micropolitics

[Philip Sherburne <philip@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

[I may regret even bringing this up, but it's a genuine inquiry, and
besides, I'm tired of the incessant back-and-forth about live performances.]

I read today an article in the New York Times discussing Jorg Haider's
antics, and it made me recall something I'd wondered about when he first
came to power: namely, what the response from Austrian artists might be.
Oddly though, I never saw anything, despite the vibrant (and presumably
politically Left) arts culture in Vienna, namely for the purposes of this
list, Mego-affiliated.

This is not at all to impugn Mego for not responding in some fashion (and
it's entirely possible that they did, and I simply missed any mention of
it).  Because of course if one is going to talk about a politicized
art-practice, one isn't restricted merely to the context of Rightist
European legislators; here in the US, one could ask what the politicized art
responses there were (or are) to any number of problematic situations, from
the contested election to the US-sponsored (-mandated?) "drug war" in Latin
America to the death penalty to... you get my point.

So my broader question is, what are the possibilities for an "engaged"
microsound?  Are there any qualities inherent in the medium (if it is a
medium at all) which lends it to, or bars it from, political practice?  Is
it a practice in itself?  Is a microsound CD or performance any more or less
political than, say, Rage Against the Machine, and how might things be done
differently?

I'm aware of Ultra-Red's field-based work; and then there's the Beta Bodega
Coalition, although I'm not 100% sure where you draw the line between
aesthetics & politics in their case (and everyone knows what Benjamin said
about the aestheticization of politics!).

I apologize for the "call-for-papers" tone of my query; I'm just trying to
keep the options open.  And please, no slagging, flaming or boring
huffiness; this is a genuine question, and I'd like to keep the discussion
interesting and productive.  I'm sure we can agree to disagree, where it
will inevitably come to that.

Thanks,
Philip