hydrarchist writes:

MetalloMediaLab

For the European Social Forum in Paris which will be held during November 11th-16th 2003, an area with workshops including experimentations and comparative discussions between the european alternative media will be open at "la Maison des Métallos", which is the former and historical stealworkers's trade union center.

The MetalloMediaLab laboratory wants to be an opportunity for activists of independent media to present their work, to confront themselves with other similar experiments, to meet other activists, to exchange know-how and expertise, but also to discuss about the current european situation and to release from the prospects for actions and common initiatives.

Workshops, meetings and conferences will be held during these days using technical tools such as computers, WIFI connections and video projection.

Here is below, the draft of an agenda:

All kind of european independent media organisations are welcomed to propose workshops, conferences and meetings themes.

1) Workshops (small, medium, large, temporary and/or permanent)

- WiFi: mobile experimentation of wireless connectivity via satellite, permanent wifi workshop in the hall of the building, free access to wireless cards and demo about how antennas work and are manufactured.

- Free software for media: software to be used by independent media (video mounting , audio and video streaming, sound control); ready to use software based on free technology for filming, such as distribution GNU and Linux Dynabolic...

- For a free TV channel network : which common strategy ? Which tools ? Which common practices ?

- Peer to Peer (P2P) as a possible independent network for distribution and communication (Peercast, Gnutella, etc).

- About counter-investigation practices: how to protect our sources? how to protect people concerned by the alternative communication ?

2) Presentations of people own experiences :

- Meltingpot: multilingual portal about communication between pluricultural societies.

- La "Tchache" in Paris: presentation of the independent media forum organized by "la tchache" from Marseille, conclusions and projections.

- Projections and free access (from a local server) of collective video and films from alternative TV.

- Tactical media: film projections and meetings about tactical media.

3) Plenary meetings:

- The Worldwide Summit for Information Society (Geneva, December 2003): presentation of the summit, the counter-summit and the various initiatives of contestation.

- Patentability of software, copyright and other similar rights: alternative media and new regulations of non material products : schedule and effects.

- How independent media should be financed compared to TV and cinema ?

- Free television practices : free access, interactive TV , another way of filming and mounting, new devices for antenna.

- The economic situation of free radios inside the worldwide globalisation .

People who took part in this project :
Confédération nationale des radios libres (CNRL), Confédération nationale du travail (CNT), Global Project, Globenet, Maison des Metallos, Mediactivism, TÉLÉ Bocal, Riv'Nord, Zalea TV.