Virtual Real-Estate: Squatting Domains
09.02.04
Full Screen net.art websites devoted to a single Squatted Domain Name
I experimented with creating various websites that acted as single ‘channels’ of information (imagery, video, animation) in full screen mode that emulated a television ‘portal’ in a web browser. All information had various instances of ‘looping’ that created an indefinite ‘web’ instance. Sites were ‘found objects’ – domains that were registered yet had no content so therefore had the potential of a virtual ’squat”.
Squatting with Full Screen net.art Websites
Description
Current sites may or may not be present in the same form as this project initially began. Several domains were randomly registered by others via ‘bulk register’. Sites sat content-less for several months. Sites were mapped to our Gentoo servers. Content played upon the given site title.
I effect sites were NOT squatted in the sense of a building that might be squatted upon without the actual owners permission. This project DID have domain owner permission to utilize the given web domains BUT it was also understood that these web domains were available temporarily and could be taken back and ‘re-confiscated’ at anytime.
Many sites were located and mapped (25-30 in all). Below is an example of some of the more successful experiments.
Slimeballs
http://slimeballs.org/
Site was replaced with high-quality photos of ‘politicians’. Photos were all full size. All photos extended past the browser window so that scrolling was nessesary. Any mouse click within the windows would randomly load another ’slimeball’ image.
HappyHouseWife
http://happyhousewife.org/
Random animated lines scrolled horizontally. Pop-cultural pallette meets the psycedelic – mothers little helper.
Nine-One-One
http://nine-one-one.org/
Footage of the fall of the World Trade Center continuously looped. World Trade Center Television. On the web and full screen though the browser window.
InTheAir
http://intheair.net/
George Bush giving the middle finger to the camera on a continuous loop.
TrashBag
http://trashbag.net/
An animation of the US flag waving on a contiuous loop, full-screen in a browser window.
