From Squatting to Tactical Media Art in the Netherlands, 1979–1993
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City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 5-2019 Between the Cracks: From Squatting to Tactical Media Art in the Netherlands, 1979–1993 Amanda S. Wasielewski The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3125 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] BETWEEN THE CRACKS: FROM SQUATTING TO TACTICAL MEDIA ART IN THE NETHERLANDS, 1979–1993 by AMANDA WASIELEWSKI A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Art History in partiaL fulfiLLment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhiLosophy, The City University of New York 2019 © 2019 AMANDA WASIELEWSKI ALL Rights Reserved ii Between the Cracks: From Squatting to TacticaL Media Art in the Netherlands, 1979–1993 by Amanda WasieLewski This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Art History in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of PhiLosophy. Date David JoseLit Chair of Examining Committee Date RacheL Kousser Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Marta Gutman Lev Manovich Marga van MecheLen THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Between the Cracks: From Squatting to TacticaL Media Art in the Netherlands, 1979–1993 by Amanda WasieLewski Advisor: David JoseLit In the early 1980s, Amsterdam was a battLeground. During this time, conflicts between squatters, property owners, and the police frequentLy escaLated into fulL-scaLe riots. ALthough the practice of squatting was LegaLLy protected in the Netherlands, the formation of a sociaL movement around squatting in the mid- to late ’70s brought about a turbulent period exacerbated by economic hardship and widespread youth unemployment. Those active in the squatters’ movement sought to carve out new spaces in the fabric of the city, guided by anarchist politics and a desire for autonomy. These cracks, or temporary autonomous zones, in the established order created a modeL of resistance that artists carried over into other fieLds of practice, particularly media art. In this dissertation, I construct a history of media art in the Netherlands that is rooted in squatting (kraken in Dutch). The verb kraken LiteraLLy means “to crack open,” and artists used this technique, over the course of the decade, to carve out autonomous platforms in urban and media space, incLuding iLLegaL pirate radio and TV broadcasters and aLternative art institutions. As network computing technology—early forms of the internet—spread in the late ’80s, squatters and media artists saw its potentiaL as a means by which their autonomous communities could be extended. These activities Led to the deveLopment of the first internet service providers (ISPs) avaiLable to the Dutch public— XS4ALL and De DigitaLe Stad (The DigitaL City)—in 1993. They were created, not by business entrepreneurs or corporate entities but by a coaLition of ideaListic artists, activists, and anarchists iv who wanted to create a space—a platform—that would be open, democratic, autonomous, and centered around art, politics, and cuLture rather than monetary exchange. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation buiLds on the research I undertook for my undergraduate thesis at Northwestern University as weLL as my master’s work in London, but my focus on the Netherlands stems from my time as a resident artist at De AteLiers between 2010 and 2012. Living in Amsterdam, I was exposed to many of the artists, media art institutions, and squats that are featured in this text. MeanwhiLe, De AteLiers introduced me to a group of Dutch artists for whom expressive painting was ceLebrated above aLL eLse. I would therefore like to thank the artists of De AteLiers for inviting me as a participant and providing me with an understanding of contemporary Dutch painting I would not have otherwise had. I am aLso very grateful to my advisor, David JoseLit, for his insightful and highly constructive feedback. David’s support was a grounding force during a stressful process. Many thanks as weLL to my other committee members: Marta Gutman, Lev Manovich, and Marga van MecheLen. In particular, Marga’s guidance and support has been invaLuable in navigating the fieLd of media art in the Netherlands. I am ever so grateful for her generosity and warmth. The successful completion of this dissertation owes a huge debt of gratitude to the SociaL Sciences Research CounciL for awarding me the InternationaL Dissertation Research FeLLowship. Without this financiaL support, I would not have been able to reLocate to the Netherlands and focus fulL time on completing my research. I would aLso like to thank the Media Studies department at the University of Amsterdam for hiring me as a lecturer in 2017 and to ASCA for aLLowing my continued affiLiation with UvA over the course of my feLLowship. Many of the people featured in this dissertation were generous enough to aLLow me to interview them in the process of my research. Thank you to Geert Lovink, David Garcia, Raúl Marroquin, Maja van den Broecke, MichieL van den Bergh, Menno GrootveLd, and WiLLem VeLthoven. SpeciaL thanks to Rogier van der PLoeg who not only gave me access to episodes of vi PKP-TV during the course of our interview but aLso went out of his way to heLp me track down many of the detaiLs I was looking for surrounding PKP’s broadcasts. I would aLso like to thank Arie ALtena for heLping me access and navigate the V2_ archive in Rotterdam and to Sanneke Huisman for providing me with access to the LIMA video archive as weLL as the research that had been conducted around TaLking Back to the Media. There are aLso many colLeagues, friends, and famiLy members that have heLped aLong the way that I would like to acknowLedge. My deepest thanks to my husband Agri IsmaiL for his unwavering beLief in me during this long process. Thank you to Janna Schoenberger for heLping me see the light at the end of the tunneL more than once. Thank you to AngeLa Bartholomew for meeting with me to chat about our shared research interests. Thank you to Becky and Chris Desjardins for being my Amsterdam famiLy from day one. Thank you to Jasmijn Visser for consistent encouragement, for our insightful conversations (incLuding heLping me practice my Dutch), and for double checking my transLations. Thank you to CheLsea Haines, LeiLa Harris, Jenny Sarathy, and Johanna SLuiter for keeping everything in perspective. Thank you to Katie SulLivan for aLways being there for me and for heLping with copyediting. And, finaLLy, thank you to MichaeL, Nancy, Mike, and MeLissa WasieLewski for continuaL Love and support. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi ILLUSTRATIONS x INTRODUCTION 1 PROLOGUE: AMSTERDAM, THE MAGIC CENTER 16 CHAPTER 1: CRACKING THE CITY 34 The Revolution WiLL Be Temporary 41 Homo Ludens 49 Framing / Gaming 73 Homo BeLLicus 83 TacticaL Media Avant La Lettre 95 ChaLk CircLes, ChaLk Lines 102 CHAPTER 2: CRACKING PAINTING 132 Art School as Laboratory 138 The Nieuwe WiLden 155 Dancing on the Volcano 163 Image FLow 176 Land of MiLk and Subsidies 189 CHAPTER 3: CRACKING THE ETHER 210 Pop Art Pirates 218 GuerriLLa TeLevision 231 Artists Make TeLevision 242 Pirate Media 246 Rabotnik and De Reagering 253 CHAPTER 4: PASSAGEWAYS 276 The Underpass 280 From City Space to Cyberspace 285 Artists TaLking Back to the Media 295 Back to the Future 309 viii Interactive TeLevision 333 Networked Events 335 EPILOGUE: SQUATTING THE DIGITAL CITY 355 PRIMARY AND ARCHIVAL SOURCES 364 BIBLIOGRAPHY 367 ix ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Robert Jasper GrootveLd and Bart Huges, Gnot-AppeLtje drawing in Open het graf publication, 1962, pen drawing, 57.4cm x 40,3 cm. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Figure 2. Robert Jasper GrootveLd writing “kanker” on a cigarette advertisement, December 12, 1961. Photo by Ben van Meerendonk, InternationaaL Instituut voor SociaLe Geschiedenis (IISG), Amsterdam. Figure 3. Robert Jasper GrootveLd in the K-Kerk, 1962. Photographer unknown, published in Johnny the SeLfkicker. “Twee voorvaLLen.” Randstad 11–12 (1966): 318. Figure 4. Robert Jasper GrootveLd in the K-Kerk wearing his pipe hate costume, 1962. Photo by Ab Pruis, InternationaaL Instituut voor SociaLe Geschiedenis (IISG), Amsterdam. Figure 5. Robert Jasper GrootveLd performing at the Lieverdje on the Spui, c. 1964–5. Photo by Ab Pruis, InternationaaL Instituut voor SociaLe Geschiedenis (IISG), Amsterdam. Figure 6. Cover of the New York Times from March 11, 1966. Figure 7. Crowds lift one of the white bicycLes that was part of Provo’s White BicycLe PLan in Amsterdam, 1966. Photo by Cor Jaring, InternationaaL Instituut voor SociaLe Geschiedenis (IISG), Amsterdam. Figure 8. Constant, New Babylon – Amsterdam (Atlas van New Babylon), 1963, ink on street map, 52.2 x 62.2 cm. Gemeentemuseum, The Hague. Figure 9. Constant, Gezicht op New Babylonische sectoren, 1971, watercolor and penciL on photomontage, 134.9 x 222.8 cm. Gemeentemuseum, The Hague. Figure 10. Constant, Hangende sector, 1960, iron, steeL, coper, aLuminum and oiL paint, 75 x 130 x 99 cm. Gemeentemuseum, The Hague. Figure 11. Constant, Ontwerp voor een zigeunerkamp (Plan for a Gypsy Camp), 1956, stainless steeL, aLuminum, Perspex, wood and oiL paint, 20.5 x 125 cm. Gemeentemuseum, The Hague. Figure 12. Constant, New Babylon – Holland, 1963, ink on street map, 59 x 59.9 cm. Gemeentemuseum, The Hague. Figure 13. Yona Friedman, drawing for Ville spatiale, 1960–61. Published in Exit Utopia: Architectural Provocations 1956–76, ed. Martin van Schaik and Otakar MáčeL (Munich: PresteL, 2005), 28. x Figure 14. Yona Friedman, drawing for Ville spatiale, 1960–61. Published in Exit Utopia: Architectural Provocations 1956–76, ed.