Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Locus Novus

Under "Links," you'll find the site "Locus Novus." Please visit it. Examine one of the hybrid word-image videos posted on the site. Then respond before class on Mon., Oct. 27, to the following question: Does the work you examined contradict or confirm Keen's claim that Web 2.0 is destroying culture with its blatant amateurism and stealth corporatism? Explain your reasoning.

18 comments:

Elizabeth Gross said...

Locus Novus is made up of artwork created by experts in their fields- the biographies of the artists express credentials that make it clear the contributors are well educated and qualified to present thought provoking artwork. Also, there are editors that review the work before it is submitted, and in doing so make sure ill fitting artwork is not included on the website. Also, by putting artwork on a website, the artists notoriety increases, and so the potential for future profit off of their craft could increase as well, but only if people purchase the artwork, which would not happen if it continues to be easily accessible for free on the internet.
Although the artists represented on Locus Novus are experts, Web 2.0 prevalence is still evident. Artists are given $25 dollars for submitted work, which is terribly meager compensation. It is a good thing they are reaping monitory benefits at all, a fact that contributes to this website as a source of credible artwork and expression, but the incredibly low amount of money given to artists is a very big example of the reality that those who are trying to make a living and create careers, though successful in showing their artwork to the masses, can not do so through the internet. Millions of people can view the artwork, but the amount of money that would have benefited the artist by submitting the artwork in a museum or in a shop would be way more justifiable, in terms of creating a living off of their craft, than submission on an internet website.

Joseph said...

On Locus Novus I chose the project called “Another Person”. After watching a few times to get a real grip on what the point of the piece was, I felt that this was in no way weaker or less produced then any other type of artist I have seen. I am not sure if many people realize this but creating that type of word slide show on a computer is not the easiest of tasks. So to call this person an amateur may be and overstatment. I do disagree that Keen feels that amateurism will destroy the professionals, but I don’t see it that way. There are many professionals out there that can use the internet to their advantage. Most people don’t realize that what makes something popular, either being music, art, or entertainment is distribution. Up until a few years ago that was very tricky and expensive concept. For a person to get their craft to the masses before the internet was almost impossible with out tons of money and resources. I feel professionals should be happy that they are competing with people who are not as skilled in a particular activity as they are. Yes there is a lot of material or media out there but if this is your true goal then you should make sure the work rises to the top. As a professional creating your art should be something that comes naturally and if an amateur is better than you in a subject you have trained in then maybe its time for you to rethink your craft or move on to something that you are skilled in. You can’t blame the internet for professionals who don’t produce buzz worthy and credible products.

mcummings said...

I looked at "a Serial Killer" on locus novus. I do not think it supports Keen's claim about web 2.0. The work that is done on this website is art and I think it belongs in a different category when compared to youtube and wikipedia. the video itself does not look amateurish, but seems amture and well put together. when you look at wikipedia and youtube the work is not edited or reviewed. it is put on by people who are not experts in the the topic they are writing about or in maknig the video of their choice. on a whole this website does not seem to compliment Keen's arguement.

kim plummer said...

After watching a few of the videos on Locus Novus, I have to say that this website contradicts Keen’s claim regarding the dissolution of culture via Web 2.0. I feel the website is designed to take unpublished ideas and present them in a unique outlet.
Faruk Ulay, is the visual designer for the page and all the pieces I viewed on the website. The writers are credentialed, nearly all of which have either written books or been published in various journals.
This website takes experimental short fictions and docu-fictions, and presents them in an interactive way. I feel like it’s a modern literary zine.
With today’s technology it seems more feasible to exhibit such work on the internet, because it allows these credentialed writers to think outside the spectrum. Also by using the internet it has a wider impact, reaching a larger audience with increased ease compared to the circulation of small journals some of these works may be featured in. This website is unique in that it encourages a professional type of amateurism (an idea I don’t think Keen has encountered), allowing experienced writers to play with new concepts and fuse their work with interactive graphic design; perhaps allowing for a more influential piece of work in the end.

Julie said...

When I first arrived at Locus Novus, to be completely honest, I really didn't get it. I was unsure of what the website was supposed to be about or for until I read up on it. After I figured it out and clicked on the links I felt a sort of appreciation for the website because I haven't really seen anything else like it (hence the confusion). There are certain blogs where people can post entries that contain poetry but I think the combination of the music image and word really gives the website a powerful impression.
I think the work I examined contradicts Keen's claim that web 2.0 is destroying our culture. However, Keen might see this work as "amateur" because the authors are probably just regular people who may not be "experts" on literature but to me it obviously had more valuable content than a website like youtube. There is still a chance for people to steal ideas, or literary work as the case might be on Locus Novus but it seems rather unlikely. I found this website to be refreshing and I would be very interested to find out if Keen would feel the same.

Salem said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Salem said...

The blunt answer, yes, blatant amateurism and stealth corporatism is destroying the Internet culture. First, I think that is a rather big claim to make about Locus Novus, but there is a sense of amateurism running through the site. I wasn’t overly impressed with the two pieces I looked at, “A Serial Killer” and “Plague of the Cities”, because their attempt at being an all encompassing media experience left my dry. In all honesty, I didn’t even want to finish reading “Plague of the Cities” after hearing the same looping audio sample over and over. Besides, what was the point to the pictures in this? It seemed badly integrated into the overall setup of the piece. In many ways, it seemed like a site with good intentions, but lack of means to produce their desired goal.

This whole idea, of “Oh my god, I need to be driven by flashy graphics and sound to be entertained,” is how the Internet culture is being ruined by amateurism and corporatism. Here is a bunch of what seems to be accomplished, or at least knowledgeable, contributors coming together to capture what amateurs have driven. If it wasn’t for the amateur and corporations, I am not sure we would need to have this sort of presentation. I agree it is entertaining, but I am not sure if it really should be entertaining. The topics discussed in the two pieces seemed to have a serious tone, but the presentation really didn’t show it in my opinion. At most, it seemed like a students flash project gone slightly off. The effort is there. What is obviously present though is the need for this type of media in today’s culture. We fiend it and consume it regularly.

It is just truly odd to me when something done by professionals comes off more as an amateur project. Maybe I am being too harsh, but it just seems like they could have pulled something more together. As far as stealth corporatism goes, I can’t really see it on the page. Although, the amateur spews out, usually, free content and I think this is trying to battle that. If it is succeeding, maybe that is only because it is conforming to the amateur driven web output.

Jessica said...

Locus Novus has good intentions. It has called itself "a place which has been built as an alternative for the traditional presentation systems." It is also "a device to question the conventional methods of perception." With this is mind, I do not find this site to be amateur, nor do I find it to be overruled by corporatism, as the artists only receive a $25 honorarium for their work. Many of the biographies of the artists contain awards and reviews and previous work displayed on alternate websites, proving that they are not amateurs, but artists of words or of graphic images. With this website, artists are able to display their work in an environment that encourages alternate thinking and severe interpretation, whereas websites such as Youtube or Myspace, typically include pieces that are of little to no thought and are submitted by "artists" that choose to remain nameless or can develop their own identities. In this sense, I believe that this website does not coincide with Keen's claims about Web 2.0.

chloe said...

I read through "A Plague of Cities" and have little to say really. In terms of the relation to Keen's idea that the web 2.0 is destroying culture with its blatant amateurism and stealth corporatism I don't think this piece represents that part of the web. Honestly, this just seems like a poetic art piece, there was no "sign-up" or "sponsor" link at the end so I don't see the corporate ties masked as humanitarian work. We can argue whether or not this is armature material, but amateur news and amateur art are two totally different things.And amateur art on the web is not killing our culture,per say,it's really the little culture this generation exerts. I feel like I just read lyrics to a Tool album, and I'm OK with that, but I'm not totally sure what to make of the piece and the info about Hayao Miyazaki.

Nicole99 said...

I looked at the piece called "Serial Killer" and also at first I was a little confused at how this may relate to Keen's thoughts on Web 2.0. But then I realized that this website was just art. It was a mixture of poetry, visual stimulation and sounds. It appears to credible by providing background on all of the contributors and it appears to have no corporate effect with no adds, sponsors or placements. Keen believes that amtuerism and corporate stealth are destroying our culture but i think in the artist world ameturism is not a relevant attack at anyone because in art there is no real right or wrong. Everyone must start as an amateur and if people like your work then you become more popular and credible. I think that by putting any type of art on the internet is not necessarily bad or in any way destroying our culture, it is in fact just adapting to the culture which is becoming primarily based around the internet. If our culture is flattening and becoming a more internet based society, we might as well have some decent things on it for people to look at.

Erica said...

Locus Novus, while confusing at first, is a great, professional site. I think it exemplifies what SHOULD be happening with the internet. These are experts and professionals with solid educations coming together to submit original work. Sites like this do not follow Keens web 2.0 ideology. The site is not like youtube, which some could argue can be original art. This type of site is not strictly for entertainment but is a form of expression. I looked at Serial Killer and after watching it a few times, it really made me think. (at the same time O,P made no sense to me at all - anyone else give that one a try?)
I think there are lines that need to be defined in Keens web 2.0 model. It is difficult to define what can be considered art (locus Novus) or amateurism (youtube). That is a huge problem in web 2.0, you never know what you are getting and how reliable/accurate it is.
I think this site is a great way to bring modern, new art to the web and I don't think that it goes along with Keens theory of web 2.0.

Unknown said...

While journalism and media in general are considered an art, the sense of the word “art” presented by Locus Novus is in a category all by itself. Art for the sake of art, or for the sake of profit or esteem in the art world has always been run by amateurs—the majority of major artworld players became famous with a wish, a prayer and a awkwardly done piece of amateur work that someone out there deems as being worthy of a lot of money.
So, I suppose you could say that in the sense that amateurism is everywhere and infiltrates everything and is all over the Internet, yes Locus Novus complements Keen’s idea. However, Locus Novus is art above and beyond anything else, and as such is supposed to be entertaining, eye-catching AND thought provoking. It may be done by amateurs in one sense of the word, but they certainly outshine my abilities in creating web art.
On another note, John mentioned that he didn’t like the audio, or the background image on “Plague of Cities”, and wrote it off as amateurish. But perhaps we just don’t get it. Other students may love it, art critics may loathe it, and my mother probably wouldn’t get it. So perhaps something to think about when looking at “amateur” content is that is not amateur, but is just above someone’s mental aptitude or just appreciated by different groups. This certainly does not excuse a lot of the utter crap content on the web, but applies in this circumstance.

Alyssa said...

I looked at the "Serial Killer" and "Plague of the Cities" presentations. At first I was a little confused but I watched them a couple times and realized what the authors were trying to get across. I don't think it supports Keen's claim of what Web 2.0 is because it did not appear amateur in any way and was actually well put together and thought out. To deliver the messages in the creative way that they were portrayed is a task in itself that requires deep thought and most likely wouldn't have been done by an amateur or somebody looking to post as much information on the web as possible. They wouldn't bother to spend the time or energy making it as useful as these presentations were. Although it's an innovative to deliver messages and explore issues, its interesting and if it makes people listen and watch and learn, then it is far from Web 2.0 and just a solid source of information transfer.

Lisa Burdzy said...

The Locus Novus collection online almost completley contradicts Andrew Keen's claim about the Web 2.0 destroying culture in "Cult of the Amateur". I looked at the piece entitle "Intermezzo" and was taken aback by the prominent verbal imagery combined with the peaceful music and beautiful dark background. This piece not only deomonstrated creativity, but also showed a strong writing ability and grammatical skills. I think that if there were more examples of such work available and or known online, that Keen might feel very differently about the Web 2.0. In my opinion, any technonlogy has the potential to be put to good use, unfortunately, many of us do not want to indulge in educational activities.

Eloise said...

I thought the website Locus Novus was an interesting website. It was art, music and text. The text which explained the artwork or maybe the artwork that created the text, either way this is a website devoted to art as an expression.

Visiting this website I am unsure of how this can contradict or confirm the ideas of Andrew Keen. This website although it seems sophisticated in its design and makeup I feel that it can still be created by the amateur for the amateur.

Art in its true form, I personally believe should be experience up close and personal. I believe that was THE intention of art culture and that for art to be truly appreciated is to be experience on a personal level.

This is good publicity yet I am unsure of what they are trying to promote or sell? Is there a gallery that Locus Novus would like their fans to see? A contribution they would like us to give, there is no mission statement. There is a "RE: Locus Novus section, yet still does not help me understand the point of the website. Then again I am not very “artsy”. I do not have a creative mind or any talent in art what so ever. So maybe I am just being cynical and reading too much of Andrew Keen.

Also...

The biographies of the contributors are very bland and serve as no real purpose. I looked at two pieces and honestly did not understand either so I went to read about the artist to see if I got a sort of explanation as to why they would want this piece exposed. What did Kristina Born want me to get from her artwork, A Serial Killer? ... Well the biography told me that she can make bread into toast and if I would like to send her my grandmother’s jam recipe I have (what I assume is) her email address.

I think that art should be among artists and even though they have a Feedback portion of the website I feel that I am in no position to actually enter feedback because I am not an artist nor do I care about the culture to an extent that I can make an essential contribution. I do not want to contribute to the Web 2.0 world of amateurism or maybe I am just conforming to the old saying, “If I have nothing nice to say don’t say anything at all.” So overall I think this website DOES contribute to Keen’s idea of spreading of amateurism because this website confused me and did not contribute to making me a smarter person. (Sorry if I sound ignorant)

Bryan said...

At first glance of Locus Novus, I was quite unsure of what to do and what the website was all about. Then, after viewing many of the pieces, I was actually quite entertained and curious of what the next piece would entail. I felt that the writing, music, and pictures complemented each other quite well. The pieces were very unique, unlike anything I had seen before. I especially enjoyed "A Plague of Cities" by Greg Law and "Znos" by Joseph Zozaya. Law used real photographs of a city setting, with many cars, streets and buildings while Zozaya used all illustrations. When I read a poem, book, etc., I try and create a mental image of what's going on, but in these pieces it's already done for you and it created a different but entertaining atmosphere. I believe these pieces and the others on the site completely contradict Keen's claim that Web 2.0 is destroying our culture. Just like professional authors and poets, these people put the time and effort into creating these pieces. Their only problem is they don't have the publication that professional authors and poets have. Does that make them amateurs? Absolutely not. Their hard work and dedication puts them in their own area of expertise. Their artwork in my mind is brilliant and they should not be overlooked as amateurs. They should be looked at as innovators.

Melissa said...

As previously stated, I find the work on Locus Novus to be neither amateur nor completely overwhelmed by corporatism. I find that this site contradicts what Keen states in his book and his idea of “a flattening of culture”. Maybe I am a bit biased as an artist, but I find the work to be unique to the medium of the internet and screen. This type of art could not be created if it were not for the internet because of its screen and viewer interactivity. I think that in itself is positively defining our culture, not flattening it.

I viewed a few of the pieces, and each of them had something different yet beneficial to offer the viewer. I do not think that when Keen talks about this Web 2.0 allowing the amateur to take over and ruin our culture that he would put this in the same category. Keen describes Youtube, Myspace and Wikipedia where authority is lacking. In Locus Novus, there are educated contributors creating artwork, not the amateur 18 year old posting a video of him and his friends being drunk and stupid on a friday night.

EHolahan said...

I watched "A Plague of Cities" on Locus Novus and I found it to be a beautiful combination of imagery, sound and writing. When examining the other pieces I became all too aware that this site is far from amateur. Not only did the site look like it was professionally done but the site contained no pop up ads or scrolling ads across the web-page. I believe that the works on the page contradict Keens perspective on web 2.0. If it wasn't for the web, I and millions of others probably would never be able to see this kind of artwork. The videos on this website are so well designed and put together that you cannot compare Locus Novus to a site like youtube, which is amateurism at its finest.
When you look at the biographies of the artists and writers you see that they are well accomplished professionals. Keen's argument about web 2.0 could pertain to millions of websites but there are exceptions and I believe Locus Novus is one of them.