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?what?who?how?why?when?

“contemporary art is for artists” is a peer production exhibition by anonymous strangers

who is anonymous stranger?
you, if you like. and also anyone else who likes.

why should I want to be anonymous stranger?
to make art having the freedom of being anonymous and exhibit it in a peer production exhibition with other anonymous strangers at BOEM*, vienna between july 25th and august 9th, 2013.

but I am not an artist.
everyone is an artist. everyone who wants to make art, can make art. everything you do is art, if you do it as art: with an intention of making art.

what should I do as art?
anything you like: anything you want to do, anything you want to do as art. if you want to do it for the exhibition “contemporary art is for artists”: a peer production exhibition by anonymous strangers, make a work getting inspired by or directly applying the ideas from the discussions of anonymous strangers.

what are “the discussions of anonymous strangers”
anonymous strangers asked the question  “what would your contemporary art project proposal be if you were invited by a curator to participate in a contemporary art exhibition?” to other anonymous strangers using the spy chat mode of omegle and logs of these discussions are listed here as  art proposals for you to get inspired or apply directly.

what is omegle? what is spy chat?
omegle is a web service for random online chat with strangers. you don’t need to log in with an id or supply any personal information to use the service. it just matches two people using the service randomly to chat with each other, using their webcams and/or text. everyone is called “stranger” to the other and everyone is anonymous, unless they want to reveal their personal information themselves. omegle also has a spy mode where you can ask a question and spy on two random strangers discussing on your question as text chat until one leaves the discussion. you cannot join the discussion but spy on and keep the log of the discussion of two strangers.

did the strangers in the omegle who discussed on this question know that their discussions will be used in the exhibition “contemporary art is for artists” by anonymous strangers as art ideas to be inspired by or even applied directly?
no.

so, are you stealing people’s ideas and ask me to do so?
are we? we are (also you are, if you like) anonymous strangers and getting inspired by the ideas of anonymous strangers, who has all chosen to be anonymous. anonymous strangers are making public domain artworks out of the ideas of anonymous strangers. the visitors, who can also be anonymous strangers, are free to take away any work attributed to “anonymous stranger” at the finissage of the exhibition “contemporary art is for artists”: a peer production exhibition by anonymous strangers on  august 9th, 2013, 18:00-20:00.

you mean, i can take away any work in the exhibition?
yes, sure. but only during the finissage, when the exhibition is over. you can have that work, even use it commercially or sell it. but the work will remain in public domain. everyone is free to remake, copy or build on that work. all the works of anonymous strangers are works of free culture.

what will be in there in the opening?
nothing. at least no work of art in the conventional sense. only this website will be exhibited during the opening on july 25th, 2013, 18:00-20:00. but hopefully there will be anonymous strangers like you, who would like to make works and realize this peer production exhibition at BOEM* between july 25th – august 9th. 2013.

what is a peer production exhibition?
it is a way of making an exhibition inspired by and speculating on p2p (peer-to-peer) practice. the exhibition “contemporary art is for artists”: a peer production exhibition by anonymous strangers will be produced by anonymous strangers as peers. there is no hierarchy for decision making and for other processes as well. the decisions about the exhibition are made by anonymous strangers, collectively or individually. each anonymous stranger can change, or build on what other anonymous strangers did or they can discuss and decide all together if they meet at the exhibition space. an anonymous stranger can change the installation of a work by another anonymous stranger or even the work itself. the required resources for producing the works and the exhibition are the responsibility of anonymous strangers. BOEM* kindly supplies the space and some resources and anonymous strangers are free and encouraged to supply what they think may be required for making the works and realizing the exhibition. anonymous strangers may supply any tools and resources and make them available at the space during the exhibition times for other anonymous strangers and also make use of any resources at the exhibition space using it as a studio to produce the works they will attribute to anonymous stranger.

so, what should I do?
anything you like to do in your life. for the exhibition “contemporary art is for artists”: a peer production exhibition by anonymous strangers, just be an anonymous stranger, if you like. make a work of art getting inspired by or directly applying the proposals of anonymous strangers listed on this website as proposals. bring and install the work at BOEM* anytime during the open hours of the exhibition. or, if you cannot or don’t prefer to come to the exhibition space yourself, send any digital work (in free/libre digital formats) to anonymousstrangers@httpdot.net or ship physical works to BOEM*,koppstraße 26/1-5, 1160 wien,austria along with any installation instructions that will be applied by anonymous strangers in a peer production way.  you can also just visit the exhibition and produce there with the tools made available by anonymous strangers or just supply some resources for this peer production exhibition. name your own relation as an anonymous stranger peer. you can also just follow this website which will be updated frequently.

what is this website?
this website puts the information about the exhibition articulated by anonymous strangers together until the opening of the exhibition and will be updated by all anonymous strangers in a peer production way during the exhibition at the exhibition space as the new information is articulated, works are installed and the exhibition evolves.

this page was created on 27.07.2013 and last updated on 27.03.2103