***  Haus der Kulturen der Welt: Forum1 Archive  ***
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   [Date]: Sun, 03 Oct 1999 10:26:52 +0200
   [From]: Gerhard Haupt <haupt@uinic.de>
     [To]: "forum1@hkw.kbx.de" <forum1@hkw.kbx.de>
[Subject]: link list and more


Hello everybody,

first some words to the proposals and comments regarding the link list.
Of course it is important to see how it will be promoted and maintained
and, Abelardo, sure there will be an email version, as I have in fact
always made an effort in this forum to make all important texts
available also on the email level.

As Chris Drew, Ami Isseroff and others have noted, the first step would
be, that such a kind of resource list is brought into existence
["getting people to update it (and getting people to send in their
information!) is harder" - Ami]. And right there lies the main problem
despite the great enthusiasm. Up to this point, not all the participants
have even used the possibility of registering *themselves* and the URL's
of their *own websites* on the member's list published on the forum's
website
http://www.hkw.de/forum/forum1/doc/members.html
(to retrieve this list via email, send a mail to the address:
forum1-info@hkw.kbx.de  and write in the "Subject"-field:  get members)

Certainly in just a couple of weeks we could not do a work, for which
other people have invested months or even years. Neither could we have
the intention to subsume all the links compiled in diverse directories
into a single list. I think I know, how arduous it is to set up a web
catalogue on a particular field. Together with Pat Binder, who will
write more about it later, we are voluntarily running the project
Universes in Universe since Feb. 1997 (the preparation started six
months before), which includes annotated, systematically structured art
directories on Africa, the Americas and Asia/Pacific
http://universes-in-universe.de/e_intart.htm

In the case that we really want to build a sort of "Members' Favorite
Links" list in the next weeks, then I think it will enough to begin
with, if each participant just sends in one or more links, he/she
considers they are of special importance within the thematical framework
of our forum, resources the other members as well as the visitors of the
website should definitely know of.
Of course they could be and should also be links to important
directories and web catalogues. But - I repeat it once more - please
send the links with the following details: - title of the website and
URL; - short description of the content of the site, max. 50 words (in
English); - name and email-address of the member who recommends the
link; - proposal of a category for the link.

By the way, last year Art McGee has posted a link list entitled
"Culture, Class, and Cyberspace". It is still available on our
documentation - http://www.hkw.de/forum/forum1/doc/arc/0040.html

Despite the important aspect of having a sort of "product" emerging from
our forum, the main goal of it however, should not concentrate on the
work towards a link list, but on the exchange of opinions, ideas and
experiences.

For instance, in her last posting Beral Madra has taken up Catherine
McGovern's question about "the implications, problems, issues
surrounding the idea of organizations or individuals from the West going
to developing countries to implicate themselves in art projects, as
collaborators, educators, technical advisers, etc?" and energetically
criticizes the "author(ity) and the power of the curators".

Any other thoughts around this issue? I keep also contacting people
involved in exchange projects to gain more insights in this respect as a
result of their experiences. I hope they will speak up soon.

Best regards,
Gerhard Haupt