fromCONCENTRATE

# Do you know what year the house you live in was built? How would you find out? Are you interested? Why/why not?

The house here in Newcastle? I rent it – I really couldn’t care less about it. The house in Huddersfield? – that is my parent’s house, where I grew up – I don’t know exactly what year it was built, probably the end of the 1960’s. It’s the end house in a row and it faces a small wood. Apparently they were built as show-houses for the Highland’s council estate (which is behind). There aren’t any people living in the street now, who were there at the beginning, so if I needed to find out more then I think I would have to start at the library, although, thinking about it, if I actually cared – rather than performing some superficial research – I’d be more interested in speaking to people who were there at that time. I’d probably call into a couple of the local shops and pubs/clubs and just find out who might know something – start from there.

# Do you know your own family history? How would you find out? Are you interested? Why/why not?

I know some ‘history’ about my family. I also know that my Grandmother (on my Mother’s side) and my Grandfather (on my Father’s side) both know an incredible amount – going back many generations. If I wanted to find out specific information, then I would ask them but I don’t have a desire to record their knowledge. I’m interested in the stories and details that they have chosen to share with me.

# Do you use any technologies which investigate history? Which ones and how do you use them?

No – I don’t think that I do.

(This is my FIRST blog post at Culture Lab, on my new research blog.)
(And, this is the ONLY blog post I’ll be writing in the FIRST-PERSON.) (I HOPE.)

(This is a very important question.)
(This is the question I need to be asking every day.)

In terms of my exploration of (digital) culture I WANT to start from HOPE.
Deep down, I am an OPTIMIST / ROMANTIC / IDEALIST.
I am excited by (the emergence of) incredible, technologically facilitated, opportunities for NEW social / cultural / democratic models presented by:
-    myriad, normalised, de-centralised, social network platforms
-    oft-cited ’second-life’ virtual environments
-    democratiZation ov knowledge: wikis, blogs, information-revolution FREECULTURE and tha open-source
-    digital RE-PRODUC-ABILITY, de-author(IZ)ed cultural production, unprecedented free sharing ov IDEAS

AND, specifically, I am interested in the manifestation of these new modes in the realm of ART making.

(BUT)

(I am also prone to FEAR.)
(Everyone is prone to FEAR)
(I’m a former luddite and my favourite film is ‘The Terminator’)
(Sometimes, I get out ov bed the wrong-side, and I start from FEAR.)

Plenty of reasons to FEAR:
-    new social spheres will replicate and accelerate old (visible and invisible) power-structure-hierarchies, cliques and violence – RESULT – increased GLOBAL SCALE social / cultural /political /economic ISOLATION, EXPLOITATION and ‘CYBER-BULLYING’
-    ALSO, inhuman horrors will be made easier by perceptual DETACHMENT from source through technological EXTENSION.
-    Challenge to existing 20th Century Copyright methods, PATENTS and INDUSTRY triggers an unprecedented backlash against SHARING (peer-to-peer prosecutions, chilling effect etc.)
-    access to technologies and cultural production remains SPECIALIZED whilst elites chat at conferences about ACCESSIBILITY…
-    open transparent culture = ZERO PRIVACY (Discuss.)  Potential for OSTRACISM, BLACKMAIL, MUD-THROWIN’ and CENSURE is immense and FACEBOOK is just the beginning.

(At the suggestion of my tutor – Jamie Allen – I simply wanted to put these out there.)
(In my next post I will discuss my own strategies for balancing HOPE against FEAR)
(comments / suggestions / responses welcome :-)

(And YES, I am aware of the ‘FEAR—>LOVE’ blackboard scene from Donnie Darko (below) – thanks!)