[artinfo] Game of War Weekend at HTTP Gallery 16-17th May 2009.

[marc garrett]

Join the Class Wargames Crew for Game of War Weekend at HTTP Gallery.
16-17th May 2009

http://www.http.uk.net/events/gameofwar/

The Situationist Raoul Vaneigem famously wrote "There are no more 
artists since we've all become artists. Our next work of art is the 
construction of a full-blooded life." - The Revolution of Everyday 
Life.

In this tradition, Class Wargames present two days of making and 
playing Guy Debord's The Game of War. Debord, leader of the 
Situationist International, developed the game while in exile after 
the May '68 Revolution, and came to regard it as his most important 
project. For Debord, The Game of War wasn't just a game - come and 
learn how to fight and win against the oppressors of the spectacular 
society! Join the Class Wargames crew, Richard Barbrook, Fabian 
Tompsett, Ilze Black and others, in redefining political and 
contextual territories.

Come along on Saturday to learn the intricacies of the game by making 
your own board from recycled materials. Then come back on Sunday to 
play the game and participate in a discussion between political 
theorist and author Dr. Richard Barbrook of Class Wargames and author 
and programmer Alex Galloway of RSG, developer of Kriegspeil, a 
digital version of the Game of War, who will participate online from 
New York. The discussion will be chaired by Marc Garrett, co-director 
of Furtherfield.org and HTTP Gallery.

The discussion will be featured in 'Artists RE:thinking Games', due 
to be published in September 2009, compiled and edited by 
furtherfield.org in collaboration with Fact.co.uk.

Free Entry: Booking Essential
RSVP ale[AT]furtherfield[DOT]org

Saturday 16th May 12-5pm
Make your own board from recycled materials and learn the rules.

Sunday 17th May 12-5pm
Play the game and join the discussion with Richard Barkbrook and Alex Galloway

For more information about the event please visit HTTP Gallery website.
To take part in the game please RSVP to ale[AT]furtherfield[DOT]org

The Game of War is a Clausewitz simulator: a Napoleonic-era military 
strategy game where armies must maintain their communications 
structure to survive - and where victory is achieved by smashing your 
opponent's supply network rather than by taking their pieces. For 
Debord, The Game of War wasn't just a game - it was a guide to how 
people should live their lives within Fordist society. Come learn how 
to fight and win against the oppressors of spectacular society!

Dr. Richard Barbrook is a senior lecturer in the School of Social 
Sciences, Humanities and Languages at the University of Westminster. 
In 2007 he published his study of the political and ideological role 
of the prophecies of artificial intelligence and the information 
society: Imaginary Futures. Richard is a trustee of Cybersalon and a 
founding member of Class Wargames. He is currently carrying out 
research into the politics of ludic subversion. More info: 
http://www.imaginaryfutures.net and http://www.theclassofthenew.net.

Alexander R. Galloway is an author and programmer. He is Associate 
Professor or Media, Art and Communication at New York University; 
author of Protocol: How Control Exists After Decentralization (MIT, 
2004), Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture (Minnesota, 2006), and a 
new book coauthored with Eugene Thacker called The Exploit: A Theory 
of Networks (Minnesota, 2007). a founding member of the software 
collective RSG and creator of the Carnivore and Kriegspiel projects. 
More info: http://cultureandcommunication.org/galloway/

Ilze Black is an artist and curator of media arts:
http://www.hivenetworks.net & http://www.take2030.net

Fabian Tompsett, London Psychogeographical Association and author:
http://www.unpopular.demon.co.uk/lpa/organisations/lpa.html

Class Wargames are playing Guy Debord's The Game of War in public 
using a replica of his original 1977 design for the board game; it is 
committed to subverting the ideological mechanisms which are used to 
keep us in line. The Class Wargames players are Dr. Richard Barbrook, 
University of Westminster; Ilze Black, Waterman's Art Gallery; Lucy 
Blake, Software Developer; Mark Copplestone, Copplestone Castings; 
Rod Dickinson, Artist; Fabian Tompsett, Class War 1985; and Alex 
Veness, University of the Arts.
http://www.classwargames.net/


Contact:
Ale, HTTP Gallery
email: ale[AT]furtherfield[DOT]org

HTTP Gallery
Unit A2, Arena Design Centre
71 Ashfield Road
London N4 1LD
+44(0)2088022827
http://http.uk.net/