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"Neen Manifesto"
NEEN STANDS FOR NEENSTARS: A STILL-UNDEFINED
GENERATION OF VISUAL ARTISTS. SOME OF THEM BELONG TO
THE CONTEMPORARY ART WORLD; OTHERS ARE SOFTWARE CREATORS,
WEB DESIGNERS, AND VIDEO GAME DIRECTORS OR ANIMATORS.
OUR OFFICIAL THEORIES ABOUT REALITY—QUANTUM PHYSICS,
ETC.—PROVED THAT THE TASTE OF OUR LIFE IS THE TASTE
OF A SIMULATION. MACHINES HELP US FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH
THIS CONDITION: THEY SIMULATE THE SIMULATION WE CALL
NATURE. OPENING THE DOOR OF YOUR ROOM OR CLICKING ON
A FOLDER ON YOUR COMPUTER’S DESKTOP WILL SEND YOU TO
SIMILAR DESTINATIONS.
TWO VERSIONS OF REALITY THAT ARE SEEMINGLY PERFECT AND
DENSE, BUT THEY WILL START DISSOLVING AFTER YOU ANALYZE
THEM.
COMPUTING IS TO NEEN AS WHAT FANTASY WAS TO SURREALISM
AND FREEDOM TO COMMUNISM. IT CREATES ITS CONTEXT, BUT
IT CAN ALSO BE POSTPONED. NEENSTARS BUY THE NEWEST PRODUCTS
AND THEY STUDY HOW TO CREATE MOMENTUM. THEY GLORIFY
MACHINES, BUT THEY GET EASILY BORED WITH THEM. SOMETIMES
THEY PREFER JUST WATCHING OTHERS OPERATING THEM.
NEENSTARS FIND THEIR PLEASURE IN THE IN-BETWEEN ACTIONS.
NEEN IS ABOUT LOSING TIME ON DIFFERENT OPERATING SYSTEMS.
NEENSTARS LOVE COPYING IN THE SAME WAY THAT THE CITY
OF HONG KONG MULTIPLIES ITS MOST SUCCESSFUL BUILDINGS.
THE SAME, BUT A LITTLE DIFFERENT: NAMES, CLOTHES, STYLE,
ART, AND ARCHITECTURE ARE IMPORTANT FOR NEENSTARS. SO
THEY CREATE ALL THAT FROM SCRATCH, AS IF WHAT HAS BEEN
DONE BEFORE THEM IS NOT SO IMPORTANT.
NEEN IS VERY SENTIMENTAL, BUT IT IS NOT ABOUT IDENTITY,
ALTHOUGH NEENSTARS OCCASIONALLY USE THEIR IDENTITIES
AS PASSWORDS IN ORDER TO OBTAIN CERTAIN PRIVILEGES.
BECAUSE THE IDENTITY OF A NEENSTAR IS HIS STATE OF
MIND, HE IS FREE TO USE THE IDENTITY OF ANOTHER NEENSTAR
IF HE NEEDS TO DO SO. BUT THIS WORKS ALSO ON REVERSE:
A NEENSTAR CAN CREATE ARTWORK FOR ANOTHER NEENSTAR AND
THAT IS THE MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEEN AND CONTEMPORARY
ART.
WHILE IN CONTEMPORARY ART YOU NEED TO BE YOURSELF ALL
THE TIME, A CERTAIN TYPE OF “HERO” WHO IS POLISHING
ALWAYS HIS IMAGE UNTIL HE BECOMES A MIRROR OF HIS LIFETIME,
IN NEEN, YOU ARE A KIND OF “SCREEN.” A NEENSTAR PROJECTS
A TEMPORARY SELF THAT STAYS ALWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
AND MOVES FROM THE PRESENT TO PAST AND FUTURE WITHOUT
LIMITATIONS.
AND BECAUSE A NEENSTAR WILL PUBLISH EVERYTHING ON THE
WEB, HIS STATE OF MIND REFLECTS THE PUBLIC TASTE. NEENSTARS
ARE PUBLIC PERSONAS.
IF FANTASY BROUGHT SURREALISTS TO THE RIDICULOUS AND
REVOLUTION DROVE COMMUNISTS TO FAILURE, IT WILL BE CURIOUS
TO OBSERVE WHERE COMPUTING WILL BRING NEEN.
MILTOS MANETAS, 2000
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