Copycamp: mayhem works

COPYCAMP – Toronto September 28-30, 2006

A three day ‘unconference’ organized by the Creator’s Rights Alliance (CRA-ADC) and brought together by, among others, Susan Crean (CRA-ADC) and animated host Misha Glouberman. Over three days the vigorous transition towards a more open and sharing creative environment became readily apparent.

CopyCamp was awash with equal parts vulnerability, arrogance, conviction and uncertainty. CRA-ADC and other artists collectives like CARFAC have traditionally championed more restricted access to copyrighted material, with a focus on the ‘promotion and protection of the interests of creators’: a focus on the business of creation and on getting paid. Few would argue that this is a commendable endeavor. But by the final afternoon many of the old guard were being confronted with the reality of a broader notion of how we support, encourage and interact with creators. And this includes the possibility of opening up and letting go. As with all historic transitions it’s a difficult one , made more difficult by the legal, political and practical complexities of copyright. But it is the capacity to recognize change that characterizes growth and new forms of creativity.

Discussions in support of open source, appropriation and file-sharing dominated the conference; over 30 sessions dealt with appropriation in some context. As always the issue of moral rights for creators was brought forward, however this concern was not backed by concrete examples. There were no anecdotal or evidential examples of artists violating the rights of another artist. There were, however, many examples of creators who were threatened and their work restricted or prevented by current copyright legislation.
The informality of the sessions was beneficial with emphasis placed on participation. The sheer number and set-up of sessions gave an impulsive, hyperactive quality to the event that was by turns exhilarating and desensitizing. A number of people who had signed on with the Appropriation Art Coalition gave sessions and/or presented articulate and thoughtful arguments. Diana Thorneycroft, Richard Fung, Tegan Forbes, Carrie Gates, Joanna Householder, b.h.yael, David Kemp, John Oswald, Lucinda Catchlove, Leila Sujir, Sarah Joyce + Gordon Duggan. We (Joyce + Duggan) gave four sessions and were invited to defend Appropriation Art at a round-table discussion with CARFAC and affiliates. The result of this is to further discussion on the points of concern brought up by the Appropriation Art Coalition. The 300+ artists who have signed on to Appropriation Art Coalition are still, however, without a concrete statement of support from CARFAC (and affiliates). We have requested that a statement be issued which clearly indicates support for all artists, including those who practice appropriation. Prior to CopyCamp several of the CARFAC/CRA collectives issued a statement calling for their members to withdraw support from the Appropriation Art Coalition. We have also requested that CARCC (CARFAC, RAAV, SODART) remove this statement. We are still in the early stages of discussing copyright and it moves slowly. The concerns of the Appropriation Art Coalition remain our priority and lobbying continues for balanced copyright legislation.

Support for an increasingly more balanced position came from unusual quarters. Remarks from Susan Crean and her colleagues in the crowd during the closing session of CopyCamp were particularly interesting and seemed to indicate a search for new solutions. These closing comments from the organizers are unfortunately not included in the CopyCamp Wiki.

Of interest to us were the similarities in tone and content between CopyCamp and the University of Calgary/Banff Center conference ‘Shifting Ground: Ethics, Creativity & Copyright’ (link). The Calgary/Banff conference was composed largely of academics and copyright lawyers while CopyCamp was populated largely by creators. Yet the results were similar – a focus on and support of less (restrictive) rather than more (restrictive) copyright. This overlap of opinion between the two events should signal a wake-up call to those drafting current Canadian copyright legislation. It is now readily apparent that more and more groups are expressing their unease about the direction copyright is taking. It is surprising those in parliament have not been informed of this fact. Is it possible that those responsible for drafting copyright legislation have been so misinformed? Or is there a more likely scenario?

Laura Murray (FairCopyright) gives a thoughtful description of the recent CopyCamp conference in Toronto. Her remark that the overall goal (to defend artists’ rights – all artists’ rights) is one that is staunchly supported by the Appropriation Art Coalition.
An interesting comment in one of the final sessions came from Mark Hosler of Negativland, who expressed great interest in the formation of the Appropriation Art Coalition. In support of the real possiblity of positive changes to Canadian Copyright Legislation he noted that 600 Canadians sending a letter to their Government is roughly equivalent to 6000 Americans sending a similar letter.