|
1 - What will people speak about? Do you think people want to communicate at all?
Back to top In the movie "Mon Oncle" by Jacques Tati, when Mrs. Arpel shows her house to her guests, between the "Ahh!" and "Ohh!", we can hear her saying "Everything is communicating!". She is speaking of architecture, but we can say that this phrase resumes well the time we live in: communication is easy... but to say what? People have a mail box, a cellphone, an answering-machine, a webcam, a fax, email,... How to find the eye of the cyclone? or "the still point of the turning world", as T.S. Eliot wrote. We just offer a time to gather. We propose that collaborators to the project call some friends for a conversation. We think that communication is a chimera that should be attempted. If silence echoes our attempt, wouldn't it be relevant; even beautiful? Either way is meaningful. |
|
2 - Do I need to know anything to participate?
Back to top - No. You need nothing to participate but a computer connected to internet (modem is enough). Apart from that you just need to connect yourself to the "chat-room" on the day of the happening (not fixed yet/March 2004) and start discussing. You're invited to call some friends you want to have a conversation with, and start chatting. In the venue choosed for the project, people will use their cell phone in order to chat; but even if they don't have one, they will still be able to enjoy the project in many other ways. |
|
3 - What about spam, what about censorship? Aren't you afraid of unpleasant messages?
Back to top - Ok, let's face it : the net, as a flood of emotions, is unstoppable. There will be no censorship because the Golem is an allegory of humanity itself, and censorship must come from within. Moderation in public space is very similar to dictatorship or moralising; all emotions are part of life, all have meaning. We reject Manicheism and think that pluralism can't be reached through selection: therefore we won't even try to sort what is "good" or "bad" in the Golem's allegorical thoughts. It is important to note that one option will allow chatters to instantly choose those from a list whose messages they prefer to ignore (for too many people simultaneously chatting or a person "noisiness"). People willing to go for some trashy talk will have to find other people willing to listen to it. |
|
4 - Is there a limit to the number of participants?
Back to top There is theoretically no limit to the number of participants, and it is anyhow very difficult to say how many could participate. We are using/relying on internet, email, and/or the Japanese telecommunication network to vehiculate information, therefore we aren't limited by equipment. We can suppose that many people in the World Forum venue (Japan) will try to send at least one email or message from their cell phone just for fun, a percentage of which will get involved in an actual chat. |
|
5 - How will people know about the project?
Back to top Here is an exhaustive list of the methods that will be used to promote the project: mailing lists (example: Yahoo groups), boards of online communities (example: Brainstorms), email chain forwards, online newspapers or media, UNESCO's own promotion network, the 5th World Forum's own promotion network, friends brought online by collaborators to the project,... Speaking of a "chat": ICQ, IRC, mailing lists or chat-rooms proves that there is a large and experienced audience out there used to the process of this project. |
|
6 - Naturally there is a "go private with" facility?
Back to top - Actually, as all PC chatters are going to use only email encrypted by the software we will conceive, they don't even need to have their own email address! The security is total on that side. Only cell phone users will have to use their own email address: but sent email will be deleted a soon as it has been added to the chat. We don't keep anything, we won't even see who sent what. |
|
7 - In what ways is this project going to differ from any other chat session?
Back to top It will be an on going chat for several hours, where people can switch from one language to another, from one topic to another, from one dialogue to another, constantly. Last but not least, chatters can look at choosed venue's art installations through webcams and upload images to participate in "Snapshots Gates" -- a digital installation taking place at the same time. |