kagablog

We’re sitting in a non-tekky infinity chamber for public access. The public interface is done with kiosks. It’s a live intervention piece. On the wall opposite us there are architectural skyline projections expressing simultaneity in a tangible way and/or ways. The clock keeps ticking. It’s a late form of history. One of the other speakers starts, … speaking.

S/he says, “I hate using it but what else is there?” The audience all rise on cue and chorus, “The third world.” Everybody standing gets thrown biscuits. There’s a mad scrabble for the biscuits. When the biscuits are finished most of the audience leaves. Another speaker starts, … speaking.

S/he says, “We are the gatekeepers of African-ness. It’s a one-way representation. There must be more ways of seeing our non-being.” This reminds me of Paul Simon but I am not sure why. Somebody asks me to respond to all the speakers. I lean forward slowly and put the microphone into my mouth. This successfully distorts all that I have to say.

My interest was always in not-being.
But not not-being in terms of being.
No. Not-being an sich.
Not-being as what is.

Then everybody has a turn talking about mapping. Mapping is the new buzz in the digital art community. It’s the Emperor’s new bytes. Utterly exhausting. Utterly trivial. I make the cardinal error of speaking my mind. Actually saying what I think. Am instantly ostracised from any possible future in the South African digital art community. Somebody in the audience with very good ears sends a question to me by sms onto the huge flat screen monitor hanging ominously in the middle of the hall. “Kaganof, can you expand on what you mean by not-being.”

Actually I can’t.
I have no themes.
No subjects.
No concerns.
And now, with the new digital media, no form.
Therefore, formless, I drift between the dots.
I refuse to be thematicized.

One cannot expand on not-being.
The expansion of not-being is an absurd concept.
Not-being, something which isn’t, cannot be expanded upon.
It’s like trying to make the nothing bigger.
Nothing is nothing is nothing. That’s all.
There is no expansion on nothing.
trying to expand on not-being gets one nowhere.
Fast.
So I’ll stop.

When I hear all this passionate interest in introducing new media technology to Africa I can’t help thinking about those missionaries who were equally passionate about introducing Christianity. It’s always in the best interest of the natives. Paul Simon was really the American version of Johnny Clegg wasn’t he?

The meeting is wrapped up. The final speaker has, … spoken.

Let’s continue our dialogue by internet.