Abstracts:

read_me festival 1.2
software as a work of art
or artistic software manipulations
CONCEPT:
A rather problematic question on Artist - High Technologies and Production, and moreover mass production, relations remains unsolved up to this day. What position should an artist and an activist take in face of mass high-tech production intended to serve an artist, an intellectual or a modest toiler of computer industry?
Recent situation:

public and personal space being filled with mass production software, commercial and by far not always well-functioning: at times open source programs work better;
suggestion of specific methods of work as constraining a specific way of thinking;
a number of programs is regarded as artistic tools finally giving artists an opportunity to "create" in computer medium, while in reality time and again manipulating artists, limiting creative freedom, directing artistic activities into a predefined field.
The space of battles for public, for attention, for influence on culture has almost completely moved into social space of media technologies. Artist aimed exclusively at self expression, even by means of media technologies, has no chance to be heard. In order to be actual, artist must acquire new methods of work in social spaces and react to questions occupying society.
Artist immersing in production and software development sphere, which is allegedly intended to facilitate our lives on the way of progress, has a chance to find his audience and to actually influence culture.
Artist parodying commercial software development company is able to influence perception and way of thinking of people, to whom otherwise he would not have any access.
Artist creating or using software "differently" is able, at least for the time being, to conquer commerce in its omnipresence and to introduce art into such spheres, in which its presence wasn''t primordially considered.
International festival read_me 1.2 is dedicated to the artistic comprehension of software: adjusting, creating and deconstructing software. The impact on the ordinary perception of a program and the on what is commonly understood as media space, the demonstration of profound properties and qualities of programming, the open source ideology support, alternative methods of work and self expression of an artist, - continuing the list of software art ideas is up to the festival participants!