• Nature and level of influences of the networking and digital technologies on the "arts";
• New artistic languages related to the networking technology;
• Electronic-net-art ... What makes a net piece a quality piece?
• Can the networking and digital media be used to construct a real poetic language rather than using it exclusively as a tool for generating special effects for high-tech-level performance?
• Actual and future tendencies in the networking art field in Europe.

• What is the borderline between art, science technology; what do you considered art and what technology/ science?
• What is your vision in relation to the future tendencies in the net-art field; will it have a sex, a specific nationality, a specific style?

www.ekac.org/

• Do you consider the Networking technology a useful tool for the work and mission you are carrying out ? If not why? If yes how?
• How do you perceive this world of the new technologies; above all that of networking, of the net, the electronic communication, the e-mail, of the possibility to communicate, in real time, without requiring the physical presence in other places and which, in principle, is born as a highly democratic and open solution on a social and economic level…
• Do you consider that the "networking" as an alternative way of communicating in our society… without having to go through the gigantic powers of communication and of information of the sector…
• ¿Do you consider that networking technologies could contribute in the process of bringing consciousness, in a democratic way, on a regional and international level? Has it been of useful for you?
• Do you think UNESCO has assumed a front-line role within the society of information as the only agency of the United Nation that monitors the impact of the new informatics technologies and of communication.

Rigoberta Menchú, 1992 Nobel Peace Prize

"was born on January 9, 1959 to a poor Indian peasant family and raised in the Quiche branch of the Mayan culture. In her early years she helped with the family farm work, either in the northern highlands where her family lived, or on the Pacific coast, where both adults and children went to pick coffee on the big plantations. Rigoberta Menchú soon became involved in social reform activities through the Catholic Church, and became prominent in the women's rights movement when still only a teenager. Such reform work aroused considerable opposition in influential circles; especially after a guerilla organization established itself in the area.

The Menchú family was accused of taking part in guerrilla activities and Rigoberta's father, Vicente, was imprisoned and tortured for allegedly having participated in the execution of a local plantation owner. After his release, he joined the recently founded Committee of the Peasant Union (CUC). In 1979, Rigoberta, too, joined the CUC. That year her brother was arrested, tortured and killed by the army. The following year, her father was killed when security forces in the capital stormed the Spanish Embassy where he and some other peasants were staying. Shortly afterwards, her mother also died after having been arrested, tortured and raped. Rigoberta became increasingly active in the CUC, and taught herself Spanish as well as other Mayan languages than her native Quiche. In 1980, she figured prominently in a strike the CUC organized for better conditions for farm workers on the Pacific coast, and on May 1, 1981, she was active in large demonstrations in the capital. She joined the radical 31st of January Popular Front, in which her contribution chiefly consisted of educating the Indian peasant population in resistance to massive military oppression. In 1981, Rigoberta Menchú had to go into hiding in Guatemala, and then flee to Mexico. That marked the beginning of a new phase in her life: as the organizer abroad of resistance to oppression in Guatemala and the struggle for Indian peasant peoples' rights. In 1982, she took part in the founding of the joint opposition body, The United Representation of the Guatemalan Opposition (RUOG). In 1983, she told her life story to Elisabeth Burgos Debray. Her work has earned her several international awards. From Les Prix Nobel 1992."

Fundacion Rigoberta Menchú Tum
http://www.rigobertamenchu.org/

• GAIA, Mother earth·as an integrated networking metaphor.
• Poetic parallelism between Gaia the "super cell" and it·s nervous system definable as the basic organizational intelligence-response mechanism in relation to the "networking" as a multi-cellular nervous system.

Journalist, editor and poet·actively engaged in culture and arts in Latin America in the capacity of editor and journalist. She was responsible for the literature section of the Journal "El Diario de Caracas". She also directed the cultural section of the daily newspaper "El Universal". Founder and director of the editorial specialized in feminine authors; narrative and poetry. Editor of the publications of International Theatre Festival. She is the author of the following books: "Libros Poemas del Trópico" (1993), "El Ojo de la Orca (1997, "Poemas Inéditos" (2002) and "Días Concretos" (2002).

Tendencies in the net art forms produced and created by women.

• Who is doing what and how? Why these authors are innovative?
  

ROBERTA BOSCO is an Italian journalist specialized in art. Since twelve years now she is a correspondent, stationed in Spain, for the magazines of the editorial Agostini-Rizzoli, and writes regularly in "Sette", the magazine of the Italian daily newspaper "Il Corriere della Sera". She has been as well correspondent for "Il Giornale dell'Arte" until the creation, in June of 1997, of "El Periodico del Arte", the Spanish edition of the network, where she is at the present stationed as correspondent from Cataluña. Since December of 1998, she works in CiberP@is, the weekly magazine about art and new technologies of the Spanish daily newspaper, "El Pais", with articles on digital art and multimedia culture, carried out together with Stefano Caldana. She writes as well in the monthly issue of CiberP@is since its creation, in June of 2000. Throughout her career she has collaborated with numerous publications, Italians as well as Spanish (from Vogue to Ajoblanco).
She is co-author with Stefano Caldana of ARTE.RED , a navigable history of the net.art carried out for "El Pais Digital".

www.elpais.es/especiales/2002/arte/portada.htm

The body and its relationship with technology through human/machine interface incorporating the Internet and Web, sound, music, video and computers.

www.stelarc.va.com.au/

Net-democracy ... The networking technology as creative and social tool for the indigenous of the Amazonas.

• Why their system and their use and approaching the networking technology can also be considered a paradigmatic model?
• The planet as a "living art body" with its own life, reality, fragility and feelings.
• Is the networking technology actually working as common and accessible media of communication that interconnect non-local territories, citizens of the planet, expanding the knowledge, exchanging information, communicating between remote geographical areas?
• UNESCO "front-line role" within the society of information and the impact of the new informatics technologies and of communication. Reducing the growing gap between info-rich and info-poor.

At the present she acts as assistant to the Deputy, in representation of the indigenous community, Noeli Pocaterra who occupies the second Vice Presidency of the national assembly of Venezuela and which has permitted her, in the last few years, to have first hand knowledge and provided her with ample facts of the social realities of these groups. These activities are carried out in part, with advisory missions and support to the indigenous representations in the Venezuelan Amazon of the Yanomami tribe, the Wayuu tribe in the Guajira, the Waraos of the Delta of Orinoco, with the Pume in Apure and the Pemones in La Gran Sabana, etc. She works with the theme "Human Rights and Foreign Debt"… with methods of analysis and ways for expanding the vision and consciousness related to ecology.

Ample work experience with groups, in social areas, urban and indigenous communities and groups of women and children. She has prepared scripts, on the ecological theme, for video and has written the books "Lo Oculto en lo Feminino" and relating to the rescue of the feminine principle in our way of life "La Voz del Silencio".

Digit-Arts Portal Project objectives:

• To promote information exchange in the digital art field;
• To create the basis of a new culture which uses all forms of media arts the computer arts and electronic arts as a tool for artistic creation, communication and dissemination of knowledge.
• To establish a network within institutions, universities, artists and practitioners in the field of digital arts.
• To promote intercultural collaboration.
  

Structure and Content of the Digit-Arts Portal

• Knowledge and Research: History and aesthetics of artistic, scientific and technical movements relating to digital and electronic art.
• Publication and Information: Virtual library on the electronic arts and creation of a newsletter;
• Training and Capacity Building: Best practices and directory of electronic tools;
• Networking and Partnerships: Creation of a space for interdisciplinary research and experimentation;
• Interactive Learning: Research on collaborative tools;
• Initiation and Creation: The dissemination of tools for electronic creation for young people, both in and out of school.
  

http://www.unesco.org
http://www.unesco.org/culture/

UNESCO, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, was established on 16th of November 1945.It has its headquarters in Paris, France and 56 field offices and units in different parts of the world.
The Constitution of UNESCO was signed in London on 16 November 1945 by 37 countries and came into force on 4 November 1946 following ratification by 20 of its signatories.
The purpose of the Organization was defined as: "to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations".
Three bodies comprise UNESCO:
The GENERAL CONFERENCE of Member States, UNESCO's supreme governing body, meets, in general, every two years. Following the principle of one vote per country, the General Conference approves the Organization's Program and Budget.
The EXECUTIVE BOARD, composed of 58 representatives of Member States, meets generally twice a year. Acting as a kind of administrative council, it prepares the work of the General Conference and is responsible for effective execution of conference decisions.
The SECRETARIAT is the Organization's executive branch. Under the authority of the Director-General, elected for a 6-year term, the staff implement the programme adopted by Member States. Chart

The General Conference is the main decision-making body of UNESCO. It meets every two years and determines the policies of the Organization and approves its programme and budget. Every six years it appoints the Director-General upon the recommendation of the Executive Board. The Executive Board is composed of 58 Members and meets twice a year. It is responsible for the execution of the program adopted by the General Conference.

The Secretariat consists of the Director-General and the staff appointed by him. The Director-General prepares the draft program and budget and formulates proposals for appropriate action. Five programme sectors work in collaboration with the administrative and support services to carry out the programme. There are at present 73 UNESCO field offices and units in different parts of the world. The number of staff members working in the field offices and in field projects is 614 and 51 respectively, as compared with 1,717 staff members at Headquarters.

Forms of action
Establishment of international standards: conventions, agreements, recommendations, declarations; conferences and meetings; studies and research; publications: books, periodicals, reports and documents; technical and advisory services to Member States: staff missions, consultants, supplies and equipment; training courses, seminars and workshops; subventions to NGOs; financial contributions; fellowships, study grants and travel grants; other activities.

• What is Art in the Networking digital Era??
  Borderline between art and technology: what is art and what is technology?
• Are the programming and the "codes" also a form of art and or an art by itself?
• Has the emerging technology and the new arts forms become an exclusionist technology, afforded by tech-countries, rich communities solid financial institutions and "info-rich authors".
• Is the desired "new electronic global village" limit to a very selective electronic community, perhaps is global enough, but it is not a village?
• What about the authors, artist and new media art of the "info-poor countries"?
• Actual and future tendencies in the international networking art field?

userwww.sfsu.edu/~swilson