brandon barr
Since the beginning
Works in Rochester, New York United States of America

BIO
Brandon Barr just finished his graduate work at the University of Rochester, where he taught classes on digital technology, poetry, and composition. His work attempts to use the limitations of media and writing technologies as a formal practice. He is the founder of http://bannerart.org, which he co-administrates with UK artist Garrett Lynch. He works as an advertising copywriter in Rochester, NY, and maintains a weblog and portfolio of his work at http://texturl.net/.
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DISCUSSION

Announcing Banner-Strike contest


The Banner Art Collective (http://bannerart.org/), in collaboration with
Velvet-Strike (http://www.opensorcery.net/velvet-strike/), announces the
Banner-Strike Contest.

Banner-Strike is a contest for digital graffiti and net.art that is
created under specific limitations and which critically examines the
impending war in Iraq. All entries will be displayed in bannerart.org's
ongoing banner art exhibition and also turned into a Velvet-Strike spray
(to be installed in Counter-Strike). The winner of the contest will win
the October 2003 release of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and will be
highlighted on the front page of both sites for one month.

The deadline for submissions is 16 April, 2003. The winner will be
announced on 18 April, 2003.

- Technical Requirements -

Submitted banners need to be in gif or jpeg/jpg format with no
animation. All of the following sizes are acceptable: 234x60, 88x31,
120x60, 120x240, 125x125, 240x400, 300x250, 336x280 and 250x250. To
submit, go to bannerart.org and use the submission form upload your work
for review. Please mark in the "special requirements" field on the
upload form that your submission is for the contest and not just for
normal entry to the site's continuing banner art exhibition, submissions
for which are continuing as usual.

All entries will be shrunk proportionally and converted to a spray paint
.wad file by the creators of Velvet-Strike. You can do this conversion
yourself to test how your work might look, by downloading the freeware
application "Wally 1.55b" on the "Counterspray" site
(http://www.counterspray.com/makeyourown.htm). Below is the list of
conversion sizes that will be used:

234x60 half-banner->192x48
88x31 microbar->96x32 (with a transparent border)
120x60 button->96x48
120x240 button->64x128
125x125 button->96x96
240x400 rect->48x80
300x250 rect->96x80
336x280 rect->96x80
250x250 popup->96x96

Any technical questions should be directed to Brandon Barr
(brandon@bannerart.org), Garrett Lynch (garrett@almost.be), or
Anne-Marie Schleiner (opensorcery@opensorcery.net).

DISCUSSION

Re: two happy guys


Manik,

I answered Rachel's question and offered at the same time a read criticism
of the field; I'm sorry if my humor didn't "play" in the textfields of
RAW. I knew you were joking and figured you would know I was joking too.

I have an ambivilence to a lot written on hypertext precisely because I
feel its limits. I think that its strong Anglo-European bent has resulted
in both a limitation of works discussed and an ignorance of important
historical & cultural predecessors.

That's said, I haven't read enough of anything to really have any clue
what I'm talking about. No one has, eh? The blind lead the blind,
groping, struggling in the darkness.

I try to be as open as I can; I try to reach out, I realize that my
country's policy of US v them extends beyond political and military
policy, so your implication that I am some kind of warmongering baddie
upsets me.

Brandon

On Mon, 17 Feb 2003, manik wrote:

>
> Hi beginners,
> There's few thing I want you to know.When Atty refuse few weeks ago my work,he told me that man without URL is not a proper man.OK.Now he put on attach one of three photography.Why?It's not rhetorical question because he also told me that he don't need to look that photos,he already read newspapers and he can see cover of that newspaper.Have you ewer see cover like that?His generosity is so touchy.Now!I don't know reason,but ,you know ,we are all together against war.War start just in place like that.Attys arrogance and obviously small intelligence remind me on people who put us into this war.Same thing with Mr.Bearr.I've never see somebody with so small sense for humor and in same time so proud because he read some book.Nice.But there's one part:" Anyone smoking non-Anglo brands: there's nothing on the hypertext market
> that will interest you, yet. Wait a few years."
>
> Well,its nice to go on streets and fight for peace.I warmly recommended to read carefully and be suspicious because
> shit like Atty and Bearr,guys from neighbor,are the same one whose arrogance million times repeat in million and million people lids us direct to war.Of course,I don't blame them for this war.They are small shit for that.But,tomorrow,when they grown up...Who know.Maybe they are going start to kill people without URL,worthless people,brandless people,...etc.Oil is just war acquisition.Human nature is in ground of all wars.
> Best
> MANIK
>
>

DISCUSSION

Re: about hypertext


Dyske:

I completely agree with your worries. Hypertext theory IS limiting in
some ways that I'm not particularly comfortable with.

////you said:
The criticism on this site seems to try very hard to legitimize its own
existence and practice. For instance, some of the applications of the
established critical theories feel forced.
////

I think part of the reason is that "hypertext theory" exists on the fringe
of literature circles instead of art circles, The problem is that
literature circles are much less likely to accept "outside(r)" work (I'm
thinking geometrically, not politically). So HT crit spens a lot of
(unfortunate, I think) time justifying itself as a discipline--to deans,
to other bibliophiles, etc.

This wouldn't be the first time Rhizome has had the "hypertext is
pointless" debate; it happens a lot because net.art communities and
hypertext communities are often aiming their work and crit at two separate
audiences, and they butt heads.

I was really trying to be a little critical with my lists--I think that
hypertext criticism is a pretty limited field that is still feeling itself
out with metaphors of old media. And, as Noah WF pointed out on another
list, the field has appropriated Nelson's term "hypertext" but in some
ways stripped it of it orginal flexibility and multimediac sense.

FWIW,

Brandon
http://texturl.net/
http://bannerart.org/

DISCUSSION

Re: about hypertext


On Sat, 15 Feb 2003, manik wrote:

> I'm person who quit smoking.Is there anythithing for me in your library?
> MANIK

Of course, it depends on the brand.

If you smoked Parliments, then go for Meadows's book.

Camels, you'll prefer Bolter and Grusin.

Marlboro: Read 'em all, you hoss.

Kool: You won't like any of them.

Winston -- see advice for Kool.

GPCs, you'll like Manovich's book. But it's expensive.

Anyone smoking non-Anglo brands: there's nothing on the hypertext market
that will interest you, yet. Wait a few years.

Tognue deeply in cheek,

Brandon
http://bannerart.org/
http://texturl.net/

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Brandon Thomas Barr" <barr@mail.rochester.edu>
> To: "Rachel Greene" <rachel@rhizome.org>
> Cc: "rhizome list" <list@rhizome.org>
> Sent: Friday, February 14, 2003 1:43 PM
> Subject: Re: RHIZOME_RAW: about hypertext
>
>
> > On Thu, 13 Feb 2003, Rachel Greene wrote:
> >
> > > does anyone have good hypertext resouces to suggest? think of someone
> whose
> > > motto is 'I hate hypertext' -- what would you send them to change their
> > > mind, or to get them to appreciate this form. I am more interested right
> now
> > > in hypertext analysis than hypertext work... thanks, rachel
> >
> > Well, IMHO, it depends on who that person is. Since so much hypertext
> > theory develops out of other disciplines, seeing the web within the
> > metaphors of older media, you have to ask yourself what sort of person
> > that "someone whose motto is 'I hate hypertext'" is--what metaphors they
> > will see as natural.
> >
> > If that person revels in post-sturucturalist theory and always has a copy
> > of Barthes or Derrida under their folded arm, George Landow's Hypertext
> > 2.0 is a good one to send them.
> >
> > If the person is into gaming and spends time bouncing from MUD to MOO,
> > Espen Arseth's Cybertext:Oerspectives on Ergodic Literature should be the
> > pick.
> >
> > If they are a graphic designer or are visually literate, send them Mark S
> > Meadows's book Pause & Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative.
> >
> > If they are a film studies guru, and their black turtleneck is imblazoned
> > with the phrase "Vertov this!", then Lev Manovich's The Language of New
> > Media would be right up their alley.
> >
> > If they like tossing McLuhanisms like "the medium is the message!" into
> > casual conversation, then they'll find themselves taken by Jay David
> > Bolter and Richard Grusin's Remediation: Understanding New Media.
> >
> > If they like comics, then Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics will get
> > them thinking in ways that suggest new forms and McCloud's Reinventing
> > Comics particularly points to digital media.
> >
> > If they like experimental poetry and are always trying to start up a new
> > lit mag, then Loss Pequeno Glazier's Digital Poetics will be perfect.
> >
> > And if they are a computer scientist, Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Nick
> > Montfort's The New Media Reader collects a historically based series of
> > essays that discuss the computer as an artistic medium.
> >
> > Best,
> > Brandon Barr
> > http://texturl.net
> > http://bannerart.org
> >
> > + ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gniht ym tup
> > -> post: list@rhizome.org
> > -> questions: info@rhizome.org
> > -> subscribe/unsubscribe: http://rhizome.org/preferences/subscribe.rhiz
> > -> give: http://rhizome.org/support
> > +
> > Subscribers to Rhizome are subject to the terms set out in the
> > Membership Agreement available online at http://rhizome.org/info/29.php
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> + ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gniht ym tup
> -> post: list@rhizome.org
> -> questions: info@rhizome.org
> -> subscribe/unsubscribe: http://rhizome.org/preferences/subscribe.rhiz
> -> give: http://rhizome.org/support
> +
> Subscribers to Rhizome are subject to the terms set out in the
> Membership Agreement available online at http://rhizome.org/info/29.php
>

DISCUSSION

Re: about hypertext


On Thu, 13 Feb 2003, Rachel Greene wrote:

> does anyone have good hypertext resouces to suggest? think of someone whose
> motto is 'I hate hypertext' -- what would you send them to change their
> mind, or to get them to appreciate this form. I am more interested right now
> in hypertext analysis than hypertext work... thanks, rachel

Well, IMHO, it depends on who that person is. Since so much hypertext
theory develops out of other disciplines, seeing the web within the
metaphors of older media, you have to ask yourself what sort of person
that "someone whose motto is 'I hate hypertext'" is--what metaphors they
will see as natural.

If that person revels in post-sturucturalist theory and always has a copy
of Barthes or Derrida under their folded arm, George Landow's Hypertext
2.0 is a good one to send them.

If the person is into gaming and spends time bouncing from MUD to MOO,
Espen Arseth's Cybertext:Oerspectives on Ergodic Literature should be the
pick.

If they are a graphic designer or are visually literate, send them Mark S
Meadows's book Pause & Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative.

If they are a film studies guru, and their black turtleneck is imblazoned
with the phrase "Vertov this!", then Lev Manovich's The Language of New
Media would be right up their alley.

If they like tossing McLuhanisms like "the medium is the message!" into
casual conversation, then they'll find themselves taken by Jay David
Bolter and Richard Grusin's Remediation: Understanding New Media.

If they like comics, then Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics will get
them thinking in ways that suggest new forms and McCloud's Reinventing
Comics particularly points to digital media.

If they like experimental poetry and are always trying to start up a new
lit mag, then Loss Pequeno Glazier's Digital Poetics will be perfect.

And if they are a computer scientist, Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Nick
Montfort's The New Media Reader collects a historically based series of
essays that discuss the computer as an artistic medium.

Best,
Brandon Barr
http://texturl.net
http://bannerart.org