Open 12 Freedom of culture

FREEDOM OF CULTURE REGULATION AND PRIVATIZATION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND PUBLIC SPACE The growing number of conflicts relating to the public and private ownership and control of knowledge and culture has lent a certain urgency to our thinking about the 'common' in the public domain. 'Freedom of Culture' has become a pressing issue with legal and ethical implications. To what extent can culture be freely distributed, exchanged or appropriated? And what guarantee is there for the continued existence of places where the 'commons' can manifest themselves and be discussed? This issue of Open focuses on questions regarding the privatization of intellectual property and presents several alternative approaches to urban design that aim to restore the communal dimension to public space. Stephen Wright ponders what the growing privatization of knowledge means for art as a form of knowl¬edge. Brian Holmes looks at the priva¬tization of knowledge in relation to the technologically determined space in which language and communication acquire meaning. Pascal Gielen believes the creation of a free zone will grant a role to art that sparks contemplation. McKenzie Wark writes about publishing his books, in the light of his theories on copyrights. Joost Smiers suggests a new approach to copyright. Willem van Weelden questions the effectivity of activist Net criticism of Lawrence Lessig and Creative Commons. Maxine Kopsa interviews Chris Evans about his project Militant Bourgeois: An Existential Retreat. Dennis Kaspori and Jeanne van Heeswijk invited Transparadiso, m7red, Jo van der Spek, An Architektur and Universal Embassy to present a vision for public space based on their own models for a new urban design practice. Plus artistic contributions by Swop Network and Oliver Ressler.