[Af_List] STEIM in danger of closing

[Damian Stewart]

Admin wrote:
> for those who might have a connection to this
> 
> http://www.steim.org/steim/funding_in_danger/

here's a support letter i wrote, in case any wants to copy + paste:



hey everyone,

don't know if you've heard, but STEIM was recently reviewed by a Dutch 
governmental advisor board which called them 'closed and only appealing to 
a niche audience', and as a result are in danger of losing their funding.

more info is here -->

http://www.steim.org/steim/funding_in_danger/index.php?lang=EN

here's what i wrote, if you want to copy + paste it:

Dear Council for Culture,

I am an composer and performer of electroacoustic music from New Zealand. I 
first heard about STEIM while I was studying electroacoustic composition at 
the Lilburn Electroacoustic Studios at the School of Music, at Victoria 
University of Wellington in New Zealand. Since that time it was a number of 
years before I was actually able to come to the place itself. In between 
then and now I have held countless conversations with others - New 
Zealanders, Austrialians, Americans, British, Spanish, Portuguese, and of 
course Dutch - about STEIM, about the work that they do and about what they 
mean to an entire generation of musicians working with electronic music.

In short, STEIM is the single most important institution for the live 
performance of electronic music and performance art using electronic 
sounds. In addition to this the work STEIM does spreads outward, far beyond 
these discplines. STEIM is the touchpoint for a vast network of inspired 
people across the whole world, being known to and contributing to the 
work/practise of interaction designers, theatre practitioners, installation 
artists, museums, dancers, musicians, music therapists, music theorists, 
visual artists.

As a workspace and a place to meet likeminded people, its like does not 
exist anywhere else in the world. I have only had the honour of staying in 
the guest house for two weeks but during this time I met and had inspiring 
conversations with no fewer than 30 individuals, all of them with work and 
ideas highly relevant to the work I am doing. This possibility does not 
exist in as open a format any where else in the world, and this is of 
infinite value.

STEIM has always been an exciting workspace for music and e-culture 
professionals and I hope that that tradition will last for many years to come.

I strongly hope that the funding for STEIM will not be cut, and that STEIM 
can continue to do this important and valuable work.

Thank you,
Damian Stewart

-- 
damian stewart | +31 659 025 782 |  damian at frey.co.nz
frey | live art with machines | http://www.frey.co.nz