The Project

Next to or sometimes in conjunction with mainstream media, the web is a powerful platform for distributing alternative views, opinions, interests and ideas. With personal publishing tools such as blogs, IRC, live streams and video services, everyone potentially has their own speakers corner. But two classic, yet essential, questions remain: What do you want to say or show? And how do you get people to tune-in?

Experimenting with the possibilities of networked broadcasts, we will look at ways of hosting guests and engaging with audiences both on and off-line. We will explore hospitality, tele-presence and time-shifting as a means to garner public, interest and interaction. Over a three month period we will be turbo-cooking ideas and producing a series of live, multi-channel events around subjects you feel merit interest.

The Interview

As a part of the research for your project and essay, you will need interview someone engaged in your field of interest. The interview can be audio, video or text. It can be formal or more conversational.

Excursions and Reading

During the first weeks of the project we will take you on trips around The Netherlands, exploring the way artists, activists and mainstream media use and have used the web as a space to connect to their public. In conjunction with those excursions, we will discuss a number of highlighted texts that are available on the Reading page.

The Essay

The essay is a 4000 word text mapping the perimeters of your project, resources you've pulled from, giving insight into your research, citations or observations extracted from your interview and conclusions you've drawn throughout the development of your project. The deadline for the essay is Tuesday March 4.

The Marathon Broadcast Event

The project ends with a marathon live event - where your individual or collaborative broadcasts will be brought together. You will not only have to think about your own contribution but also design an interface for how all the projects come together as a whole.

What You Need To Do

- Develop an on line event (decide on a subject, test out formats, invite guests, develop content...)
- Host your event (design a platform or interface, build a context, invite a public...)
- Collaborate on how to group the events together
- Broadcast your event (make it happen live)
- Write an essay which includes an interview you've done with someone as a resource. You may decide to pull quote from your interview or submit it in its entirety
- Document your thinking and ideas on the project wiki
- Work together on how to archive the "marathon" live event

How Tuesdays work

This thematic project will exceptionally take place on Tuesdays, and NOT on Thursdays. The days start at 11am at the PZI location, unless otherwise arranged (see Schedule for excursion days). The schedule might change – changes will be posted on the project wiki. Technical days will take place on Wednesdays and Michael will work with you on dynamic webdesign, so that you will be able to address technical and other issues brought up in the thematic project and vice versa. Florian will address related issues such as participant observation in his theory classes.

The Streaming Server

Calum has set up an Icecast2 Streaming server for you to broadcast from. More details will follow.
Feel free to use other / additional on line platforms as you see fit!

Assessment

As with all thematic projects on this Master of Arts degree, work is assessed on a pass or fail basis. Unsatisfactory or underdeveloped work will be required to resubmit. Please see the MA course handbook or the "Onderwijs en Examenregeling" for fuller details on these conditions.