all of this has happened before.
This was forwarded to me today by my gentleman, who has a canny awareness of what fangirls might be interested in. He proved this after our first date by emailing me a link to a Kirk/Spock fanvid, before I had outed my internet self to him.
To say we are MFEO (eleven!) is an understatement.
Artists and non-professional creatives are being intimidated into giving up their right (yes, I believe it is a right) to Fair Use
My name is Stacia Yeapanis. I am a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist, and I make work about the emotional, political, and philosophical significance of cultural participation. Because my work is about how individuals create meaning from mass-media products, I often appropriate from these mass-media sources.
I'm sending this email, because I'm looking for individuals and organizations who are interested in the current state of Copyright Law and how it effects artists, fans, and other cultural participants.
I also want to raise awareness in the art world about how current laws governing cultural spaces like YouTube are affecting the free flow of culture.
On December 1st, I received a take-down notice from YouTube in reference to my fanvid "We Have a Right to Be Angry." The video had been blocked by Fox Broadcasting, using an automated video ID system that identifies copyrighted content. I had the option to remove my video or dispute Fox's claim. After a week of frenzied research and anxiety, I removed my video on December 5th. I wasn't getting answers quickly enough and I know I'm not financially prepared to go to court. But I want to be prepared next time. And I've decided that I want to use the power that I currently have, as an artist, a thinker, a lecturer, a cultural participant.
In my vid, "We Have a Right to be Angry," I have appropriated footage from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Charmed and edited it to "Invincible" sung by Pat Benatar. All the women in the video, including Pat Benatar, are feminist icons from mass-media culture. I edited them together to reveal both the defensive position that I experience as a woman in contemporary society and the power I have if I choose to use it. The characters in the video alternate between running, laying low, and fighting back. As these woman from different TV shows pass a sword around throughout the video, they share collective power. They are fighting cultural Patriarchy on its own terms and they are doing it together. In light of the take-down notice, a new read of the video has emerged for me. I now see them as fighting out-dated copyright laws which have begun to prevent the free-flow of culture. Their swords are Fair Use.
There's a lot more to be said, and I want to say it. I'm looking for opportunities to raise awareness about the erosion of Fair Use, the Digital Milleniuum Copyright Act and how it affects artists and non-professional cultural participants alike. I'm looking to somehow facilitate a conversation between artists, fans, lawyers, academic theorists, and the general public. I am developing a lecture around the fanvid, which explores the history of the fanvid in relation to appropriation art and fair use. If you have any interest in writing about this, hosting a lecture, or organizing an exhibition, please contact me. And if you know of anyone who might be interested, please feel free to forward this email.
Watch the fanvid here.
Thanks for your time,
Stacia Yeapanis
www.staciayeapanis.com
To say we are MFEO (eleven!) is an understatement.
Artists and non-professional creatives are being intimidated into giving up their right (yes, I believe it is a right) to Fair Use
My name is Stacia Yeapanis. I am a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist, and I make work about the emotional, political, and philosophical significance of cultural participation. Because my work is about how individuals create meaning from mass-media products, I often appropriate from these mass-media sources.
I'm sending this email, because I'm looking for individuals and organizations who are interested in the current state of Copyright Law and how it effects artists, fans, and other cultural participants.
I also want to raise awareness in the art world about how current laws governing cultural spaces like YouTube are affecting the free flow of culture.
On December 1st, I received a take-down notice from YouTube in reference to my fanvid "We Have a Right to Be Angry." The video had been blocked by Fox Broadcasting, using an automated video ID system that identifies copyrighted content. I had the option to remove my video or dispute Fox's claim. After a week of frenzied research and anxiety, I removed my video on December 5th. I wasn't getting answers quickly enough and I know I'm not financially prepared to go to court. But I want to be prepared next time. And I've decided that I want to use the power that I currently have, as an artist, a thinker, a lecturer, a cultural participant.
In my vid, "We Have a Right to be Angry," I have appropriated footage from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Charmed and edited it to "Invincible" sung by Pat Benatar. All the women in the video, including Pat Benatar, are feminist icons from mass-media culture. I edited them together to reveal both the defensive position that I experience as a woman in contemporary society and the power I have if I choose to use it. The characters in the video alternate between running, laying low, and fighting back. As these woman from different TV shows pass a sword around throughout the video, they share collective power. They are fighting cultural Patriarchy on its own terms and they are doing it together. In light of the take-down notice, a new read of the video has emerged for me. I now see them as fighting out-dated copyright laws which have begun to prevent the free-flow of culture. Their swords are Fair Use.
There's a lot more to be said, and I want to say it. I'm looking for opportunities to raise awareness about the erosion of Fair Use, the Digital Milleniuum Copyright Act and how it affects artists and non-professional cultural participants alike. I'm looking to somehow facilitate a conversation between artists, fans, lawyers, academic theorists, and the general public. I am developing a lecture around the fanvid, which explores the history of the fanvid in relation to appropriation art and fair use. If you have any interest in writing about this, hosting a lecture, or organizing an exhibition, please contact me. And if you know of anyone who might be interested, please feel free to forward this email.
Watch the fanvid here.
Thanks for your time,
Stacia Yeapanis
www.staciayeapanis.com