Social Engine

: great minds think alike

The project Social Engine explores how the cultural patterns spread. It is produced as an online database of memes, units of cultural behaviourally transmissible information which are passed on to other people by imitation (Richard Dawkins). Since memes are not coded as universal codes, they are subjected to constant variations, i.e modalities of expression of different users. In this case, meme vehicles are textual and visual entities that possess strong emotional charge and high inter-subjective value (e.g. catch-phrases and flags).

We might say that "Social Engine" is a stage on which a 'battle' under the flag of a certain idea is going on; it also tests Gresham's law of cultural evolution according to which the ideas with higher intrinsic value, e.g. sophisticated and gentle, will be displaced and eventually driven out of use by the ideas with lesser intrinsic value, e.g. oversimplified and violent.

	screening (Salon Muzeja Savremene umetnosti Beograd)
	screening (Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen)
	lectures (digital brainstorming)

Author: Urtica, art and media research group
Programming: Daniel Stevanović and Vladimir Kostić

"Social Engine" has been produced within the framework of
: AIR Künstlerhaus Büchsenhausen (Innsbruck, Austria)
: ArtsLink Fellowship at Rhode Island School of Design / Digital Media Department (Providence, USA)

affect_me

is an (online) communication experiment inspired by (offline) "the semaphore flag signalling system", which is in this case valenced by expressive meaning, thus creating a long distance affect sensitive signalling system.

Project related research has been conducted within the field of communication archaeology, and it’s focused on a specific example of semaphore flag signalling system.

Author: Urtica 2006-2007
Programming: Daniel Stevanović

Produced within the framework of MAPXXL programme at Ecole Régionale des Beaux-Arts de Saint-Étienne

Mouse says: click! and human says: eek!

"click" / klik / a short hard sound produced by computer's mouse; on question about animal onomatopoeia: ... and mouse says?... my friend's daughter, age year and half, replied: Click!
"eek" / i:k/ expression of sudden fear and surprise: Eek! A mouse

work in progress:

The goal of this project is to create a platform for micro communication (encoder and decoder) by using phonetically expressive words, Dictionary of Primal Behaviour, and to find out how its way of use in different context-embeddedness influence our communication.

Mouse says: click! and human says: eek! was awarded the "Digital Pluralism - UNESCO Digital Arts Award 2003 at IAMAS". http://www.iamas.ac.jp

	read more
	photo doc

author: Urtica
production: Urtica, 2003-2004

Dictionary of Primal Behaviour, interjections

In order to communicate humans have developed language as a major mean of sharing information or expressing their thoughts and feelings. In every language there are sounds or group of sounds that have been accorded expressive value. The idea of "Dictionary of Primal Behaviour" is to create a multi-lingual database which includes phonetically expressive words that mean and sound similar in the most widely spoken languages. Those words, interjections are primary spoken, but in Dictionary of Primal Behaviour they are transferred to visual communication.

	Primal Chat, essay
	read more
	photo doc
	screenings (Ars Electronica03, Viper03, MAD03 FILE03, Oct.SalonBGD, ZlatnoOko, Ogaki04...)

author: Urtica
production: Urtica, 2003-2004

mm... interjections [video]

a cluster of phonetically expressive words

aha, ahem, bang, boo, boohoo, eek, ha, ha-ha, h'm, hur.rah, huh, mm, O, oh, oho, oof, ooh, oops, ow, pah, phew, poof, pooh, pow, psst, sh, shoo, tut, tut-tut, ugh, uh huh, uh-uh, whee, whoa, wow, yippee, yoo-hoo, yuck

	photo doc
	screenings (Ars Electronica03, Rex ...)

author: Urtica
production: Urtica, 2003

Lapsus Memoriae - Gray Game

Lapsus memoriae is a memory game. There are 20 cards (10 matching pairs) with "colourless" illustrations of the most "harmless" (in semantic sense) names of the military operations on the flip side. The cards are spread out with the blank side up. Can you find two identical symbols of "Amber Fox", "Shining Hope" or "Endless Justice"? If there is a match, the player finds out how the operation name causes slip of the memory, i.e. an unconscious erasure of all negative connotations connected to the concept they refer to. Play until all of the tokens are exposed. In this game nobody wins.

Violence does not serve justice, nor does it contribute to the establishment of a better and fairer society. [NATO Press Release (2001)09]

	read more
	screenings (Viper02, kuda.org, KulturKontakt ...)

author: Urtica
production: C3 Center for Culture and Communication, Budapest, Hungary, 2002 www.c3.hu
further credits: Benedek Gaspar / programming www.gazsi.hu

Lapsus Memoriae - TV ad

Memini etiam quae nolo, oblivisci non possum quae volo. - I remember the things I do not want, and I cannot forget the things I do want. This thought is attributed to Temistocles, an Athenian statesman from V BC.
Lapsus Memoriae problematizes the relation between individual memory and collectively desirable one in the context of the events that occurred on the territory of former Yugoslavia in the 90s.

Lapsus Memoriae media campaign:
TV broadcasting: 2002. tv B92, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Print ad: Danas-daily newspaper, Belgrade, Yugoslavia

	photo doc
	screenings (31th October Salon-NS, TV B92, Danas ...)

author: Urtica
sound: Bach
production: Urtica, 2002

Operacija kumova sekira, Srbija 1817
[Operation Godfather's axe, Srbia 1817]

Dana 13. jula 1817. godine Nikola Novakovic, sluga Vujice Vulicevica, sekirom je na svirep nacin ubio Karadjordja Petrovica. "Udar sekirom docekao ga je u jutarnjem snu. Na prvi udarac samo se prenuo a drugi ga dotukao."
Ubistvo je izvrseno u Radovanjskom lugu kod Velike Plane, gde je Karadjordje cekao od kneza Milosa odgovor u vezi sa zatrazenim sastankom. Umesto odgovora knez Milos i Karadjordjev kum Vujica organizovali su operaciju "Kumova sekira". Karadjordjevom ubici, Nikoli Novakovicu, nakon toga gubi se svaki trag.

	read more
	photo doc

autor: Urtica
produkcija: Kalenic - umetnicka kolonija, KPZ Rekovac, 2002, curator Zoran Eric
saradnik: Milinkovic Srdjan / glas

K. und K. / Kraft und Konfekt, Wien 2002
How I Ate an Empire

K. und K. stands for Kaiser und König, Imperial and Royal. It was used for institutions and agencies common to the two parts of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Nowadays the abbreviation "K. und K." can be found in shop windows or shop fronts in Vienna. It's a title to which suppliers to the Court laid claim.

In our interpretation K. und K. stands for Kraft und Konfekt, Power and Sweets. This intervention gives a new meaning to this archaic way of branding, and to the eatable symbols of imperial power that are available on the market today, so...Long live the Sweets!

	read more
	photo doc
	site-specific action, Vienna, 2002

author: Urtica
production: Kultur Kontakt Austria, 2002 www.kulturkontakt.or.at
special thanks: Andrea Maurer, Igor Balaz
place of action: Old Chocolate Factory in Davidgasse, Vienna, Austria, 2002

Departments of Urtica

Departments of the Urtica was created between 1999 and 2001. It is based on scientific researches and art experiments dealing with nettle and these resulted in forming a virtual institution "Urtica".
Departments of the Urtica virtual institution (the botanical, ethnological, archaeological, geodetic, gastrosophical and rehabilitative departments) feature the works of art woven or made of nettle ("place for two" bed-sheet, "clothes for two" men and women shirts, "serviette" napkin, brooms). During the virtual round-tour of the Urtica departments, the visitor actively participates in creation of their contents. Each department is accompanied by announcements based on researches on botanical, ethnological and healing qualities of nettle.

	read more
	photo doc
	screenings (4.Biennial of the Youth, Video Medeja, Media Center, Break 21, Izba ...)
	essay by D.Draskovic

author: Urtica
production: Urtica, 2001

Ratioremedium
Social therapy of voluntary weaving or treading on stinging nettles

The virtual social therapy Ratioremedium, through a contemplatively painful process of treading or weaving of nettle, makes the transfer collective subconscious - individual subconscious - conscious. Ratioremedium questions the meaning, or meaninglessness of a victim as a dominant principle of a must, offered by tradition, religion and authorities.

Ratioremedium is made in a form of the media campaign under the slogan "Urtica medicamentum est" comprising: TV advertisement, Radio advertisement, Newspaper advertisement and WEB.

	read more
	photo doc
	screenings (Golden Drum, TV B92, Cultural Center Pancevo ...)
	essay by D.Draskovic

author: Urtica
production: Hammer Creative, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, 2000 www.hammercreative.com
further credits: Milenko Djermanovic / 3D animation and montage; Goran Simovic / sound

Omnigenus
Pantyliners Made of Nettle for Mental Hygiene

Omnigenus, the pantyliners made of stinging nettle are designed to suit the mental needs of all genders. Through the transfer of purpose, the pantyliner, from a product for physiological hygiene, turns into a product for mental hygiene. It problematizes the traditional establishment of social institutions in Serbia and the growing influence of clericalism on society.

Omnigenus is created as an media campaign under the slogan "Urtica medicamentum est" (comprising: TV advertisement, Radio advertisement, Newspaper advertisement and WEB).

	read more
	photo doc
	screenings (42nd October Salon-BGD, Urban Festival, Nin, Remont, TV&Radio B92, TV Pink ...)

author: Urtica
production: 42nd October Salon, Beograd, Yugoslavia, 2001 www.kcb.org.yu
further credits: Milenko Djermanovic / 3D animation and montage; Goran Simovic / sound; Ivana Brezovac / photo