ITA ENG

All who serve in this mission can know this: Science and art have no boundaries because what is comprehended infinitely is innumerable and virtual. (Applause.)

There is a tradition in the USA Exquisite Corpse that no one who falls will be left behind on the battlefield. (Applause.) No one who falls will be forgotten by this heroic legion of artists. We honor their service to the arts and we strive towards brotherhood and unity in order that we may live peacefully. We yearn for the perfect medial "state" and we will devote ourselves utterly to its attainment. (Applause.)

There are sacrifices in a high calling -- the defense of humanity and the peace of the world. Overcoming the spectacle of war is the noblest cause and the hardest work. The objectives we've set in this war on war are worthy of all the acts of heroism and generosity that have come before. Once again, we are applying the power of the collective imagination to recover our rights. And the liberation of millions from the ever-increasing infection of modern times is the fulfillment of the USA Exquisite Corpse's founding promise.

Though Our artists have sacrificed themselves , we will prevail. (Applause.)

Moving a massive force of 10,000 artists in acts of artistic mediation is an extraordinary achievement, and a dangerous one at that. Yet there is work ahead for the coalition. With a great distance to travel, we will now go the first 200 yards. (Applause.)

And so, I very much want to say a little something about a brave young artist, a former student of mine at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Jon Henry.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yeah, Jon!

THE SECRETARY: You may have known Jon - somebody knew Jon Henry out there. (Laughter.) But you need to know his story.

Jon Henry represents the best of America, somebody who was willing to give up his physical being for art. I want to thank Jon Henry.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you!

THE SECRETARY: Yes, thank you, Jon.

We have now received an official confirmation that George W. Bush and his loyal cabinet have proclaimed Jon Henry as dead.

Jon Henry's life was taken from no other than the war machine itself. They stood over his body holding their guns sincerely, with an expression cold as ice. Faceless on the outside, inside they were laughing. They knew that with the elimination of Jon Henry they would secure their oppressive regime's power. To insure that there would be no internal threat to the beautiful war machine George W. pulled the trigger himself.

As George looked down beneath him he saw the death of freedom. As he stood over Jon he proclaimed himself as the land of the unfree's Capital Lord. George knew that the threat of Jon Henry was far too great for the hierarchical hegemony that he was bringing the world under one feudal order.

Jon Henry represented the free spirit that was in all people, he represented the work for freedom from the fate of being pawns of George's mendacious war game.

With Jon Henry now dead, George knew that freedom was now dead too, and the world was now his board, the pieces, his to command. He looked at the Earth as it was his crystal ball, the images swirling around and taking shape as he saw fit.

George felt the power of complete control as he applied his aesthetic vision to the world, his art, the spectacle of war.

JON HENRY: True Freedom comes from within and is manifested through one's own struggle to be free from one's own self. I was an individual who searched for the monster, seeking out the massive machine that represented the oppression of my life. I stood in front of the spectacular Goliath because it was my destiny to fight it.

Like the old John Henry, the new came face to face with the machine that stood as a threat to his freedom.

THE SECRETARY: The course is set. We're on the advance. Our destination is the Infinite, and we will accept nothing less than to comprehend the Absolute, for when you look at Zero and you see Nothing, you look through it and you see the world. Of hope. (Applause.)

Semper Phi. (Applause.)

Thank you. (Applause.)

Contact: Press Secretary of the US Department of Art & Technology press@usdept-arttech.net

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U.S. Department of Art and Technology, Washington, DC, USA

References

Amerika, M (1997) “Grammaton” URL http://www.grammatron.com

Amerika, M (1997) “Alt-X” URL http://www.altx.com

Amerika, M (2002) “Knock Knock Knockin' On Heaven's Door: Why Are We Scared To/Of Death? ” URL http://usdat.us/news/6-09-02_Golam.html

Critical Art Ensemble (2001) “Digital Resistance: Explorations in Tactical Media,” Brooklyn, NY, Autonomedia

Dawson (2003) “Political Art Creates A Shadow Government” URL http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63065-2003Apr30.html

Malevic, K. (1923) “The Suprematist Mirror”

Packer, R (2001) “US Department of Art & Technology” URL http://www.usdat.us

Packer, R (2001) “APPOINTMENT OF NEW POST CONFRONTS NATIONAL INSECURITY” URL http://www.usdat.us/release_06_14_02.html

Packer, R (2002) “The Experimental Party” URL http://www.experimentalparty.org

Packer, R (2002) “Abe Golam Enters the 2004 Presidential Race” URL http:// www.experimentalparty.org/headlines_05_01_03.html

Packer, R (2002) “Secretary Announces Passage of Joint Resolution” URL http://www.usdat.us/11_15_02_event.html

Packer, R (2003) “Secretary Delivers Speech for the End of Time” URL http://www.usdat.us/04_26_03_event.html

Weibel, P (1999) “Art/politics in the Online Universe,” URL

http://on1.zkm.de/netcondition/curators/weibel/default_e

Mark Amerika, who has been named a "Time Magazine 100 Innovator" as part of their continuing series of features on the most influential artists, scientists, entertainers and philosophers into the 21st century, has had four retrospectives of his digital art work. The first-ever net art retrospective was held in the summer of 2001 at the ACA Media Arts Plaza in Tokyo, Japan, and was called "Avant-Pop: The Stories of Mark Amerika [an Internet art retrospective]". Amerika's first European net art retrospective enjoyed two exhibition runs at the Institute for Contemporary Arts in London and was entitled "How To Be An Internet Artist". Both shows covered the years 1993-2001.

Randall Packer is internationally recognized as a pioneering artist, composer, educator, and scholar in the field of multimedia. His work has been exhibited at museums and galleries throughout the world including Europe, Asia, and North America. He is Assistant Professor of Multimedia at American University in Washington, DC. His book and accompanying Web site, Multimedia: From Wagner to Virtual Reality (W.W. Norton 2001 / www.artmuseum.net), has been adopted internationally as one of the leading educational texts in the field. He is concerned with the aesthetic, philosophical, and socio-cultural impact of new media in an increasingly technological society.

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