Last week I was lucky enough to participate in Copycamp 2008. The event brought together practitioners of art, technology and the law to discuss the current and future environment of creative production. It’s an "unconference," which means no set agenda, no stages, no stars – just discussion, communication and new ideas.
On opening night MC Misha Glouberman took the mic and randomly assigned everyone a number, forming strangers into groups. This, not to mention the whole event, was all about breaking the ice. Serendipity put in my group Ben Lewis, a former AGO New Media contributor who helped put together the Sounds Of The Grange project a few years back. In our circle were two musicians of mixed aboriginal descent, calling to mind Traditional Knowledge, a major theme of Copycamp 2006. But just as introductions were completed Glouberman wove though the room again with new random number assignments — new groups!
We offered our favorite things about the Internet. An advocate for creators’ rights loved the public-domain music freely-available from the Internet Archive, while a lawyer appreciated the wealth of reference material which has allowed him to free up physical space in his office. A computer programmer valued the immediacy of the web, but objected to my fondness for XML. His argument, I think, was that structure doesn’t necessarily mean compatibility. Glouberman took the mic again — new groups!
This time there were no numbers, just a directive to form circles with strangers. I met a recent OCAD grad who’s working at Vtape and Interaccess, and then the musician who focused the 2006 Traditional Knowledge discussion mentioned above. Talk turned to the legitimacy of domain registrations and how traditional or regional groups may be unable to secure their names if someone has beat them to the punch. And just as things were getting interesting, there’s Glouberman! The food had arrived, he said, and the bar opened.
Copycamp kicked into full swing the following day with participant-directed sessions on such topics as appropriation art, business models for artists, WIPO treaties, the future of P2P and more. Notes from the sessions are posted on the Copycamp wiki.
Creators’ rights collectives continue to grapple with contemporary and emerging technology; some have been shaken while others are finding new relevance. The conclusions reached by these groups will shape new definitions (and accompanying fee structures) of exhibitions. There is an opportunity now for the museum community to join this discussion, asking: Where does an exhibition end and its promotion begin? What is appropriation and what is fair use? How do mash-ups impact a creator’s moral rights?
It is clear from the sessions that working artists are awake to the promotional power of the web and use it to create communities in support of their practices. The physical object, the live show and personal contact with the artist are seen as methods for income to be realized from these efforts. I see opportunities for museums to support working artists by contributing the access and prestige integral to these aura-centered models.
Additionally, by making available using P2P technologies works for which they hold copyright, museums have the opportunity to join the current discussion of Net Neutrality. Museums can provide much-needed examples of the legitimate uses of technological breakthroughs and how emerging media can serve the public good.
Copycamp 2008 was an open-minded discussion, having moved from 2006′s statements of problems to the search for solutions. There has been great progress internationally on subjects like Traditional Knowledge, and more and more the various stakeholder tribes seem to be speaking a common tongue. I can only hope that this will continue, and look forward to next year’s event!