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DesCentro @ Upgrade!Salvador

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During lat week of March 2007. a meeting was held in Salvador, Bahia. DesCentro members have met in order to make a firm base (functional as well as legislative) on further development of this network.
DesCentro is de-centralized organizational node of collaborative actions, inserted in broader context of Brazilian media activism. This context is formed by group of organizations, researchers, activists, teachers, hackers and artists coming from all regions of the country. More details on DesCentro.

Main DesCentro’s goal is to develop the methodological structural and approach to optimize network that has been working together for more than five years, avoiding the downsides of common institutionalization. Even the way DesCentro was established is deep criticism to the well-known NGO “show business”. Another situation DesCentro intends to provide is ways for people to carry out independent research and practice and still earn for their living, respecting the principles of collaboration, de-centralization, diversity and freedom.

History of DesCentro has been a collective work of different groups and collectives. Through meetings and online contacts good conections were established inside Brazil as well as in the world, mainly India and Netherlands. Members took part in events such as Media Tactica Brasil, Next5Minutes4 in Amsterdam, Alternative Law Forum and Submidialogia.
In October 2005. Submidialogia happened in Campinas, Brazil. A group formed by members of Metareciclagem, Tactical Media and Submídia emerged and decided to work together within the perspective of developing an organizing node for the Brazilian critical media networks, in to order to promote the development of tactical media exchange and projects.

Invitation for international DesCenters

Invitation for international DesCenters

1th day of Upgrade!Salvador – des).(encontro

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First day a preparation for Upgrade!Salvador was held at theater Gregorio de Matos.

MAP –> salvador-descentro

‘Upgrade! is an international, emerging network of autonomous nodes united by art, technology, and a commitment to bridging cultural divides. Its decentralized, non-hierarchical structure ensures that Upgrade! (i) operates according to local interests and their available resources; and (ii) reflects current creative engagement with cutting edge technologies. While individual nodes present new media projects, engage in informal critique, and foster dialogue and collaboration between individual artists, Upgrade! International functions as an online, global network that gathers annually in different cities to meet one another, showcase local art, and work on the agenda for the following year.’
From midiatatica.org/upgrade

Disscusions on further tactics and strategic planing are held in the middle of exhibition showing jewellery of recycled plastic bottles.

Salvador

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Salvador has around 2.7 milion inhabitants and was the first colonial capital of Portugese Brasil in 16th century. It has the highest proportion of people of African descent in the country, and one of the largest black populations in the Western Hemisphere. Gilberto Gil, present Brazilian Minister of the culture is born in Salvador.


View Larger Map
MAP OF SALVADOR

Wikipedia (eng.) notices: ‘Tourists must be aware, though, that they will be the preferential targets of the pick pockets and thieves, and hence should dress like the locals do.’

Salvador sound

Disscusing online music @ UFRJ

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On 21th of March a disscussion, as a part of Chappa, was organized at UFRJ with the focus on online radios and podcasting

Chappa is devided in themes that disscus: music production in Rio, online radios and podcast, artists, new music and its independent market. Giuliano Bonardi was speeking about free rradio concept and principles of sharing.
Free radio network FRSM from Croatia was introduced and the network model disscused. ‘Podcasting association of Brazil’ members were disscussing possiblities of charging podcasters and podcasting alike, and observations about necessity for new laws about charging independent web sites with music downloads suggested. Overall feeling is that marketing and financial structures were domminating the conversation.

FILE

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(File International Electronic Festival) is electronic art festival sponsored by companies such as OI, one of the bigest IT companies in Brasil. FILE has been concerned with artist that use electronic art as media. Among others there were lectures and presentations by Ted Nelson

(inventor of Xanadu) who was questioning systems of browsing developed by PC and MAC industrie (folders and hyperlinking)

and Machiko Kusahara who presented ‘Device Art’, re-examining art-science-technology relationships.

She raised questions about technology and art used by some artist in Japan.

Of course, exhibition run in this way always has technical problems

Even if some of the artists and presenters mention free licencing and open source used in some works, it is more as a follow up to trend than an idea of collaborative and open work. General feeling was that technollogy in art means playfulnes and interaction for purpose of itself, fun and leizure, where artist have a role of (tech) specialists that will humore consumers and market their goods.

Radio Janela and Radio Interferencia

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Radio Janela is project that works as radio transmission(s) decentralized from it’s source. It is mixture of multiple radio transmissions and street sound systems. Information (sound) comes from internet radio and is transmitted with small transmitters locally, using sound systems so it can be publicly accessed.
Radio Janela is Djadjah (Giuliano Bonardini) idea that he has been practicing with other people in Brazil.

Radio Interferencia (Radio Interferance) is another free web and FM radio project located in UFRJ (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro). Radio is powered by 50 watts transmitter and is accesible in some parts of the Rio.

On Wednesday 21th of March a program was aired on Radio Interferencia focusing on Free Open Culture exchange between Croatia and Brasil. Also, bands like Negativeland and concepts of plunderphonics were disscused.