Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga

Structural Patterns

Reflections on Art, Technology and Society

Archive for the ‘Protest’ Category

Defend Net Neutrality

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Net Neutrality is the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favoring or blocking particular products or websites. SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE FCC.

Trump appointed US Federal Communication Commission (FCC) chairman Ajit Pai has spearheaded an FCC vote to end net neutrality rules. It was just in 2015 that the FCC with support of the Obama administration introduced new net neutrality regulations that put internet service providers (ISPs) such as Verizon, Comcast, AT&T in the same category as other telecommunication companies. ISPs currently are not allowed to favor the speed of some sites over others, all data on the internet moves at the same speed.

The FCC was first created to protect radio from commercialization and to ensure that it remain a public service. Given that on FM non-commercial stations have been shoved to one side in favor of powerful commercial media corporations, it seems merely a matter of time that the same occurs to the internet. However, perhaps at least for now, due to the nature of the internet as a social medium, net neutrality may be temporarily protected. Since the Clinton administration, the FCC has favored deregulation and corporate monopolization of the media, can this course of increasing corporate control of our media content and in general our culture be slowed down? SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE FCC.

Written by ricardo

July 12th, 2017 at 7:14 am

FRANKLIN FURNACE @ 40

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Help the Franklin Furnace continue to make the world safe for Avant-Garde Art (the really weird shit that the NEA is afraid of). The Furnace has turned 40 and is now relocated in Pratt Institute, however, in order to re-grant money to artists that challenge the norms of our society, the Furnace needs financial help. Anyone can donate to the Furnace anytime, but at this time the Furnace is holding a benefit art sale and you can participate via Paddle8!

Exhibition, Friday-Saturday April 19-22, 10am-6pm
Reception and Live Auction of Five Works, Saturday April 22, 5-7pm
Metro Pictures, 519 West 24 th Street, New York, NY 10011

FRANKLIN FURNACE @ 40 Honorees
Yoko Ono, Artist
Thea Westreich Wagner & Ethan Wagner, Collectors
Marian Goodman, Gallerist

FRANKLIN FURNACE @ 40 offers for sale original art by:
John Ahearn, Eleanor Antin, Ida Applebroog, Judith Bernstein, Patty Chang, Nicolas Ceccaldi, CRASH, Kate Gilmore, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Ann Hamilton, David Hammons/Clifford Owens, Mona Hatoum, Jenny Holzer, Joan Jonas, Barbara Kruger, Suzy Lake, Louise Lawler, Maggie Lee, Robert Longo, Ana Mendieta, Franco Mondini-Ruiz, Portia Munson, Lorraine O’Grady, Lady Pink, Pope.L, Ed Ruscha, Carolee Schneemann, Dread Scott, Michael Smith, Anton van Dalen, William Wegman, Lawrence Weiner, Martha Wilson, David Wojnarowicz, Martin Wong.

FRANKLIN FURNACE @ 40

FRANKLIN FURNACE @ 40

The Voice Who

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On a February Friday afternoon walking along Fulton near Nostrand in Brooklyn, my son and I encountered an artist/writer/performer/thinker mounting painted wooden statements or declarations to the temporary plywood of a construction site. We paused to ask him about his declarations and he broke them down one by one. According to the artist each sign represents a book that he is working on, but they also sound like moments and reflections from his life.

Written by ricardo

March 7th, 2017 at 8:04 pm

Peaches Strikes At Gender Norms & Ageism

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Peaches has been making music for over two decades and over that time has not reached the popularity that she is enjoying today. With her 2015 “Rub” album she is receiving the recognition long deserved as she puts herself front and center in the current Culture Wars. “I Mean Something” strikes at ageism and “Rub” obliterates any body and gender norms. Peaches work is as timely as ever; perhaps popular culture has finally begun to catch up with her. As Cameron Cook of Pitchfork puts it “Peaches may be the only female pop musician working today who sings about sex while firmly and intentionally diverting the objectifying male gaze.”

In Peaches music videos women are the heroes and they are sexualized, but not as figures servicing men, instead they enjoy one another and reflect self-empowerment.


Peaches – I Mean Something (featuring Feist)

Peaches – Rub (Uncensored) from Peaches on Vimeo.

It’s also pretty great how Peaches has chosen to work with past punk icons Iggy Pop and more recently Kim Gordon.

Written by ricardo

October 7th, 2016 at 5:27 am

Richard Stallman at The New School

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Richard StallmanUnfortunately, I was not prepared to record Richard Stallman’s song about email that he sang before his lecture, but I did record the entire lecture which is smart and entertaining. Unfortunately, it feels like a battle cry for a long lost war. However, if you’ve been thinking about deleting your FB and Instagram accounts and dumping your proprietary operating systems for GNU/Linux and switching to free software, then listen to this lecture and allow Richard Stallman to convince you to make the leap into freedom.

Richard Stallman
People should have the right to copy and modify programs.

Richard Stallman
People should have the right to redistribute programs with changes.

Richard Stallman
People should not be used by their programs or it’s makers.

Richard Stallman
Amazon Swindle will track your reading, delete files, make changes to your device.

Richard Stallman
Companies abuse their users for profit, don’t allow yourself to be abused.

Richard Stallman
You are tethered to Apple to make the company immense amounts of money.

Richard Stallman
When teachers teach proprietary software, it’s just like selling cigarettes to kids.

Richard Stallman
Free software presents the freedom to knowledge, to learn what makes the software, it presents the possibility to modify the software and to freely share with others. The basis of free software is the free exchange of information and knowledge. So meet the free software gang and be liberated from the likes of Microsoft or Adobe.

Written by ricardo

October 12th, 2015 at 7:35 pm

Visualization of #ICantBreathe, #BlackLivesMatter, #HandsUpDontShoot

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Using CartoDB user SRoghers has created a visualization of the hashtags #ICantBreathe, #BlackLivesMatter and #HandsUpDontShoot on Twitter

Written by ricardo

December 11th, 2014 at 4:34 pm

#shutitdown Barclays December 8th

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eric garner protest

People took over Atlantic and Flatbush, Brooklyn NY

Regular people marched from Barclays Arena in to Flatbush Avenue down to Atlantic and circled around the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush ahead of the Cavaliers and Nets game. It was a tremendous showing by people of all races and ages.

Never imagined I would see the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush entirely shut down. People peacefully marching and claiming our streets.

Written by ricardo

December 8th, 2014 at 9:06 pm