| Abstract: | Monoskop is a wiki, blog and a repository aggregating, documenting and mapping works, artists and intiatives related to the avant-gardes, media arts and theory and activism. Initially it focused on Eastern and Central Europe. Built on a Wiki that everyone can contribute to and scrupulously curated by its spiritus movens Dušan Barok, it provides both an exhaustive, indexical overview of those fields and provides digital access to rare historic finds. In parallel to the wiki, Monoskop maintains a blog repository featuring daily releases of books, journals or other printed archival material, some freshly digitized by Monoskop and some contributed by the users, authors and publishers. |
| Biographical/Historical Information: | Dušan Barok is an artist, writer and cultural activist involved in critical practise in the fields of software, art, and theory. Born in Bratislava, he graduated in information technologies from the University of Economics, Bratislava (DI, 2002), and Networked Media from the Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam (MA, 2012). He founded and ran the online culture portal Koridor (in Slovak, 1999-2002). In 2003 he co-founded BURUNDI media lab and organised there the Translab evening series. Since 2004 he has been involved in the organisation of Multiplace network culture festival, in 2007-09 as festival coordinator. Since 2008, together with Peter Gonda he has been running the free art server Sanchez. In 2004, he initiated Monoskop, a wiki for art, culture and media technology; and in 2009, together with Tomáš Kovács, its affiliated online repository of publications, Monoskop Log. In 2012 he has co-founded the artist collective La Société Anonyme. Taught interactive media at Prague College (2006). He had lived in the United States (2002-03), Prague (2004-08), Berlin (2008-10), Rotterdam (2010-12), and currently is based in Bergen and Bratislava. |