First test of “Sound of Work: Blacksmith vol 1” sample-pack and sound archive detailing the acoustic work environments of blacksmiths. Played live using simple Notation Circuit groovebox and tweaked using Kaoss Pad. Went for reggae, so that smokers get work.
Visiting Samir Bhowmils dissertation: “Deep time of the Museum – The materiality of Media Infrastructures”. In short he claiming that the museum is a technological black-box, filled with smaller proprietary driven technological black-boxes (info screens, archival systems etc.): “Museum is a mediating device”. He argues that the specialisation required to maintain and advance these museum/medias is dependent on proprietary technologies, outsourced specialists and economically unethical waste management systems. I think he’s using ecology as a leaver to question the ethics of museums – Black-box specialisation is unethical, in lines of all poststructural trails of though.
But I wonder… What is the difference between a painting (a black-box made from eco-harmful materials that becomes understandable only through a specific cultural reading) and a computer displaying texts (a black-box made from equally harmful materials which depended on temporary techno-sphere). Both artifacts require specialist. I’d argue that the computer is the lesser evil as it can be used (hacked) for some other use. A painting can be used to build a fire, but it is really poor source for energy. Samir also discusses Critical Making in the book and made a good critical argument about recent open source data-dumps executed by our national museums. He asks for openness in regards of community involvements instead of data. Openness will challenge the institutions, open source data-dumps only succeed in making the institutions appear foggy and formless.