abstract hacktivism

Video from Museum of World Culture lecture

Karl — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:51:58 +0000

On 13 March, Karl and Otto visited the Museum of World Culture to talk about the exhibition "Take Action!". The lecture, held in Swedish, can be seen here and downloaded here (Windows Media Video, 118 Mb).

Otto in icon magazine

Karl — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 11:45:03 +0000

Régine Debatty (also known from we make money not art) is guest editing the current (February) issue of icon, and has included a piece on Otto – well worth a read!

“Take Action” exhibition is open

Karl — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:48:36 +0000

Today, the “Take action: 83 ways to change the world” opens at the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg, Sweden. The exhibition, curated by Clara Åhlvik (in collaboration with Otto von Busch, Karl Palmås and Stellan Vinthagen) features some of the phenomena described in abstract hacktivism.

Video from Resistance Studies Network seminar

Karl — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:46:41 +0000

On October 25th, Karl and Otto spoke at a seminar arranged by the University of Göteborg Resistance Studies Network.

See video at Google Video or below (in Swedish)

AbHack in the new issue of Cap & Design

Karl — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 10:12:32 +0000

In the critique section of the new issue of Cap & Design (Swedish design journal), Johanna Lewengard contextualises and nicely extends some of the themes of the book. Defintely worth a read!

Exhibition at the Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg

Karl — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:30:06 +0000

Ideas from abstract hacktivism will feature in a new exhibition at the Museum of World Culture in Gothenburg, due to open in January 2008. Watch this space for more info.

Review in ptqk_blogzine

Karl — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:35:51 +0000

This time around, the reviewer is somewhat less approving – read the review here (in Spanish).

Otto at the Stockholm fashion week

Karl — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 08:52:23 +0000

Tomorrow, Friday 17 August, he will give a lecture on fashion hacking – 17h00 (-ish), ~~Allmänna~~ Enskilda Galleriet, Kronobergsbergsgatan 37, Fridhemsplan, Stockholm.

Review in Neural

Karl — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:20:51 +0000

The review of abstract hacktivism can be read here.

Global Guerillas and Brave New War

Karl — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:17:10 +0000

Interestingly, the number of examples of “computer thought” is rapidly increasing. One such example is the work of John Robb: the Global Guerillas blog and the Brave New War book.

In abstract hacktivism, we stipulate that the conceptual models of the past – inspired by motors – are now being usurped by new conceptual models – inspired by computer networks. Thus, the logics of computer networks are “abstracted” from actual physical contraptions (computers), and are now finding their way into other domains.

Robb’s work on warfare is a case in point – check out the blog or book, and you’ll find the conceptual apparatus of hackers such as Eric S Raymond, as circulated during the dot.com boom.