Wilders. He has a right to freedom of expression and he is smart enough to stay within the boundaries of Dutch law. Actually, we do not want to stop his movie because we cherish our freedom of expression. Even stupid populist politicians have fundamental rights. Especially they!

We can compete for attention however. And we can produce disinformation. So we are going to make Movies called “Fitna” in which we apologise for Geert Wilders embarrassing behaviour. We will make so many of them that it will be hard to find the movie by Wilders without finding lots of movies apologising for it.

Just to let the world (and ourselves) know that allowing confused people to speak does not mean that we agree with what they say. Sorry.

So if you want to join in; just make your own Fitna movie and put it on line. Put on a blonde wig, look cross eyed and say you’re sorry. Film it with you telephone or camera. Then, publish it on line as many times as you can, Youtube, Hyves, Myspace any place. Call it Fitna by Geert Wilders. Add any statement that you like to. Link to your movie and to other movies you like from your blogs and websites. Sorry!

Let’s smother this Wilders in our apologies. If we work hard enough, no one will be able to find his crap among all the noise we produce. And the world knows how we feel about Wilders and his opportunism....

WE’RE SORRY!

And we are proud to live in a country where we h

At the Hybrid Wearables Workshop, 16 participants led by Jean-Baptiste Labrune and Dana Gordon played ideas to make our clothes help us more. Not a keyboard for sending email from your pocket, but small solutions for everyday problems.

Cuddle Bag

Are you lonely? Would you like a pet to comfort you, but would you like to avoid becoming a cat lady? Anouk Wipprecht, Nick Lesley, David Morgan and Hans-Gunter Lock made a cuddle bag for you- a functional handbag which doubles as a pet. Stroke it and it will purr, its eyes will light up, and it will warm you.

The cuddle bag has been implemented using soft fabric switches which activate the LED eyes, motors which emulate purring and sounds from encapsulated piezo speakers.

The ZONE

Do people stand too close to you at parties? Do you feel uncomfortable at social events? Astrid Lubsen, Dick van Dijk, Chris Karthaus and Bertus Rosier made you a jacket that will blow air at your socially inept assailants, subtly hinting that they should take some distance.

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