Available in december in Dutch, and in spring 2008 also in an English translation: De Monografie, a complete overview of the works of Dutch avant-gardist, conceptualist, theatermaker, composer and pioneer of electronic music Dick Raaijmakers.

Arjen Mulder and Joke Brouwer of V2_ have worked by now almost three years on the book, and have gone through Dick Raaijmakers papers and other archived ‘stuff’ for it. (I’ve seen quite a few originals pass by here in the V2_ office…).

If you order the Dutch version now, you’ll get a discount. More info: http://www.dickraaijmakers.nl/

A new work from the German (new media) artist Ralf Baeker: Rechnender Raum. He describes it as follows: “”Rechnender Raum” (calculating space) is a contemplative machine. Strings, weights, leavers and motors are connected to circular neural network. Touching one leaver will release an impulse that runs through the whole system; it will compute its possible states to infinity.” The term ‘Rechnender Raum’ comes from Konrad Zuse, one of the ‘fathers’ of the computer.

Take a look here (also video documentation): http://www.no-surprises.de/rechnender_raum/

Pictures of the exhibition Cluster of Benjamin Gaulon, Geraud de Bizien and Antoine Lejolivet in Strassbourg: http://www.esad-stg.org/chaufferie/2007.10.html.

Both Anne Helmond and Micheal Stevenson blogged the talk of Alex Galloway. The urls are in the comments, but it would be a shame if you missed them, so here they are:

http://www.annehelmond.nl/2007/10/27/alexander-galloway-the-game-of-war-mediamatic-amsterdam/

http://mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl/2007/10/27/debord-as-programmer-alexander-galloway-on-the-game-of-war/

Omar (Munoz-Cremers, but he’s Omar here) has made a selection of his writing on music (mostly done for Kindamuzik and De Subjectivisten), burned a pdf of it, gave it the title Toekomstdagen 2002-2007 and put it online at lulu.com as a free download. Which means you can order a hard-copy as well: http://www.lulu.com/content/1285472.

Just finished reading Tom McCarthy’s Remainder.

Years ago I invited Tom McCarthy to do a lecture at the Mediamatic symposium on emulation – as I liked the essays he wrote for Mute. He often wrote about technology and literature: Pynchon, DFW’s Infinite Jest, that sort of stuff. He came and gave a great lecture that I remember was mostly on Shakespeare’s Sonnets…

Remainder made a litte ‘row’, because it was first published by a small art press in Paris (sic), managed to catch attention, and subsequently was published in England too – and was very well received.

Remainder is a novel, amusing, intelligent, well-written, thoughtful, and full of great ideas. It is required reading for anybody interested in contemporary art, re-enactment and authenticity. And certainly for artists who deal with the issues of re-enactment and authenticity in their work.

(Btw: I loved it).

Rustig herfstweer, bewolkt, vochtig, natte straat, vieze bladertroep (maar mijn fiets is toch al smerig), windstil, een vlaag regen bij Abcoude en aan de Amstel brak de zon zowaar door de wolken.

Marcusstraat – Overamstel – Ouderkerk – Ronde Hoep – Veldweg – Wilnis – Geerkade – UItweg van Portengen – Boterwal – Oukoop – Loenersloot – Baambrugge – Abcoude – Ouderkerk – Amstel – Marcusstraat

Coming monday you’ll have a change to see and hear the work of Telcosystems at DNK (Amsterdam, OT301, Overtoom 301, 21.30h). Telcosystems is of course Lucas van der Velden plus David and Gideon Kiers.

You’ll get Jozef van Wissem + Tetzuki Akiyama that night as well.

(And a good atmosphere).

http://www.telcosystems.net
http://www.dnk-amsterdam.com

For whomever wasn’t there last week: you missed a superb and very radical performance of Mattin.

Vrijdag, einde van de middag. Bewolkt en een beetje mistig. Rustig herfstweer, weinig wind, wat kil, maar toch dacht ik opnieuw: zo lang het niet regent is oktober mijn favoriete fietsmaand. Jammer dat ik niet meer tijd had.

(Opnieuw reed ik eens aan de Holendrechtse kant naar Abcoude, en dat bevalt me echt niet. Het weggetje is mooi, maar ik kijk altijd richting de snelweg. Aardig om eens via de Hoge Dijk naar de Gein te rijden, maar ook daar geldt: een fijne weg, maar ik rij liever ietsjes verderop – verder van de Amsterdamse stadsrand)

Marcusstraat – Amstel – ri snelweg – Ouderkerkerplas – Holendrecht – Hoge Dijk – Gaasperzoom – Gein – Weesp – Muiden – Diemerpark – Ringdijk – Marcusstraat

Maandag. Een slecht humeur dat de hele dag niet wilde wijken ondanks prachtig weer (ik probeerde te werken, lekker thuis in de zon met de laptop, maar ik het schoot allemaal niet op). Tot ik einde van de middag een ritje ging maken. Had ik eerder moeten doen.

Marcusstraat – Ringdijk – Diemerpark – kanaal – Weesp – Gein – Abcoude – Ouderkerk – Amstel – Marcusstraat