Public Netbase
Encyclopedia
Public Netbase was a cultural media initiative, open access internet platform, and advocate for the development of electronic art. Long a support of avant-garde, sometimes controversial, art and digital culture, the project increasingly came into conflict with the Austrian political establishment during the 1990s. Despite awards and recognition by UNESCO
, the political controversy led to a lack of funding that ended the project in 2006.
by Konrad Becker
and Francisco de Sousa Webber in 1995, its parent organization, the Institute for New Culture Technologies
, was established in 1994 in Vienna's Museumsquartier
. Most of the Institute's activities after 1995 occurred through Public Netbase, leading to the names and establishment dates being loosely applied, even in the organization's official material. The name of its World Wide Web
server, t0, was often appended to either name as well.
in 1995. Much of the web space provided through Public Netbase supported Austrian artists, although some hosted projects, such as the Transformation Story Archive
, had wider recognition. The physical location in the Museumsquartier was also used for sponsored events, ranging from art symposia to a conference of the Association of Autonomous Astronauts
to a "lecture/performance/event" by Critical Art Ensemble
about biotechnology.
began to rise in power in Austria, Public Netbase took an increasingly political activist role while facing increasing government pressure. Haider accused Public Netbase of sponsoring child pornography and conflated Christina Göstl's hosted erotic art with a commercial porn site in the British Virgin Islands during a speech in parliament. Meanwhile, Public Netbase sponsored a "virtual alternative to Austria's far right government" that offered Austrian Web Resistance Awards to web sites dedicated to opposing Haider's government.
Public Netbase's actions earned considerable prestige. The Institute for Applied Autonomy
, recipient of an award for distinction in interactive art at the Prix Ars Electronica 2000, dedicated their award to Public Netbase for its political efforts. Another Public Netbase project begun during this period, World-information.org, described as "an ongoing effort to critically observe and investigate new technologies in a societal, economic and artistic context" led to involvement with the UNESCO Digi-Arts program and a series of conventions across Europe.
However, the organization's successes were insufficient to stave off problems. Its lease at the Museumsquartier was not renewed after the controversial remodelling period in 2000, and it faced a series of audits and other bureaucratic obstacles. Financial difficulties and an inability to secure a permanent replacement location were never able to be resolved. Despite significant community support and a reorganization effort in 2005 that shortened its name to Netbase, the City of Vienna stopped all funding effective January 11, 2006, leading to the immediate shut down of the organization.
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, the political controversy led to a lack of funding that ended the project in 2006.
Early development
Although Public Netbase itself was founded in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
by Konrad Becker
Konrad Becker
Konrad Becker is a hypermedia researcher and interdisciplinary content developer, Director of the Institute for New Culture Technologies/t0 and initiator of Public Netbase and...
and Francisco de Sousa Webber in 1995, its parent organization, the Institute for New Culture Technologies
Institute for New Culture Technologies/t0
The Institute for New Culture Technologies/t0 was founded by Konrad Becker and Francisco de Sousa Webber in 1994 as an international competence platform for the critical use of information and communication technologies...
, was established in 1994 in Vienna's Museumsquartier
Museumsquartier
The Museumsquartier is a 60,000 m² large area in the 7th district of the city of Vienna, Austria; it is the eighth largest cultural area in the world. The Museumsquartier contains Baroque buildings as well as Modern architecture by the architects Laurids and Manfred Ortner . The renovation of the...
. Most of the Institute's activities after 1995 occurred through Public Netbase, leading to the names and establishment dates being loosely applied, even in the organization's official material. The name of its World Wide Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
server, t0, was often appended to either name as well.
Art and culture
Public Netbase focused on aiding the development of electronic art and the impact of the nascent World Wide Web on culture. Its own online presence earned it an award for distinction at the Prix Ars ElectronicaPrix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the most important yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music...
in 1995. Much of the web space provided through Public Netbase supported Austrian artists, although some hosted projects, such as the Transformation Story Archive
Transformation Story Archive
The Transformation Story Archive was a website archiving amateur fiction featuring a personal physical transformation or its aftermath. The archive was created by Austrian web designer Thomas Hassan, who intended it to be a premier showcase for transformation-themed fiction and a showcase for...
, had wider recognition. The physical location in the Museumsquartier was also used for sponsored events, ranging from art symposia to a conference of the Association of Autonomous Astronauts
Association of Autonomous Astronauts
The Association of Autonomous Astronauts is a worldwide network of community based groups dedicated to building their own spaceships. The AAA was founded 23 April 1995. Although many of their activities were reported as serious participation in conferences or protests against the militarization of...
to a "lecture/performance/event" by Critical Art Ensemble
Critical Art Ensemble
Critical Art Ensemble is an award-winning collective of five tactical media practitioners of various specializations including computer graphics and web design, film/video, photography, text art, book art, and performance. For CAE, tactical media is situational, ephemeral, and self-terminating...
about biotechnology.
Involvement in politics
When the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) and its leader Jörg HaiderJörg Haider
Jörg Haider was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Austrian Freedom Party and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Austria , a breakaway party from the FPÖ.Haider was controversial within Austria and abroad for comments...
began to rise in power in Austria, Public Netbase took an increasingly political activist role while facing increasing government pressure. Haider accused Public Netbase of sponsoring child pornography and conflated Christina Göstl's hosted erotic art with a commercial porn site in the British Virgin Islands during a speech in parliament. Meanwhile, Public Netbase sponsored a "virtual alternative to Austria's far right government" that offered Austrian Web Resistance Awards to web sites dedicated to opposing Haider's government.
Public Netbase's actions earned considerable prestige. The Institute for Applied Autonomy
Institute for Applied Autonomy
"The Institute for Applied Autonomy was founded in 1998 as a technological research and development organization dedicated to the cause of individual and collective self-determination...
, recipient of an award for distinction in interactive art at the Prix Ars Electronica 2000, dedicated their award to Public Netbase for its political efforts. Another Public Netbase project begun during this period, World-information.org, described as "an ongoing effort to critically observe and investigate new technologies in a societal, economic and artistic context" led to involvement with the UNESCO Digi-Arts program and a series of conventions across Europe.
However, the organization's successes were insufficient to stave off problems. Its lease at the Museumsquartier was not renewed after the controversial remodelling period in 2000, and it faced a series of audits and other bureaucratic obstacles. Financial difficulties and an inability to secure a permanent replacement location were never able to be resolved. Despite significant community support and a reorganization effort in 2005 that shortened its name to Netbase, the City of Vienna stopped all funding effective January 11, 2006, leading to the immediate shut down of the organization.
List of Events
- wahlkabine.at
- Austria's most successful political indicator tool is available for the federal elections 2006.
- World-Information City
- is a joint effort of European and South Asian civil society, a global cooperation rooted in the diversity of Bangalore's Information Society projects.
- Networks of Imagination
- Global Information Landscapes and Urban Transformations in Asia
- ZKW kf45 2005
- Virtual Drama in four Acts: A critical interpretation of historical representation in the Austrian "jubilee year" 2005
- Free Bitflows
- Cultures of Access and Politics of Dissemination
- S-77CCR
- System 77 Civil Counter-Reconnaissance. Eyes in the skies, Democracy in the Streets.
- nikeground
- rethinking space. the hardly believable nikeplatz trick. staged by 0100101110101101.ORG and t0.
- Campaign against the violation of data protection
- Public Netbase’s International Campaign against the violation of data protection laws informs passengers at Vienna Airport
- World-Information.Org
- is a trans-national cultural intelligence provider, a collaborative effort of artists, scientists and technicians. It is a ractical example for a technical and contextual environment for cultural production and an independent platform of critical media intelligence.
- Open Cultures
- Free Flows of Information and the Politics of Commons - A two day conference / workshops / exhibition
- Power Lines, Opposing Gazes
- Bureau d'études - a presentation and open diskussion
- Dark Markets
- Infopolitics, Electronic Media and Democracy in Times of Crisis - A two day strategic conference that will look into state of arts theories of democracy, media politics and information technologies.
- cyborg citizen
- Chris Hables Gray, author of "Cyborg Citizen" and Faith Wilding (SubRosa)
- basecamp Text-FM
- Public Netbase relocating to MQ in summer 2002 on + 600 m2
- free.netbase.org
- documents the political repressions from Austria's right wing government aimed at Public Netbase t0 as well as international manifestations of solidarity for the Vienna based Institute for New Culture Technologies.
- Interface Explorer
- presents current trends in the development of new interfaces and web browsers. It will display projects of international artists and provide a forum for the discussion of the state of the art and the future of net communication tools.
- basecamp remote jam
- Public Netbase relocating to MQ in summer 2002 on + 600 m2
- European Cultural Backbone
- The European Cultural Backbone (ECB) is a coalition of mediacultural institutions and individuals working together to creatively use and develop participatory media for social change.
- government-Austria.at
- offers a virtual alternative to Austria's far right government by proposing models and concepts for a truly democratic information society.
- SYNWORLD playwork:hyperspace
- illustrated the relationship between popular game worlds and scientific and socially relevant developments.
- ROBOTRONIKA
- Current developments in automation and robotics confront us with diverging future possibilities...
- INFORMATION TERROR
- The Society of the Unknown (London/UK) "Towards a Sonic Revolution"
- FLESH MACHINE: A Genexploitation Project
- by Critical Art Ensemble (Chicago)
- Series "INFOBODY ATTACK"
- Arts Laboratory & CONSUMPTION Photon Connection
Publications about Public Netbase
- Clemens Apprich: Upload dissident culture: Public Netbase's interventions into digital and urban space, in: Interface: a journal for and about social movements, Volume 2 (2), November 2010, URL: http://interfacejournal.nuim.ie/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Interface-2-2-pp.79-91-Apprich.pdf
- Branka Ćurčić / Zoran Pantelić / New Media Center_kuda.org (Ed.): Public Netbase: Non Stop Future - New Practices in Art and Media, Frankfurt a. M. (Revolver), 2008, ISBN 978-3-86588-455-8 (Hardcover)
- Josephine Bosma: Constructing Media Spaces. The novelty of net(worked) art was and is all about access and engagement, in: Media Art Net, 2004, URL: http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/themes/public_sphere_s/media_spaces/scroll/