This project is part of arebyte gallery 2022/2023 program ‘Sci-Fi”. Read more ︎︎︎here.

When we first started working on the project, we were prompted to reflect on our personal values and how they can function as an input for the project. We have collectively reached two intrinsic values: inclusivity and inspiration. It was clear that among us there was a necessity to work towards a result that made our users feel included and inspired by what we had to offer.  The field of New Media, and net.art in particular seemed unapproachable, we were not completely aware of what we were getting into. Our familiarity with it varied between us and it felt important to have a collective understanding of this type of art and creative practice. We have been invited by ︎︎︎Arebyte gallery to guide and aid curators in their journey into the expanding field of online curation. What is online curation really? Is that even correct to say?

What is the difference between physical an online curation, if that difference is established in the first place. Online and physical curation may not as dissimilar as one might think. There is definitely an overlap in the logistics of curating online or physically. The focus of the project is the assembly of a digital network of creative practitioners, a support system to guide each other through the processes and challenges of online curating.  The toolkit aims to provide a useful theoretical context for the history, reperesentaton and the contemporary relevance of net.art. 

At the same time, the tool kit would bring together tools deemed necessary by the group in the process of curating. There is an attempt to map and layout the complex and layered journey of navigating the possibilities and challenges of curating online. The project has been characterised by a divide between the theoretical complexities of net.art and the practicalities of curating. The open relationship between the two informs the logic of our toolkit, which is divided on the theoretical aspect of internet art, and the practical aspects of curating. It was a distinction we considered fundamental to make, as it helped us in our process of understanding. You must first understand what you are attempting to curate. How can you care about something without knowing as much as possible about it? How can you care about something if you don’t know how to take care of it? Curation comes from the italian verb ‘curare’. What do we care about? We care about the users. There is a certain kind of empathy of even ‘solidarity’ to aspiring and emerging curators out there. We have acknowledged the opportunity to provide a resource for other curators. ︎

‘Beta’, is the name given to the trial version of an eventually finished product. The name reflects our embrace of the processes of online curation, versus the prospect of its eventual ‘final’ form. What our experience tought us  is to trust the process. We’ve learned that the its is in fact the process that answers our questions, not the result the of the process. We had found ourselves stuck between the initial prompt of the brief and an ambitious and abstract idea of a tool kit. How could we possibly bridge those two states of mind? The notion of a ‘trial version’ suggests the need for updates, adjustments and additions. It is a open invitation to practitioners and people in the community to engage with, suggest and give feedback and what we have to offer. Perhaps, a final form might never exist, as one might expect it.

There might never be a finished version of the toolkit, at least we hope that it can follow the internet and its technologies in the future. Its tricky discussing legacy in virtual years, where things change and evolve so quickly. We are very aware of the meta-ness of our project. As it all came together, we realised that we were curating a set of tools for people to curate. Therefore, we are ought to be aware of our curatorial position in assembling the toolkit, and what exactly informs our curatorial praxis. Upon reflecting, it only seemed appropriate to gather references and resources, which in fact helped us understand the seemingly alienating world of internet art. Why would we even provide any resources that were not helpful to us at all? It is a classic example of ‘i’ve done it so you don’t have to’. We are curating a layered and complex piece of research, hoping to make this world of the internet, accessible and inspiring to other people.

Our curatorial position is defined by a responsibility to render something accessible as inspiring. Of course, there is always abundant room for research, especially for a field that is constantly expanding. We hope to provide a smooth induction on the complex world of net.art. Heath Bunting described our project as an attempt to create an  ‘automated’ curator. There is great value in that, considering the potentialities of the project we were given. There is also value in helping us understand the gravity of our endeavour, that we are in fact assembling a set of processes for curators to follow in their practice.

What was explicit throughout most of the interviews, was the overwhelming sense of urgency to bring together practitioners who work online. There was apparent a lack of a supporting network, which one could turn to for advice, solutions or just emotional support. It has been made clear to us that creating and curating online can be stressful and unpredictable. We felt compelled to facilitate that network, bring all these people together to interact and engage with each other. As a starting point for the forum, we decided to showcase our interaction with current and former practitioners of net.art, hoping to inspire people who are intimidated or alienated from the realm of online curation. Returning back to the caring aspect of curation, we want to create an ecosystem of care and support within the community, to support current practitioners, while at the same time bringing in people who are interested in these practices. 

A-Z is our Glossary. Our initial inability to distinguish between a number of key terms in the field, prompted the formation of a glossary, a dictionary of important terms one needs to be aware of and their meaning when entering the world of curating online. The glossary is a collection of terms we had to clear between ourselves, as well as ones we find on our way through the research.

Arebyte brings innovative perspectives to art through new technologies

Arebyte leads a pioneering digital art programme at the intersection of new technologies and contemporary culture. From net art’s inception in the 90s to more recent innovations in computer technology from VR to AI, the programme invites multiple voices to create multimedia installations at arebyte Gallery, London, and online experiences at arebyte on Screen.

Alongside the art programme, arebyte Skills shares knowledge on creative media technologies with audiences of all ages. Run in partnership with artists and the education and youth sectors, the programme offers activities for amateurs and professionals to develop hands-on digital techniques and gain critical thinking around digital art practices through workshops, artist development programmes, university residencies and panel discussions.

Arebyte also supports a vibrant community of artists, designers and creative technologists through arebyte Studios, an initiative that provides affordable workspaces to 150 creative professionals across London.

is a visual and editorial designer and curator. Her practice aims to articulate and visually communicate spiritual and esoteric assemblages in our culture, through spatial practises. She actively researches and engages with multidisciplinary emerging and contemporary artists.

is a curator, creative producer and event organiser in the fields of culture, art and business. Her research focuses on alternative exhibition spaces in Chinese and Western contexts, most recently on the topic of field, display and viewing in art exhibition spaces.

is a designer and curator. Driven by digital practices and their relationship to spatial and visual cultures, she prompts conversation between the virtual and visual with an emphasis on diplomacy and multiculturality in the arts.

is a product designer and curator. She focuses on the challenges faced by museums and the transformation of curatorial identity in the context of the digital age.

is a writer and curator. Her writing interrogates and revalues performativity in the dominant social media landscape. She takes an authoethnographic approach to these topics, through the curation and representation of self-image.

is a writer, researcher and curator. Research of fashion design, communication and collection through the landscape of digital blockchain technology, through a cultural lens.