1961    Born in Bludenz, lives and works in New York
1990/91 Whitney Museum Independent Study Program, New York
1986-91 HAK, Vienna (P. Weibel), Akademie D=FCsseldorf (N. J. Paik)
1986    Master of Philosophy and History at the University of Innsbruck

About the Work:
[[READ ME FIRST]]My contribution for the DNP AWARD '96 consists of the micro video-clip called ]]BASIC KOREAN<< and two textual components entitled: >>READ ME FIRST[[ and ]]TRAVELING THEORY[[.This video clip ]]BASIC KOREAN<< shows me speaking in Korean language to the Internet visitor: "Hello; How are you? My name is Rainer. I am studying Korean. Could you please teach me Korean. Thank you". This reference in a non-dominant Asian language spoken by a white European on the Internet in the western hemisphere is not just a hopelessly comical act but also a gesture that could provoke reflection. It is very unlikely that my solicitation will be responded positively with someone who wants to teach me Korean. On the western side of the world the is completely dominated by the English language. Opposite to what many people claim the Internet is just another instrument of mainly Global (Symbolic) Capital to streamline and globalize culture. The network is not so much a m!!

edium that reflects and foregrounds the difference and the multiplicity of voices as well as the diversity of languages but tends more to obliterate them and to force everybody to speak mostly English. This work is part of my art practice to study foreign languages as critical art practice. My essay >>TRAVELING THEORY<< tries to give a more detailed account about the philosophical、 critical as well as art historical context of this art work. It might be of interest for you that in Summer 1995 I started studying Korean as an art practice within the context of a group project near Hiroshima  - a historically significant place for Japan in respect to its history with Korea. Since then I have been studying Korean regularly、 alternating with my studies of Japanese (already for 4 years)、 Russian (already for 6 years) and Modern Greek (160 hours in total).Last but not least I might point out that the is here understood as an interactive medium in order to put art!!

istic accents and communicate ideas in visual but also textual forms which are having also an existence outside the Internet. This work is not intended to push the technological edge of the Internet but to rather introduce a critical instance with rather conceptual means. Rainer Ganahl、 August 1996 (rganahl@thing.net),My contribution is consistent of 3 elements: the video、 and two texts: the second text: TRAVELING THEORY I will put donw now: Wenn wir einen Chinesen hモen、 so sind wir geneigt、 sein Sprechen f モ ein unartikuliertes Gurgeln zu halten. Einer、 der chinesisc

Winner's Comment:
I am happy about this surprise since I forgot about it over the last 5 months. But I still don't know what it means.