Francis -- I think it would have been more constructive to focus on
*your* problems with Switch Media rather than lambasting Rhizome for
covering Switch's fesitval in a Net Art News. Switch staff are Rhizome
members and are entitled to post to the list as they like, and just as
you do. You might not like that or them but I am afraid I/Rhizome won't
censor or exclude them unless they violate Rhizome's terms of service.
And spending Rhizome's limited resources to research your problems with
Switch Media seems risky and I am not sure what the point would be.
Best of luck to you and your organization and thank you for cautioning
me and other Rhizomers by sharing your concerns about Switch, their
personalities and practices. Best regards, Rachel Greene
On Sunday, January 18, 2004, at 12:14 PM, <
iceca@culturebase.org> wrote:
> Hello Rhizome and other list members,
>
> Recently "Switch Media" has appeared on Rhizome's front page with an
> article published
> by Rachel Greene <
rachel@rhizome.org> Rhizome Editor.
>
> The Article presents an the identity "Switch Media" as an organization
> of artists or at
> least one that support artists. None of that is true - you will soon
> find out.
>
> Rachel Greene Wrote:
> ..."you may have a problem with Switch Media but that does not mean
> Rhizome does
> or Rhizome members do"...
>
> and I say: ..... if Rhizome members Know anything at all about "Switch
> Media" its because
> Rhizome.org's homepage featured "Switch Media"... and what do YOU
> know about
> them?...
>
>
> -x-
>
>
> In very short: "Switch Media" is a fake. Looking for recognition in
> the Media Art Scene via
> online presence. All this in order to obtain art and culture related
> funding.Funding will ensure
> a next year position to the one currently in charge at the CMU Art
> Museum and will provide
> a hideout (and visa) for a thief, former Heroine addict inventor of
> "Switch Media" - namely
> Rudolf Stoert, from Berlin Germany.
>
>
> Believe it or try his 'art' activities yourself.
>
>
>
> -x-
>
>
Rhizome.org is being abused by "Switch Media"; in turn, Rhizome is
> misleading its audience
> reading Rhizome homepage.
>
> The following email drew my attention to this fact:
>
> > ----------------------- Original Message -----------------------
> > From: Amos Elmaliah <
amos.elmaliah@interfaculty.nl>
> > To:
iceca@culturebase.org> > Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 14:56:21 +0100
> > Subject: Re: hi
> > ----
> > after understanding what happened in august... maybe you should
> > write about it to rhizome.org's people, because now they are
> promoting
> > the swich media chang mai festival in their site, wouldn't hurt if
> > they know the real story. specially make the points that 1. culture
> exchange.
> > 2. initiative. 3. courses *for* thai people not *for* money.
> >
> > see:
> >
http://www.rhizome.org/> >
> > amos.
> > --------------------- Original Message Ends --------------------
>
> In a response/warning to
Rhizome.org I got the following reply:
> Note the last line!
>
>> From: Rachel Greene <
rachel@rhizome.org>
>> To:
iceca@culturebase.org>> Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 11:16:06 -0500
>> Subject: Re: Rhizome is abused by Switch Media Chinagmai
>> ----
>>
>> Hi -- As I said before, you may have a problem with Switch
>> Media but that does not mean Rhizome does or Rhizome members
>> do. There are too many people and too many unknowns and too
>> much distance for me to remove content relating to them. I am
>> interested in developing a relationship with you but Rhizome's
>> practices are not to exclude organizations, especially when we
>> are COMPLETELY uninvolved in the situation.
>> Thanks, Rachel
>
> Rachel claims that Rhizome is not involved, yet if Rhizome members
> Know anything
> at all about "Switch Media" its because
Rhizome.org homepage (her
> article) featured
> Switch Media. Rachel advertise a group that has the aim to be seen an
> art group
> and as holding a Media Art Festival in Thailand, to gain funding,
> while the authentic
> Media Art Festival is actually happening on another date, location and
> on another
> University ! ( see
http://thailand.culturebase.org )
>
> The last line of Rachel's email is a false statement and here is the
> proof:
>
>
> > From: <
t_brecelic@yahoo.com>
> > To:
iceca@culturebase.org> > Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2004 18:21:28 -0800 (PST)
> > Subject: stuff..
> > ----
> > i got Rhizome's email saying they have a new program
> > in chiang mai. that stoert is a real fuck. well, he's
> > time is numbered. he wouldn't want to get involved in
> > any shady deals, or else they lock him up for life.
>
>
> <
t_brecelic@yahoo.com> is a writer and a journalist. He spent years
> in Chiangmai and
> recently discovered Rudolf's past- a 9 year Heroine addict, and an
> alcoholic.
>
> According to <
t_brecelic@yahoo.com> Rudolf has borrowed him a laptop,
> captured
> his Internet passwords and used them.
>
> Rudolf has also a history of thefts:
>
> In Germany he has confiscated Bank accounts, and his sole income is
> borrowing money.
> He is using other people's cash cards in daily life and used his
> Father's bank account to
> receive money for recent illegal jobs he did in Germany.
>
> During his 2 month free stay at ICECA artist's in residence in
> Chiangmai he entered
> other rooms in the house (without permission) and made international
> phone calls
> which he "forgot" to pay.
>
> When he got access to internal ICECA documents, stole email contacts
> and sent false
> claims to Foundation Langlois's former worker to sabotage ICECA
> funding applications.
> (That woman - A.F. since then never replayed an email from ICECA)
>
> Rudolf was asked to refrain from relating to ICECA. And 8 weeks later,
> when he had
> forced to leave ICECA's artist in residence, he stole bed-sheets and
> bed-covers from
> the room he stayed!
>
> -x-
>
>
> Here is a letter confirming some of the above:
>
>
> > ----------------------- Original Message -----------------------
> > From: "Prof. Michael Bielicky" <
x@avu.cz>
> > Date: Sun, 02 Nov 2003 22:00:22 +0700
> > Subject: Re: Chiangmai
> > ----
> >
> > Ladies and Gentlemen,
> >
> > sorry to bother you with such a letter but I would like to
> correct some
> > impressions of the ugly story which was created by Rudolf Stoert
> (switch media) this
> > year in the Chiangmai University CMU Art Museum.
> >
> > I have been again for almost three weeks in Chiangmai this summer
> and so I
> > have experienced the situation from a close distance. To make it
> short the facts
> > are: Mr. Stoert came to Chiangmai to help Francis Wittenberger to
> organize the
> > "Thailand First New Media Festival". Soon Mr. Stoert started to
> spread bad rumors
> > about Francis Wittenberger but still was playing the nice guy in
> his presence. He lied
> > to me, he also lied to many others about the situation and when he
> saw that Mr.
> > Wittenberger had some difficulties within the Museum he just
> turned against him in a
> > very coward way. He was spreading rumors about Mr. Wittenberger
> that he is not a
> > professional. The truth is that in recent years, during which
> Francis Wittenberger was
> > working for many prominent new media research institutions like
> High Tech Center
> > Babelsberg, ZKM Karlsruhe, Q-bus Berlin; Mr. Stoert was doing
> simply nothing ( to
> > say it in a nice way!!!).
> >
> > Mr. Stoert is spreading the information that western people don't
> understand
> > the Thai culture but he is the only one who knows the situation
> (what an attitude!) ,
> > this man has obviously double personality : he treats people who
> are in his way like a
> > right wing person and on the other side he is playing the holy
> Buddhist role! Many of
> > you know this is not the first time Mr. Stoert behaves like this!
> I would not
> > recommend to get involved with Rudolf Stoert for simple reason:
> one can save lots
> > of trouble. I would like to point out that Francis Wittenberger
> did a successful Media
> > Art Festival in Chiangmai which was appreciated all over the world.
> >
> > best
> > Prof. Michael Bielicky
> > --------------------- Original Message Ends --------------------
>
>
> -x-
>
> And what is the part of the the CMU Art Museum in all this you may ask?
> For more information you are invited to examine the following:
>
>>>
>
> The CMU Art Museum having a Blank page on the time period
> 28 March -15th April 2003 - the time when Thailand First New Media
> Art Festival took place.
> see
http://www.cmu-museum.org> select year >>2003
> select >> March.
> note: you will NOT see any mentioning of the Festival; No catalog was
> printed, web presence was removed, newspapers were ordered not
> to cover the event:
>
> Original website:
>
http://iceca.chiangmai.ac.th> Backup website:
>
http://thailand.culturebase.org/Festival2003>
http://culturebase.org/home/thailand/activity.html>
> -x-
>
> The CMU Art Museum withdraws from a commitment to support free of
> charge new media art activities offered by the volunteer activity
> of ICECA Thailand:
>
> 1st letter:
>
http://culturebase.org/home/iceca/cmu_letters/29mayletter.html>
> 2nd Letter:
> After Atimana decides to install pay-courses. His idea is to allow
> Rudolf Stoert take over the ICECA New Media Festival:
>
http://culturebase.org/home/iceca/cmu_letters/13august.html>
> 3rd (Final) letter:
> The Dean of fine arts removes the volunteer project ICECA
> with the argument due to "budget restrictions":
>
http://culturebase.org/home/iceca/cmu_letters/reject.html>
> More here:
>
http://culturebase.org/home/iceca/cmu_letters/clarifications.html>
> -x-
>
> "Switch Media" is the pretending replacement of ICECA in Chiangmai.
> Fake claims for activities justify Rudolf's funding applications.
>
> "Switch Media" home page was deliberately created on the same web
> provider as ICECA's to simulate ICECA's credible and well promoted
> web address: ORIGINAL:
http://thailand.culturebase.org>
> FAKE:
http://switchmedia.culturebase.org>
>
> -x-
>
> So, If Rachel Greene <
rachel@rhizome.org> takes the responsibility
> for all of us to
> feature on Rhizome home page a fake organization, and promote without
> previous
> research outlaws as Rudolf Stoert or "organizations" as Switch Media,
> or events
> such as a fake "Switch Media Art Festival" we shall ask ourselves why
> we should
> continue to trust the Rhizome page she edits.
>
> I expect some answer in public from Rachel Greene and maybe some more
> stories
> without cover from the gang in Chiangmai.
>
> Important note about email to ICECA:
> As part of CMU Art Museum director's attempt to disrupt ICECA
> activities he
> ordered his workers to change the password on ICECA's former email
> address
> DO NOT USE: <
iceca@chiangmai.ac.th>
> The account has not been disabled, nor forwarded. Its trapping mails
> sent to
> ICECA, and If anyone at all is reading the email arriving - it's him
> who has
> the password! Over 20 phone calls to various departments at the
> university
> were made to try and close the account but nothing at all happened...
> ICECA home page and its traffic were also put to service of the fine
> arts
> department.
http://iceca.chiangmai.ac.th if auto forwarded to a page
> containing
> advertisement to the "media art design" pay courses...
>
> And last and not least, if there is anyone out there who can inform
> the Thai ICT
> Ministry to know what they are supporting, maybe more Thai student
> will be able
> to get free education in the future.
>
>
>
> Comments please send to
> <
iceca@culturebase.org>
>
>
> Francis Wittenberger,
> Founder ICECA Thailand.
>
>
> <4rhizome.html>