In 1999, a hacker group calling itself the Yes Men created the Web site gatt.org (now wtoo.org), designed to look exactly like an official World Trade Organization site but chock-full of articles on the hidden evils of globalization. The site was so convincing that it netted the masterminds a mistaken invitation to speak at a 2000 Austrian trade conference. The group jumped at the chance and its delegate, in attendance under the nom de guerre “Andreas Bilchbauer,” proceeded to confound those present with a long speech about the laziness of Italian workers. Later, back at the hotel, he was publicly pied in the face by one of his confederates.
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For some, the word “hacker” might conjure visions of a four-eyed, pocket-protected malcontent. But nowadays there’s a new breed of hacker, one bent on using his powers for good instead of evil: the hacktivist.
Marszewski, who tends bar at his family’s Bridgeport pub when he’s not building his media empire, says the concept for the festival “was an idea that I had a long time ago. I’d go to Amsterdam and encounter these amazing multimedia festivals that combined discourse on independent artists, activism, and future technologies.” A regular curator of music and video exhibits for the MCA’s annual Summer Solstice celebrations, he casually discussed the idea with the museum over a year ago, and finally got a call in October asking if he could fill in a gap in the spring schedule. The multimedia program is the result of months of collaboration with other digital arts collectives including the Adbusters Media Foundation and Guerrilla News Network and individuals such as video artist and co-organizer Brien Rullman.
