Notes from Bandung

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The meeting in Bandung, Indonesia last month was about civil society, media and environment, but it also connected self organised groups and individuals from many parts of the world like Arthit who organizes the ICT Mekong camp in Bangkok, Cathy Candano from Singapore who is an environmental researcher, Vicky from Arcspace Manchester, Steven Kovats from Transmediale, Gustaff, Ranti, Andun and various other friends from the Common Room, Bandung, France, Australia and myself from Mauj, Karachi.

During our formal and informal sessions, which inevitably but happily were disturbed by some amazing food that Common Room organized, a number of questions started reverberating around my head which most of us needed new definitions for

I'll just jot a few down that came out in our brainstorming session,maybe others want to comment on them, we already decided to prepare a document addressing some of these questions. It would be divided into a public declaration and a more intimate working document

1) why is mapping important (and for whom)
2)the importance of media artists to cross boundaries between art, technology, science and education
3)funding sources and how they end up affecting the way groups function
4)the people within a group and how they affect the kind of activities a collective is involved in
5)what kind of network approaches work
6)digital activism and censorship (how to get around obstacles)

a lot of discussion went into funding and censorship

While in Bandung it was also very fruitful to have a live streaming session and chat irc about WATER issues with Jean Noels group in the Alps and Vanessa in Columbia, Venzha, Andreas in Yogyakarta and the Arcspace group
not only was it enjoyable and people on our side wanted to share beer, food and snakes with their virtual friends so it was quite entertaining as well as educational

Ive come back from this meeting with a big smile that there are some really cool people still in this world
people who could possibly change the future :)
and best of all they are my friends

all the best
Atteqa