UbuWeb

Happy 2017! 

I'm Yves! I'm a filmmaker and writer from New York. I just joined Steemit today after hearing about it from a friend. Here’s something I think those of you who are aspiring artists should know about—also probably the best way for me to introduce myself.

UbuWeb is a resource for avant-garde art created by poet Kenneth Goldsmith. It has been around for over 20 years at this point. I think it’s an incredible website. While overwhelming at first glance, if you take the time to follow your interests, you might find some inspiring material.

IDEOLOGY
Goldsmith’s 2005 essay, “If It Doesn't Exist on the Internet, It Doesn't Exist,” reiterates some of the tenets upon which he founded UbuWeb in 1996. In fact, he outlines some important ideas, that in a sense Steemit has in common with UbuWeb. He talks about access, institutional leverage, the benefits of accessible work, and the speed of academic blogging. If you’re interested, give the essay a quick read. It’s not the most remarkable discourse on these topics, but it does help outline why UbuWeb needs to exist. FAQs.

RESOURCES
UbuWeb has a few case studies and statements in their resources tab, along with Top Tens selected by avant-garde artists/groups. I especially recommend those, for example WFMU’s Top Fifteen. Another fascinating piece is their statement “Paradise Now: UbuWeb’s World Without Copyright.”

 The last resource I’ll mention is Goldsmith’s statement “An Open Letter to the Frameworks Community,” whose significance is two-fold. In regards to them being hacked, UbuWeb probably ought to be operating on a blockchain a la Mediachain, which is of course ideologically similar to UbuWeb but is focused on attribution, as opposed to exposure. Goldsmith writes: “We know that UbuWeb is not very good. In terms of films, the selection is random and the quality is often poor. The accompanying text to the films can be crummy, mostly poached from whatever is available around the net. So are the films: they are mostly grabbed from private closed file-sharing communities and made available for the public, hence the often lousy quality of the films. It could be done much better." Secondly, Goldsmith mentions, and it’s related, that he meanwhile “wanted to validate the existence of distributors who make these types of copies available. Ubu's crummy files are a substitute, a thumbnail for the real thing…” 

UbuWeb is doing its best in terms of dissemination of evocative work to interested people. Their job is to provide inspiration, to let people find artwork and concepts that interest them. There is no funding, nor is there a donation box of any kind, which I find remarkable. It's an incredible resource I encourage anyone to check out!

SOME OF MY FAVORITE PIECES

• Peggy Ahwesh’s “The Third Body (2007)” is a fascinating concentration on a contemporary Adam and Eve archetype.
• John Cage and Morton Feldman record some early conversations in 1966 at WBAI.
• A recent addition to UbuWeb, some of Yoko Ono’s work. I love “peace message 1969.”
• Francis Thompson’s “NY, NY: A Day in New York (1957)," a fun film shot with split lenses, mirrors, and other contraptions to create an ethereal representation of New York.
• Ryan Trecartin’s “A Family Finds Entertainment (2004)” is a dissonant exploration of family. I find it a little hard to watch, but rich in insight.
• There’s also a whole contemporary section, which has a ton of good material.

So that's that. Enjoy this resource, and comment if you find something exceptional! Good luck with your resolutions!

—Yves