[Reader-list] Fwd: Aesthete: At The Tableau.

[arisen silently]

Contents:

1. The Telepathic Table (May Day, 2005)
   What is it? What is it for?
2. How it works and how you can join, wherever you are
3. Local contacts and information for your city
  (so far Arhus, Baltimore, Chicago, New York, more coming)

1 What is it? What is it for?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Telepathic Table
A collaborative project on and around the artistic, social, and political
potential of tables.

May 1st, 2005.
See local announcements for each city's times and locations, or email to
local
Contacts (see 3):
http://www.16beavergroup.org/chicago

Organized by 16 Beaver Group (New York)
In collaboration with rum46 (Aarhus), Patriot (Baltimore), many more coming
(your group / city goes here)

16 Beaver Group was invited to be part of this year's Version Festival in
Chicago:
http://www.versionfest.org

We will be given a table at the Zhou B. Center (Chicago) between 12:00pm
and 8:00pm on Saturday April 30th and May 1st. While we've tried to deal
with placing representative objects on display, whether it is a wall, a
table, or a pedestal, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to
'represent' what we do, so we've just decided to give it up. Instead, we
insist on 'activating' the social environment to which we've been invited.
So having been offered this table has now triggered the following kinds of
questions: How are tables social and political objects? How can this
social aspect be enacted, rather than represented? What can we all do with
a table, to fully take advantage of its potential? Are tables used for the
same things in different cities around the world? What is the significance
of tables in the date of May 1st?
We are also aware that events like Version<05, as well as the World Social
Forum, or more specifically art oriented endeavors, such as the growing
number of international Biennials, are based on the assumption that people
need to be physically present in one place at the same time. This creates
a big conflict with the reality of art budgets, which are hardly
sufficient to provide for a basic living. Needless to say, the idea of
travelling around the world on this budget seems impossible, especially
for alternative initiatives and artist run spaces. So, very much like
we've done in the past with projects like 'The International Lunchtime
Summit (2003, in 21 cities around the world), we are now telling everyone
who is interested in art, politics, and social change, that they don't
have to move from where they are. You can join the Telepathic Table, and
be with us all, in different places, at the same time.

2. How it works and how you can join, wherever you are
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Select a table in your town or city, invite some people to do something
with it at any time this coming Sunday, May 1st. What you do, and what you
call it may or may not have anything to do with the questions or ideas
listed above. What you do on May 1st can be the first gesture toward a
table project you can develop for two weeks after that. We will collect
materials related to all table projects between May 2nd and May 15th, and
then put them all up, organized by city at:
http://www.16beavergroup.org/chicago

The webpage will be up on the night of May 15th.

These are the kinds of materials we'd love to put up related to your project:
- Take a photograph of the table when your gathering begins, and one when
it ends (Note that your table may be a cloth, if it's a picnic, or many
other things)
- Any texts, images, or ideas that can be emailed, produced on May 1st or
afterwards (May 2nd to May 15th ) related to your table or the ideas
above.
- A list of participants, title of project if there is one, and any urls
that might be good to put up for more information on participants.

Email all materials gradually or in one big bunch to:
peterlasch at 16beavergroup.org

You don't need to contact us before May 1st. Just do something with other
people at a table, think telepathically, politcally, artistically, and
send us the results after it happens! We'll put it all up.

3. Local contacts and information for your city
  (so far Arhus, Baltimore, Chicago, New York, more coming)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Go ahead and add your own group/table/project and let us know what
happened after you do it. You can also join one of the following if you're
in NY, Arhus, Chicago or Baltimore. See the details or email the contact
person for info.

Aarhus, Denmark – at
- rum46
Contact:
rum46 at rum46.dk

--------------------

Baltimore, USA - at The Contemporary Museum
- Patriot
Contact:
Jesal Kapadia:   jesalkapadia at hotmail.com

--------------------

Chicago, USA (Sunday, May 1st – 1:00pm – 4:00pm)
- 16Beaver, Red76, Mess Hall, Polvo, Temporary Services, Chiapas Media
Project, subRosa, others (not all participants are confirmed)
Contact:
Peter Lasch:    peterlasch at 16beavergroup.org

We will gather at 1:00pm at the 16Beaver Table at the NFO Expo, work on
tables and then literally carry our table into the Chat Room for a
discussion on Alternative Spaces in the same building (Zhou B. Center) at
2:30pm.
Everyone is invited, and no need to stay the whole time. You can drop in
and out as you wish.

---------------------

New York, USA  (May 1st -- Washington Square Park, 2:00pm-4:00pm)
16Beaver, Reverend Billy, many more
Contact:
Ayreen Anastas: everytime at 16beavergroup.org

We're joining the Rally at Washington Square Park, against the redesign /
privatization / fencification of the park. We'll meet under the Arch at
2:00pm.

See the info online at:
http://www.openwsp.com/user/may1alert.htm

Please sign the online petition if you like.

A table in the park is a table cloth mostly and it can be used as a rally
banner as well as a picnic cloth. We'll do both at different times. Bring
your banner. Bring your table.

Eat and scream

__________________________________________________
16 Beaver Group
16 Beaver Street, 4th / 5th fl.
New York, NY 10004
phone: 212.480.2093

for directions/subscriptions/info visit:
http://www.16beavergroup.org