"Networked Art" Participants

ABSTRACT
Dr. Richard Barbrook is the author of Pluto Press’s Spring 2007 release Imaginary Futures and has also written a number of highly influential essays on the clash between commerce and cooperation within the Internet, including ‘The Hi-Tech Gift Economy’, ‘Cyber-communism’, ‘The Regulation of Liberty’ and, with Andy Cameron, ‘The Californian Ideology’, published in 1995 it was a controversial critique of the neo-liberal politics of Wired magazine. He has recently published a book on the social groups shaping the information society, The Class of the New (2006). During the early 1980s, he was involved in pirate and community radio broadcasting and helped establish Spectrum Radio, a multi- lingual station in London, and published extensively on radio issues. Between 1995 and 2005, he coordinated the pioneering Hypermedia Research Centre at the University of Westminster and was course leader of its MA in Hypermedia Studies, the first of its kind on offer in Britain. Educated at Cambridge, Essex and Kent Universities, Barbrook is currently a Senior Lecturer of Politics at the University of Westminster. Ilze Black is a media arts curator, producer and researcher. She has curated numerous media productions, art events and happenings in and around London during last 15 years. Her research and projects focus on network populism, free wireless, open communities and transnational society. She is one of the co-founders of the innovative new media arts collectives AmbientTV.net and Take2030. In 1990s post-Soviet Latvia, Ilze helped to set up the seminal art initiative art bureau OPEN. For five years Ilze lead Waterman’s new media art programme and is an associate of HiveNetworks and ClassWargames. She was the director of the Class Wargames film about Debord’s The Game of War. She is a chair of NodeL and a board member of women and technology groups MzTek and G.Hack. Ilze is at present studying for a doctorate in the Media and Art Technology at Queen Mary University London. Her research focuses on developments of Internet of Things and spatio-social aspects of production of space. Dr. Sophia Drakopoulou is a Senior Lecturer in Media, Culture and Communication at Middlesex University and runs the BA in Media and Cultural Studies. Her teaching interests include: print and web design, critical theory, history and theory of new media and digital culture. Her PhD research explored the production of space in locative media and the spatiotemporal qualities of mobile media as these are shaped and intertwined with everyday life. PhD title: ‘How Long Is Now? A study into the spatiotemporal qualities of mobile media in location-specific interaction 2001 to 2008’. Sophia publishes on locative media technologies, location-based games and mobile media in several international peer-reviewed journals. Sophia is a co-founder of Cybersalon see www.cybersalon.org. [email protected] Eva Pascoe studied Psychology and Ergonomics of Computer Interfaces at London University (Birckbeck College BSc 1991, then PhD under Prof Nick Pidgeon) and Fellowship in Computer-Based decision making at City University (1993-4). Published in Decision Making Conference Proceedings, Miami, FL, 1994. She is a founder of world’s first Internet Café Cyberia (Sept 1994) and built it into a global business across Europe and Asia. Exited Cyberia Café Group in 1999. Eva also co-founded the Telecomunication company Easynet Plc (still involved till today). She was headhunted for Topshop in 1998, launched UK first High Street online fashion shop for Topshop and Topman. Developed the online commerce for all Arcadia PLC shops and exited the business 2006 and worked as management consultant for retail marketing technology/e-commerce/tech start-ups. She is also a board member of a number of emerging technical companies. Eva also worked as technology columnist for The Independent 1994-2005, contributor to Newsnight, Question Time, Women Hour (Radio), New Statesman, The Times Educational Suppliement, Channel 4 technical programs covering the Internet and many others. Currently she is a Chair of Cybersalon.Org, a Digital Network and Education non-profit organisation, working on a project of digital preservation and archive of New Media art and commercial projects from 1994-2007. Wessel van Rensburg has more than 12 years experience as digital strategist, product development manager and consultant. After completing a law degree he was appointed as an investigator for the historic South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Wessel left South Africa to do a masters degree in Hypermedia in London. He was part of the dot.com excitement and ultimately its bust after being hired by internet start-up eCountries.com. For the following 5 years he worked as Lycos Europe Senior Mobile Producer, Product Manager and Manager of New Product Development Manager respectively. Here he managed the UK’s largest youth orientated mobile community website, and brought numerous products to market. Including a blogging platform and LycosIQ, a knowledge sharing community. Since then Wessel has been consulting on new and particular social media for organisations like the World Economic Forum (WEF). He is a co-founder of RAAK, social media company.

BIO
Richard Barbrook is an academic in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages at the University of Westminster.
Barbrook studied for a BA in Social & Political Science at Downing College, University of Cambridge, a MA in Political Behaviour at University of Essex and a doctorate in Politics & Government at University of Kent.
In the early 1980s, he was involved with pirate and community radio broadcasting. Helping to set up the multi-lingual Spectrum Radio station in London, he published extensively on radio issues during this period.
Having worked on media regulation within the EU for some years at a research institute at the University of Westminster, much of his material was published in his 1995 book Media Freedom. In the same year, he became the coordinator of the Hypermedia Research Centre at Westminster’s Media School and was the first course leader of its MA in Hypermedia Studies.[citation needed]
Working with Andy Cameron, he wrote “The Californian Ideology” a pioneering critique of the neo-liberal politics of Wired magazine. His other important writings about the Net include “The Hi-Tech Gift Economy”, “Cyber-communism”, “The Regulation of Liberty”, and “The Class of the New”.
In 2007, Richard moved to the Social Sciences School of the University of Westminster and published his study of the political and ideological role of the prophecies of artificial intelligence and the information society Imaginary Futures.
The Media Ecology Association selected Imaginary Futures as the winner of the 2008 Marshall McLuhan Award for Outstanding Book of the Year in the Field of Media Ecology.
Richard Barbrook is a founding member of Class Wargames and co-wrote the script to the group’s film: Ilze Black (director), Class Wargames Presents Guy Debord’s The Game of War.