07/05/2016

www.ljudmila.org/nettime/zkp4/74.htm

Date:Sun,11May199722:56:20+0200
From:GeertLovink

TheABCofTacticalMedia
DavidGarciaandGeertLovink
TacticalMediaarewhathappenswhenthecheapdoityourselfmedia,made
possiblebytherevolutioninconsumerelectronicsandexpandedformsof
distribution(frompublicaccesscabletotheinternet)areexploitedby
groupsandindividualswhofeelaggrievedbyorexcludedfromthewider
culture.Tacticalmediadonotjustreportevents,astheyarenever
impartialtheyalwaysparticipateanditisthisthatmorethananything
separatesthemfrommainstreammedia.
Adistinctivetacticalethicandaestheticthathasemerged,whichis
culturallyinfluentialfromMTVthroughtorecentvideoworkmadeby
artists.Itbeganasaquickanddirtyaestheticalthoughitisjustanother
styleit(atleastinitscamcorderform)hascometosymbolizeaveritefor
the90s.
Tacticalmediaaremediaofcrisis,criticismandopposition.Thisisboth
thesourcetheirpower,("angerisanenergy":JohnLydon),andalsotheir
limitation.theirtypicalheroesare;theactivist,Nomadicmediawarriors,
thepranxter,thehacker,thestreetrapper,thecamcorderkamikaze,theyare
thehappynegatives,alwaysinsearchofanenemy.Butoncetheenemyhas
beennamedandvanquisheditisthetacticalpractitionerwhoseturnitis
tofallintocrisis.Then(despitetheirachievements)itseasytomock
them,withcatchphrasesoftheright,"politicallycorrect""Victim
culture"etc.Moretheoreticallytheidentitypolitics,mediacritiquesand
theoriesofrepresentation,thatbecamethefoundationofmuchwestern
tacticalmediaarethemselvesincrisis.Thesewaysofthinkingarewidely
seenas,carpingandrepressiveremnantsofanoutmodedhumanism.
Tobelievethatissuesofrepresentationarenowirrelevantistobelieve
thattheveryreallifechancesofgroupsandindividualsarenotstill
cruciallyaffectedbytheavailableimagescirculatinginanygivensociety.
Andthefactthatwenolongerseethemassmediaasthesoleand
centralizedsourceofourselfdefinitionsmightmaketheseissuesmore
slipperybutthatdoesnotmakethemredundant.
Tacticalmediaaqualifiedformofhumanism.Ausefulantidotetoboth,what
PeterLambornWilsondescribed,as"theunopposedruleofmoneyoverhuman
beings".Butalsoasanantidotetonewlyemergingformsoftechnocratic
scientismwhichunderthebannerofposthumanismtendtorestrict
discussionsofhumanuseandsocialreception.WhatmakesOurMediaTactical?
InThePracticeofEveryDayLifeDeCertueauanalyzedpopularculturenot
asadomainoftextsorartifactsbutratherasasetofpracticesor
operationsperformedontextualortextlikestructures.Heshiftedthe
emphasisfromrepresentationsintheirownrighttotheusesof
representations.Inotherwordshowdoweasconsumersusethetextsand
artifactsthatsurroundus.Andtheanswer,hesuggested,wastactically.
Thatisinfarmorecreativeandrebelliouswaysthanhadpreviouslybeen
imagined.Hedescribedtheprocessofconsumptionasasetoftacticsby
whichtheweakmakeuseofthestrong.Hecharacterizedtherebellioususer
(atermhepreferredtoconsumer)astacticalandthepresumptuousproducer
(inwhichheincludedauthors,educators,curatorsandrevolutionaries)as
strategic.Settingupthisdichotomyallowedhimtoproduceavocabularyof
tacticsrichandcomplexenoughtoamounttoadistinctiveandrecognizable
aesthetic.Anexistentialaesthetic.AnaestheticofPoaching,tricking,
reading,speaking,strolling,shopping,desiring.Clevertricks,the
hunterscunning,maneuvers,polymorphicsituations,joyfuldiscoveries,
poeticaswellaswarlike.
Awarenessofthistactical/strategicdichotomyhelpedustonameaclassof
http://www.ljudmila.org/nettime/zkp4/74.htm

1/3

07/05/2016

www.ljudmila.org/nettime/zkp4/74.htm

producersofwhoseemuniquelyawareofthevalueofthesetemporary
reversalsintheflowofpower.Andratherthanresistingtheserebellions
doeverythingintheirpowertoamplifythem.Andindeedmakethecreation
ofspaces,channelsandplatformsforthesereversalscentraltotheir
practice.Wedubbedtheir(our)worktacticalmedia.
TacticalMediaareneverperfect,alwaysinbecoming,performativeand
pragmatic,involvedinacontinualprocessofquestioningthepremisesof
thechannelstheyworkwith.Thisrequirestheconfidencethatthecontent
cansurviveintactasittravelsfrominterfacetointerface.Butwemust
neverforgetthathybridmediahasitsoppositeitsnemesis,theMedialen
Gesamtkunstwerk.ThefinalprogramfortheelectronicBauhaus.
Ofcourseitismuchsafertosticktotheclassicritualsofthe
undergroundandalternativescene.Butacticalmediaarebasedona
principalofflexibleresponse,ofworkingwithdifferentcoalitions,being
abletomovebetweenthedifferententitiesinthevastmedialandscape
withoutbetrayingtheiroriginalmotivations.TacticalMediamaybe
hedonistic,orzealouslyeuphoric.Evenfashionhypeshavetheiruses.But
itisaboveallmobilitythatmostcharacterizesthetacticalpractitioner.
Thedesireandcapabilitytocombineorjumpfromonemediatoanother
creatingacontinuoussupplyofmutantsandhybrids.Tocrossboarders,
connectingandrewiringavarietyofdisciplinesandalwaystakingfull
advantageofthefreespacesinthemediathatarecontinuallyappearing
becauseofthepaceoftechnologicalchangeandregulatoryuncertainty.
Althoughtacticalmediaincludealternativemedia,wearenotrestrictedto
thatcategory.Infactweintroducedthetermtacticaltodisruptandtake
usbeyondtherigiddichotomiesthathaverestrictedthinkinginthisarea,
forsolong,dichotomiessuchasamateurVsprofessional,alternativeVs
mainstream.EvenprivateVspublic.
Ourhybridformsarealwaysprovisional.Whatcountsarethetemporary
connectionsyouareabletomake.Hereandnow,Notsomevaporwarepromised
forthefuture.Butwhatwecandoonthespotwiththemediawehaveaccess
to.HereinAmsterdamwehaveaccesstolocalTV,digitalcitiesand
fortressesofnewandoldmedia.Inotherplacestheymighthavetheater,
streetdemonstrations,experimentalfilm,literature,photography.
Tacticalmediasmobilityconnectsittoawidermovementofmigrant
culture.EspousedbytheproponentsofwhatNieAschersondescribedasthe
stimulatingpseudoscienceofNomadism.Thehumanracesayitsexponants
areenteringanewepochofmovementandmigration.Thesubjectsofhistory
oncethesettledfarmersandcitizens,havebecomethemigrants,therefugees
thegastarbeiters,theasylumseekers,theurbanhomeless.
AnexempleryexampleofthetacticalcanbeseenintheworkofthePolish
artistKrzystofWodiczkowhoperceiveshowthehordesofthedisplacedthat
nowoccupythepublicspaceofcitiessquares,parksorrailwaystation
concourseswhichwereoncedesignedbyatriumphantmiddleclassto
celebratetheconquestofitsnewpoliticalrightsandeconomicliberties.
Wodiczkothinksthattheseoccupiedspacesformnewagoras.whichshouldbe
usedforstatements.Theartist,hesays,needstolearnhowtooperate
asanomadicsophistinamigrantpolis.
LikeothermigrantmediatactitionsWodiczkohasstudiedthetechniquesby
whichtheweakbecomestrongerthantheopressorsbyscatering,bybecoming
centreless,bymovingfastacrossthephysicalormediaandvirtual
landscapes.Thehuntedmustdiscoverthewaysbecomethehunter.
Butcapitalisalsoradicallydeterritorialized.Thisiswhywelikebeing
basedinabuildinglikeDeWaag,anoldfortressinthecenterof
Amsterdam.Wehappilyaccepttheparadoxofcentersoftacticalmedia.As
wellascastlesintheair,weneedfortressesofbricksandmortar,to
resistaworldofunconstrainednomadiccapital.Spacestoplannotjust
improviseandthepossibilityofcapitalizingonacquiredadvantages,has
http://www.ljudmila.org/nettime/zkp4/74.htm

2/3

07/05/2016

www.ljudmila.org/nettime/zkp4/74.htm

alwaysbeenthepreserveofstrategicmedia.Asflexiblemediatacticians,
whoarenotafraidofpower,wearehappytoadoptthisapproachourselves.
EveryfewyearswedoaNext5Minutesconferenceontacticalmediafrom
aroundtheworld.Finallywehaveabase(DeWaag)fromwhichwehopeto
consolidateandbuildforthelongerterm.Weseethisbuildingasaplace
toplanregulareventsandmeetings,includingcomingTheNext5Minutes.We
seethecomingTheNext5Minutes(injanuary1999),anddiscussionsleading
uptoit,aspartofamovementtocreateanantidotetowhatPeterLamborn
Wilsondescribed,astheunopposedruleofmoneyoverhumanbeings.
(ThismanifestwaswrittenfortheopeningofthewebsiteoftheTactical
MediaNetwork,hostedbyDeWaag,theSocietyforOldandNewMedia:
http://www.waag.org/tmn).acritiqueofthismanifestobyPeterLamborn
WilsoncanbereadintheKRITIKsection.

http://www.ljudmila.org/nettime/zkp4/74.htm

3/3