anyway…i think its damn poetic, fahmi take down najib’s face, majib take down fahmi’s work… this is as arty as it gets

nuff said. life in cyberspace is not more authentic than the lived life here la, we all straddle both worlds anyway.

now, let me go tend my virtual farm.

What is our policy of monitoring IP? Only fugly commentators? To be fair, should we track the ‘kudos/cool/nice one/good job/i likes’?

Simon,

‘What’s in cyberspace is tame la compared to the experience of the work in a physical space (which one can argue is not the same work anyway).’

Oh boy, it’s a ‘ceci n’est pas une pipe’ type argument we are having eh.

It’s not the same work but I see the video as more garangleh. Here’s why:

If one follows the logic that a physical object has more impact than its imitation, then holding a book or touching a guitar should technically be more satisfying/revolting than reading a story or listening to music.

Yes, Fahmi’s work has two important components and I think the stronger one is actually the video.

The poster is visually impressive but less interesting because it gives access to the few gallery visitors a sensational pleasure / displeasure of walking over it (If just the idea of touching a giant Najib poster turns some people off or on, I applaud their sense of imagination).

Besides being easily taken down, it could also be bought as a trophy. Either way, if a place isn’t found for it, it’ll gather dust.

So let the ministry guys glee over the censorship of the object. They won a little battle but the real war is happening in the world of abstracts/concepts/virtual/cyberspace…

I’ll really panic if the government took my Youtube away. I believe this happens in Thailand if you insult the King or in China where a giant firewall exists.

The video is like a rocket that has launched into space. The people on the ground can see it with a simple click. Maybe it is tame for you but Namawee’s Negarakuku and Vincent’s police bribary video has already generated thousands and thousands of hits on youtube and plenty of comments.

Just as Vincent’s bribery video, what troubles me though is that most people won’t know that the actions were faked.

According to a reliable source – no actual Najib poster was hacked from a billboard.

Was this clarified in the gallery wall display ?

The way the video was first launched viral style suggests that the person filming was a lucky bystander but that is not the truth either right?

If politically orientated artists want to set themselves against the government as a force of the ‘good & true’, then they should avoid strategies that involves ‘using lies to tell truths’ and examine ways which are more transparent and closer to the mass.

Using F/X, a fake giant poster,a fake ‘bystander’ edited video, a private gallery set in middle class bangsar, its referencing of punk which requires knowledge of Western subculture, ultimately weakens its position as a protest piece.

As a discussion generator, it is pure success.

DC

Sigh, grow up la kids..

I think I’ve solved the mystery somewhat… the above comments were all posted in different blogs, if you follow the links attached to their moniker. It seems like our commentator was helping them express their views by transporting their views over here. I am not sure if he/she received permission to do so.

Cheers
Simon