RE: freeway-mediatiing-tools & others

From: david.preiss@yale.edu
Date: Thu Jun 17 2004 - 15:47:57 PDT


I don't know how to explain the initiative in terms from CHAT, Iraj,
but I am really glad to learn that this is happening. Thanks for
sharing!
David

Quoting IRAJ IMAM <iimam@cal-research.org>:

> Thanks Judy for your response and Sorry for not being able to say
> things
> clearly. Let me try differently by asking:
>
> How does one talk about this kind of public protest in CHAT? It
> appears to
> me that is part of some 'activity' and it must use 'tools' and does
> something with 'rules and roles.' And all actions occur in their
> own
> cultural history and geography. And actions produce, respond to, and
> may
> resolve multiple conflicts --in gesture and speech and meaning
> making.
>
> I do not know about history and geography of this kind of action. But
> it
> seems to me that any protest involves engaging with other forces
> that
> already have history and geography. A momentary outcome depends on
> 'interplay' of forces--what meaning is produced in the mind of a
> driver on
> the freeway in response to observing a protest sign?
>
> iraj
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Judy Diamondstone [mailto:jdiamondstone@clarku.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2004 12:12 PM
> To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> Subject: RE: freeway-mediatiing-tools & others
>
> Iraj, I'm not sure how to read your commentary on the site you've
> cited
> below.
>
> Or perhaps I should say, I'm not sure how to read your commentary on
> CHAT,
> by way of the political performance "art" advocated on the site.
>
> The Los Angelos Art Squad (not sure of the name) used billboards to
> "talk
> back" to commercialism in the 1970s -- the freewaybloggers are
> certainly not
> the first, though I think this particular kind of expropriation of
> public
> sapce did start in California (does anyone know?)
>
> Judy
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: IRAJ IMAM [mailto:iimam@cal-research.org]
> > Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2004 11:13 AM
> > To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > Subject: freeway-mediatiing-tools & others
> >
> >
> > I came across this interesting site.
> http://www.freewayblogger.com/
> >
> > I will try talk about this in a general way, please excuse my
> > misreading of
> > CHAT.
> >
> > I thought this is somehow related to recent discussions on
> > 'externalization'
> > and on 'bodies, matter, action, and meaning.' These sign postings
> on
> > freeways (and callings on White hate radios) seem to show people
> > (subjects)
> > taking action using visual (and audio) tools [gesture and
> > speech], breaking
> > formal rules and impose their own informal ones on public spaces
> (freeway
> > and airways). By taking up a 'new role' and status, as
> > 'offender', they seem
> > to expand on the 'community.'
> >
> > They seem to 'externalize' a kind of 'counter script' and project
> > images and
> > concepts through signs and words that go in the direction of hoping
> to
> > produce a 3rd space (a la Lefebvre and Soja)--a different
> 'activity.'
> >
> > Taking advantage of daily spatial practices of a large number of
> people is
> > not something new. Bill boards and commercials have been polluting
> urban
> > spaces and airways for so long. These practices and their tools are
> seen
> > 'normal' through sanctioned 'roles and rules' that have produced
> their own
> > historical and geographical culture. Using these public spaces
> > for another
> > 'activity' is interesting.
> >
> > iraj imam
> > iimam@cal-research.org
> > The Center for Applied Local Research
> >
>
>



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