A few weeks back I went to the Leaders in Software and Art panel discussion on “Digital Art, Money and Independence” hosted by NYPL Labs, featuring Amy Whitaker, Barry Threw, Justin Bolognino and Kyle McDonald and moderated by Isabel Walcott Draves.
It was a super cool event, though a little bit freewheeling. There were about a million different possible conversations, the panel hit on about a dozen of them. I was particularly intrigued by the comments and insights of Barry Threw about the art/tech situation in SF and some of the thornier complications of the culture clash unfolding there. As someone whose most pivotal artistic and cultural imprinting occurred in Seattle in the early 90’s, and who was deeply influenced by the ethos of publications like Mondo 2000, it is confounding to see how – it seems – money has obscured a previously natural and fruitful intersection of worlds.
I subsequently checked out Barry’s website where he recently posted a podcast of a conversation between him and Darwin Grosse from the Art+Music+Technology website. You can listen to it below or download the MP3 here.