[artinfo] MEMEFEST 05 - Festival of radical communication

[* alain bieber]

Dear Friends,

First of all, we, the organizers of Memefest 2005, ask you to forward this
e-mail to as many people as possible. The media are usually making it
difficult for us to get publicity by censoring, or ignoring, Memefest so
please be an “alternative” voice box for us.

For those of you who may not know, Memefest is an annual festival of
radical communications that is now in its fourth year.  It was started
because we feel that positive ideas- memes- can and should spread just as
easily as negative and commercial ones. But, this can’t happen out of
nowhere; and so, every year, we ask students, artists, graphic designers,
activists, and anyone with an interest in counter-culture to put their
talents to good use.  They (this means you!) can choose to submit to one
of our four categories: communication studies, sociology, visual arts (all
open to undergraduate and graduate students of any discipline), and
Beyond
, open to students and non-students alike.  The first two require a
written response to a critical and current text in cultural studies;
visual arts asks for a static or interactive works in response to another
(different though equally relevant piece), while Beyond
requests a
response whose form breaches mainstream academic and art conventions- it
can be anything, so long as its message is positive- and infectious!

Please consider this a personal invitation to each and every one of you to
take part in this year’s festival in some way.  The text for the
communication and sociology category is an excerpt from Douglas Rushkoff’s
“Nowhere to Hide,” which deals with the subversive attempts of advertisers
to stay “one step ahead” of even the most conscious (and cynical)
consumer.  The text for visual arts and Beyond
 is “The People’s
Communication Charter,” an insistent proclamation for an utopian society
where all citizens have equal access to communication.

The jury for all four categories continues to be comprised of
world-renowned scholars, artists, and devoted activists.  New additions
this year include Chris Habib, who was instrumental in New York’s Liberty
Street Protest, and the co-founder of Protest Records, and Claire
Pentecost, who runs the Critical Art Ensemble Defense Fund.

Check out our site, and see what we’re about.  And, check out pieces and
writings from students of previous years.  Last year, we received more
than 350 entries, and this year we hope to top that; but, we need your
help! The contest is run completely on-line and all the required texts and
registration can be found at www.memefest.org/en
Drop us an e-mail if you’ve got some ideas, some questions, or would like
to collaborate.

Deadline for submissions is May 20th, 2005.

Subvert, Create, Enjoy!

The Creators of Memefest 2005

FAQ: memefest at memefest.org
Web: http://www.memefest.org/en
ABC: http://www.THE-ABC.org
Support: http://www.rebelart.net