The
Experimental Party was born from the US Department of Art & Technology,
formed in the post-9/11 21st century by artists who believe
that government should promote media art, cultural growth,
and the visionary aspirations of the avant-garde.
In
October, 2001, President George W. Bush announced an executive
order: the US Department of Art & Technology was to
become his first artist-based initiative, stating "compassion
is the work of a nation, it is more than the calling of
politicians; it is the calling of artists." He then
nominated Randall M. Packer to serve as the nation's first
Secretary of the newly formed Department, calling him "a
man of great integrity, a man of great judgment and a man
who knows the arts." Upon confirmation by the Senate,
Packer pledged to renew the war on cultural poverty, reduce
the incidence of a one-way exchange of information between
an artwork and a passive recipient, resist corporate control
of media, and combat discrimination so no American feels
outside the field of aesthetic inquiry of the contemporary
media arts. Packer was subsequently sworn-in to office
at the official ceremony in Baltimore, Maryland.
In
February of 2002, Secretary Packer was invited to give
an address at the Transmediale International Festival of
Media in Berlin, announcing a bold new initiative, the
Global Virtualization Council, intended to mobilize and
coordinate artistic forces of virtualization internationally.
At the Festival's opening ceremonies at Congress Hall of
the International House of Cultures, Packer, along with
recently appointed Artist-Ambassadors from 9 nations, ratified
the Council's founding Charter, the Berlin Virtualization
Charter, representing the first global accord between the
artistic avant-garde and international government.
On
March 13, 2002, the Experimental Party was officially announced
as a national party in a speech by Secretary Packer at
the Thaw Festival of Media in Iowa City, Iowa - the heartland
of the nation and a hotbed of American politics. The name "Experimental" was
chosen because it alluded to the spirit of breaking new
ground and reminds us of John Cage's famous words, "What
is the nature of an experimental action? It is simply
an action the outcome of which is not foreseen."
Experimentalists
have a long and rich history with basic principles: artists,
not politicians, make the best decisions; government must
be subjected to appropriation; and representation is best
carried out far from reality.
Politicians
have tried to scare voters into thinking Secretary Packer
would seek to run for office, but Abe Golam, Director of
the Office of Political and Economic Insecurity, has assured
us that the Experimental Party will recruit a candidate
whose virtual identity is guaranteed to stir up controversy
in the global computer networks, that "non-place" where
the true battle for democracy in America will be fought
and won.
|
|
