modifesto
Everybody seems to be excited by the more inviting direction of the web, the social web, or web 2.0. Creating web content, from a blog post to a web page to online video, has never been easier, and in most cases is totally free. There has never been a better time for digital collaboration. Enter mod, a new kind of cyber-cafe that aims to capture the social and creative and collaborative potential.
You will find a computer lab with a variety of software, much of it open source, where writers can experiment with music composition, painters can dabble in animation, architects can try out stop motion animation, plumbers can dive into page layout. . . You get the picture. You can take a workshop at mod in which your lessons are part of a bigger projects, actually contributing to an animated film, or a progressive zine or a television commercial for a local non-profit. You can also attend the screening of an independent film, participate in a discussion group, recruit people for the play you always wanted to direct. We envision mod as a creative hub, an internet site, rather than website, or a living myspace, a youtube production studio. One person said it sounds like Andy Warhol’s factory with computers, which sounds perfect.
Back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, creative folks gravitated toward Warhol’s expansive studio where rock bands formed, magazines were launched (Interview), a mess of low budget films were produced, not to mention the steady stream of fine art and design, the images that practically redefined American pop culture. Maybe mod will not redefine or catapult media superstars, but we can create an open creative atmosphere, assure flowing caffeinated beverages, provide a basic digital toolbox, introduce people from diverse fields and hopefully nourish the next creative renaissance.
The popularity of youtube, myspace and tivo are promising the holy grail of media distribution, where an independent producer in Charlottesville will soon be able to broadcast their television series directly to people’s tivo, or a feature length film produced in iMovie can be simultaneously delivered to twenty movie theaters across the country for public screenings. A producer can solicit directors to submit their work for near instantaneous film festivals. A group of writers can unite around a common theme, brainstorm, write, edit and publish an anthology which may be ordered on Amazon and published on demand, shortening the typical publication schedule by months if not years. An avid gamer may overhear the writers, get an idea for a new web-based game and offer to include it with the downloadable version of the book.
So join us, for our think tank-meets production studio-meets cafe, for a new kind of public salon which can morph over time to reflect the needs/interests/projects of our “regulars.” Take a workshop, teach a workshop, update your Myspace page, record your podcast, recruit animators to bring your favorite character(s) to life, rendevous with that intriguing person you’ve been instant messaging, or just chill out in a comfy chair and watch the revolution.