REFF, RomaEuropa FakeFactory.Introductory presentation.

REFF is a fake institution created in Italy in 2008.

Information about the life of the REFF project can be found on:

http://www.artisopensource.nethttp://www.romaeuropa.orghttp://www.fakepress.it

The global situation of REFF can be seen here:

http://reff.romaeuropa.org

FAKE

False (or invention) as a tool to build reality.No unique reality exists. Reality is multiple and each multiple is the result of a perspective, of a point of view created by interpreting the world and by interconnecting these interpretation through social relational processes.All 20th century arts and philosophies are really about this process, in which reality is defined through a continuous process of multiple reinvention, recontextualization, remix, mashup, interconnection, selection, reenactment.From surrealists (Bataille declaring the importance of individual interpretation of reality: equal and more that socially defined one), to Bateson and Mead (culture as a network of differences and the importance of interpretation) to Debord (psychogeography).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYjRQrSKBdI

F for Fake by Orson WellesThis milestone movie is built upon layers of interconnected, looped, feedbacked narratives. Each layer is the fake of the other.Exposing the mechanism of fake through cinema, and exposing cinema through the narrative itself.Since video editing in Eisenstein, up to Welles as a magician, the story of a painter of fakes which are better than the originals. And on all the stratified narratives happening on top of this process: a camera operator in one scene becomes an actor filmed by another camera operator in the next scene, just as the main actor of the movie creates his own fake narratives by inventing non existing art critics to declare his fakes being better than the originals, thus reenacting the whole history of art in 1 and hours.

In the tension for reinvention of the world and on the multiplication of realities, street arts give important insights.Skateboarding represents a state of continuous architectonic reinvention, as broken benches, handrails, and concrete urban scenarios magically turn into exciting locations for acrobatics under the complete, autonomous control of the freedom of expression of the skater.And in the same ways graffiti artists recontextualize walls with their drawing, creating entire stratified art histories that tell stories of cities that can be reinvented, and of struggles with authorities, and of social tensions, and on the autonomous re-aesthetization of the city.Reality is not given and becomes a materialized discourse among members of society.

A FAKE CULTURAL INSTITUTIONENACTING REAL POLICIES

REFF uses these suggestions to build an autonomous space of action.A Fake Institution built to enact real policies for arts and creativity.Fake used as a tool to build reality.

THESTORY

THE 80's

INNOVATION IN ARTS

AND THEN...

The Fondazione Romaeuropa (http://www.romaeuropa.net) is an important italian cultural institution. Born in the 80's it contributed to massive innovation of performing arts in Italy, bringing people in contact for the first time with contemporary dance, video theater, performance arts, installations.But, then...

... the Fondazione (a public/private institution) become powered by Telecom Italia, Italy's leading telecommunication Operator, becoming its tool to enact digital cultural policies on arts and creativity.Global operators have understood a deep change in the world: life has become a hybrid digital-analog, and this situation turns them into new subjects of global politics.These politics are led by enacting policies on digital cultures which form new imaginaries, new citizenships, new encodings for space, time and relationships of the networked human beings.Also: new business models of global operators depend on crowdsourced, global participation to initiatives, social networks and networked practices.Digital cultures become the access point to turn into new kinds of global political players.

THEBEGINNING

The first step of this process was the creation of a competition for digital arts: the RomaEuropa Web Factory.In the competition artists registered to suggest their works in literature, music, video. The prize was 5000 euros.But...

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

ARTISTS RIGHTS

CROWDSOURCING POLITICS

NO REMIX/MASHUP/RECONTEXTUALIZE

Important problems were found in the competition's rules:1) artists lost all rights on their works as soon as they registered to the competition: forever, for free2) no remix-mashup-recontextualization was admitted to the competition, only original content (whatever that means, seen the 20th century of history of the arts)3) but the Fondazione and Telecom Italia could remix-mashup-recontextualize any of the artworks4) no real cultural politics (only search for consensus by crowdsourcing culture)

REACTION!

A FAKE!

Having investigated on the situation through an open letter to the Foundation, and after a response from them that did not clear any of the issues we decided to take action.

RomaEuropaFakeFactory

Together with our lawyers and with a group of networked activists, artists, hackers, designers and architects we created REFF the RomaEuropa FakeFactory, a detourned version of the competition.

CYBERSQUATFAKE IDENTITYPROCESSNETWORKPRACTICES(SOCIAL) HACKING

REVERSETHE LOGIC,ENACT A FAKE,CREATE REALITY

The objective of the fake is to completely reverse the logic of the original competition, thus also enacting real cultural policies.REFF creates a competition that is completely created on the ideas of remix and of reappropriation of media and possibilities using mashup, recontextualization, reenactment.To do this:1) cybersquat the romaeuropa.org domain2) build a fake identity for our fake institution, in collaboration with our lawyers: how do you build a fake of an existing visual identity so that you don't get sued but the two are identical to the highest possible degree? (idea for a very useful university course)3) enact networked, collaborative processes to create true consensus through participation: when two things look the same, you choose the best one for you

80+ PARTNERS

1000+ ARTISTS

THOUSANDSOF LINKS

MASS MEDIA

The fake is a success:

80 partners from all over the world

More than 1000 artists join the competition

Thousands of links appear everywhere on the web

Mass media cover the initiative: national newspapers and magazines, national television...

The fake becomes a real.

THE FAKEBECOMES MOREREAL THAN THEORIGINAL

REFF ISOFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED BY

CULTURAL COMMISSIONOF THE ITALIAN SENATE

EUROPEAN COMMUNITYYEAR OF CULTURE

Two incredible things happen:

REFF is recognized by the Cultural Commission of the Italian Senate. We catch this opportunity to organize a conference in the Cultural Commission (titled REFF.erence) which also turns upside down the dynamics of power: ravers, queer superstars, and squatters moderating journalists, politicians, entrepreneurs and institutional cultural operators in the discussion of policies for culture, arts and creativity.

REFF is recognized as an official event of the Year of Culture of the European Community.

The original did not achieve any of these two results.

AND, EVEN MORE

SUCCESS!THE ORIGINAL HASTO CHANGE POLICIES

REFF is very successful and forces the original to change its rules:

Next year edition of Fondazione Romaeuropa's Web Factory (the original competition) is just like the fake! Completely based on the ideas of remix/mashup and on open licenses and Creative Commons

In its press release the Fondazione gives full credit to REFF

NEXT STEPS

THE REINVENTION OF THE REAL CONTINUES

REFF systematically embraces the reinvention of reality through the practices of fake, falsification, reenactment, remix, recontextualization.

A Fake Institution using the possibilities offered by technologies, networks and the practices for collaboration to create additional layers of reality which are autonomous, free, accessible and participatory, and which progressively become platforms for free, autonomous expression.

A BOOK AND A GPL3 SOFTWARE PLATFORMFOR THE REINVENTION OF REALITY

A book is created.FakePress, together with DeriveApprodi Editore publish in Italy the book REFF RomaEuropa FakeFactory, exploring the possibilities to reinvent reality through critical practices of remix, mashup and reenactment.More that 60 authors, journalists, academics, designers, artists, hackers and architects discuss and present case studies and examples of practices and theories for the active reinvention of reality and on the possibilities offered by technologies, collaborative practices and networks.The book includes some of these possibilities: it includes some of the technologies that can be used to layer the world with autonomous content and expressions, augmented reality, tagging and other ubiquitous technologies.The book is released together with the software platform used to make it (GPL3 licensing).

A COORDINATED EUROPEAN INITIATIVE:CRITICAL PRACTICES, TACTICAL UBIQUITOUS MEDIA

In London, together with Furtherfield, REFF brings up an exhibition about the scenarios and possibilites opened up by REFF and its methodologies.Workshops across multiple universities contribute to sharing ideas and opportunities, and to promote the use of ubiquitous technologies as tools for freedoms of expression, and as innovative tools for cultural practices.

The information about the opening.