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Re: [microsound] CAE artist arrested [OT]




dear Christopher and others,


I'd recommend reading the latest CAE book, "Molecular Invasion," available
through Autonomedia [http://www.autonomedia.org] or online, for free,
through CAE's website:

    http://www.critical-art.net/

direct:

    http://www.critical-art.net/books/molecular/index.html

It should explain some of the issues that Christopher is worried about here.
In fact Christopher's worries worry me, as it shows the lack of context and
information people perhaps have of or should be aware of concerning CAE.

CAE's work is especially useful in the US, as opposed to the EU, where the
Europeans are far more weary about the weirdness they put into their bodies
and require marking of all crops. In the US, the work to identify and
understand what the corporations are up to is in part being left to artists
who consider the most important task the flow of global life.

Of course CAE are serious. They, like countless artist collectives before
them throughout history, are political on a level which exceeds party
representation. Their work is inherently about the freedom of exploration of
life and ways to resist contemporary corporate control of our very basics --
not only abstract ideas like 'freedom,' but things like food and genetics.

FYI, CAE, before their work on genetic property and modification, were at
the forefront of the calls for digital resistance, hacktivism, and so on. At
an earlier stage, Ricardo Dominguez was tangentically involved [
http://www.thing.net / http://rdom.thing.net/ ]. Dominguez was instrumental
in breaking the Zapatistas online [ see his essays at http://www.ctheory.com
]. 

Again, check through the site above for CAE's work. Their text "Electronic
Civil Disobediance" was instrumental and essential for sites like [
http://www.rtmark.com ] and things like the eToy war [ http://www.etoy.com
vs. http://www.etoys.com].

Information here is key. The fact that CAE are being charged under the
Patriot Act is not, for me, surprising. It is something that I have been
discussing for several years in a few venues (such as earlier Panarticon
columns in Discorder magazine). It is however perhaps a wake-up call (or a
long, clanging clarion at this point) to my many friends across the US. The
charges against CAE are unfair and dangerous. And far, far more dangerous
than the unique and, if I can use a word far too abused today, courageous
work CAE has decided to undertake of their own risk. That this risk has been
exponentially raised due to an administration and law (Patriot Act) that has
reversed more than a few US Constitutional Amendments under dubious
circumstances should be taken into serious consideration.


// + fragments:

At MUTEK, a frequent topic of discussion among a few American artists (and
more than one) was finding ways to seek refugee status in Canada.

I am sure all of you know that the Draft will be (unless something happens)
reinstated in 2005.


best,

    tobias


ps. For the record, I signed a letter of support for CAE and although I am
critical of their work I support their freedom to continue to explore their
work. Their approach is tactical and necessary. Why should we leave such
work only in the hands of corporations?




> I just wanted to sound off a bit on this issue, seeing as it has popped
> up in a number of places, including this group and wired.  Mr. Kurtz was
> on the same panel I was involved with (The Jackal Project) at the
> Version>02 festival two years ago, and frankly, he made me very nervous.
> As I recall, he was placing an emphasis on creating genetic material to
> infiltrate and counter GMO from Monsanto and other companies.  This, to
> me, sounded like a very serious and dangerous proposition.  Mr. Kurtz
> sounded very serious about the subject material.  I don't want to come
> off as an expert on Kurtz's efforts, but it did not read to me as
> performance art, but as a call to action.  Of course, GMO goods should
> be heavily regulated, monitored and tested, and even then I'm not
> confident that it can stop some serious problems from arising.  But to
> suggest that individuals should go and create virulent genetic strains
> of their own to fend off other potentially risky genetics is, in
> essence, biological and economical warfare.  Basically, a really, really
> bad idea.  
> 
> I would not go as far as to suggest that his wife had passed away as a
> result of the work he is engaged in, but it might make me nervous living
> next door.  I remember being pretty pissed off that someone would even
> suggest such a stupid idea as to "reseed" crops in order to infect GMO
> strains.  Who knows what disasterous effects could occur?  Just last
> week, Wired ran an article discussing the dangers of allowing seeds and
> spores of GMOs modified for producing pharmaceuticals out into the open
> air.  I'm all for advances in technology, but we need to proceed with
> patience and caution on both sides.
> 
> Christopher
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>    Christopher Sorg
>  Multimedia Artist/Instructor
> The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
> Columbia College Chicago
>  http://www.csorg.org
>    csorg@xxxxxxxxx
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: tasty radish [mailto:tastyradish@xxxxxxxxx]
>> Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2004 2:09 PM
>> To: microsound
>> Subject: [microsound] CAE artist arrested
>> 
>> 
>> FBI ABDUCTS ARTIST, SEIZES ART
>> Feds Unable to Distinguish Art from Bioterrorism
>> Grieving Artist Denied Access to Deceased Wife's Body
>> 
>> Critical Art Ensemble (CAE) collective member Steve
>> Kurtz was already
>> suffering from one tragedy when he called 911 early in
>> 
>> the morning to tell
>> them his wife had suffered a cardiac arrest and died
>> in 
>> her sleep. The
>> police arrived and, cranked up on the rhetoric of the
>> "War 
>> on Terror,"
>> decided Kurtz's art supplies were actually
>> bioterrorism 
>> weapons.
>> 
>> Thus began an Orwellian stream of events in which FBI
>> agents abducted Kurtz
>> without charges, sealed off his entire block, and
>> confiscated his
>> computers, manuscripts, art supplies... and even his
>> wife's body.
>> 
>> Like the case of Brandon Mayfield, the Muslim lawyer
>> from Portland
>> imprisoned for two weeks on the flimsiest of false
>> evidence, Kurtz's case
>> amply demonstrates the dangers posed by the USA
>> PATRIOT Act coupled with
>> government-nurtured terrorism hysteria.
>> 
>> Kurtz's case is ongoing, and, on top of everything
>> else, 
>> Kurtz is facing a
>> mountain of legal fees. Donations to his legal defense
>> 
>> can be made at
>> http://www.rtmark.com/CAEdefense/
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Fear Run Amok
>> Steve Kurtz is Associate Professor in the Department
>> of 
>> Art at the State
>> University of New York's University at Buffalo, and a
>> member of the
>> internationally-acclaimed Critical Art Ensemble.
>> 
>> Kurtz's wife, Hope Kurtz, died in her sleep of cardiac
>> 
>> arrest in the early
>> morning hours of May 11. Police arrived, became
>> suspicious of Kurtz's art
>> supplies and called the FBI.
>> 
>> Within hours, FBI agents had "detained" Kurtz as a
>> suspected bioterrorist
>> and cordoned off the entire block around his house.
>> (Kurtz walked away the
>> next day on the advice of a lawyer, his "detention"
>> having 
>> proved to be
>> illegal.) Over the next few days, dozens of agents in
>> hazmat suits, from a
>> number of law enforcement agencies, sifted through
>> Kurtz's work, analyzing
>> it on-site and impounding computers, manuscripts,
>> books, equipment, and
>> even his wife's body for further analysis. Meanwhile,
>> the 
>> Buffalo Health
>> Department condemned his house as a health risk.
>> 
>> Kurtz, a member of the Critical Art Ensemble, makes
>> art 
>> which addresses the
>> politics of biotechnology. "Free Range Grains," CAE's
>> latest project,
>> included a mobile DNA extraction laboratory for
>> testing 
>> food products for
>> possible transgenic contamination. It was this
>> equipment which triggered
>> the Kafkaesque chain of events.
>> 
>> FBI field and laboratory tests have shown that Kurtz's
>> 
>> equipment was not
>> used for any illegal purpose. In fact, it is not even
>> possible to use this
>> equipment for the production or weaponization of
>> dangerous germs.
>> Furthermore, any person in the US may legally obtain
>> and possess such
>> equipment.
>> 
>> "Today, there is no legal way to stop huge
>> corporations 
>> from putting
>> genetically altered material in our food," said
>> Defense 
>> Fund spokeswoman
>> Carla Mendes. "Yet owning the equipment required to
>> test for the presence
>> of 'Frankenfood' will get you accused of 'terrorism.'
>> You 
>> can be illegally
>> detained by shadowy government agents, lose access to
>> your home, work, and
>> belongings, and find that your recently deceased
>> spouse's body has been
>> taken away for 'analysis.'"
>> 
>> Though Kurtz has finally been able to return to his
>> home 
>> and recover his
>> wife's body, the FBI has still not returned any of his
>> 
>> equipment, computers
>> or manuscripts, nor given any indication of when they
>> will. 
>> The case
>> remains open.
>> 
>> Help Urgently Needed
>> A small fortune has already been spent on lawyers for
>> Kurtz and other
>> Critical Art Ensemble members. A defense fund has
>> been established at
>> CAEdefense to help defray the legal costs which will
>> continue to mount so
>> long as the investigation continues. Donations go
>> directly 
>> to the legal
>> defense of Kurtz and other Critical Art Ensemble
>> members. Should the funds
>> raised exceed the cost of the legal defense, any
>> remaining money will be
>> used to help other artists in need.
>> 
>> To make a donation, please visit
>> http://www.rtmark.com/
>> 
>> CAEdefense/
>> 
>> For more information on the Critical Art Ensemble,
>> please visit
>> http://www.critical-art.net/
>> 
>> 
>> Articles about the case:
>> http://www.rtmark.com/CAEdefense/news-WKBW-> 2.html
>> 
>> 
> http://www.rtmark.com/CAEdefense/news-WKBW.html
> 
> 
> On 
> advice of counsel, Steve Kurtz is unable to answer
> questions regarding
> his case. Please direct questions or comments to Carla
> 
> Mendes
> CAEdefense@xxxxxxxxxxx
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __________________________________
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tobias c. van Veen -----------
http://www.quadrantcrossing.org
http://www.thisistheonlyart.com
---McGill Communications------
ICQ: 18766209 | AIM: thesaibot


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