作為「Non-governmental Matters」研究項目和出版物的一部分，我們從歐洲和亞洲的跨學科藝術團體中尋求不同的觀點，我們尋求在藝術家社群內創建一種工作模式，該模式獨立於政府對藝術家資助的規定；從而鼓勵這些社區的藝術家通過他們自己的創造力和獨特的文化知識，跨媒體集體工作，解決相關問題。我們這個研究案的目標是為有興趣集體和跨學科工作的藝術家團體和獨立藝術家提供替代框架。其中的主要部分是研究，特別關注藝術社區、集體、藝術團體和網絡的形成方法、歷史和財務模型。這裡正在研究的目標主要與「營」網絡有關。遵循這一主要採訪途徑，本項目還採訪了幾個替代目標而不是「營」，例如 Re-FREAM 或是 Fabricademy 等使用了歐洲補助或是混合資金來源的組織，與其他自治營地或非補助和獨立活動相比，它們在這裡被用作參考組。或是其他參照組如 Senyawa 提供了對西方與東方交流下衍生的其他議題，如殖民問題和觀念衝途。同樣，這項研究的目的是重塑、想像一個可持續的產業或是平臺，「什麼是機器？」以在現有學術系統之外支持藝術家。
與歐洲和東南亞不同社區和營地網絡領導者的交流讓我們了解了不同工作組的思想和實踐的多樣性，同時，他們有一個共同的目標，即開源可訪問性以共享知識和技能。隨著藝術界繼續推進私有化，讓物質知識和信息無國界地自由流動，對於超越機構限制，培養批判性和理論性實踐至關重要。其中一種自治模型是夏令營，其既是藝術家、科學家和黑客的教育和社交場合。它們是未定義的、但又相對普遍的模板，供組織者組織活動以支持具有相似興趣的個體藝術家。我們收集的這項研究說明了這些網絡，並為我們提供了利用它們的最佳實踐，使它們在未來更容易訪問。
儘管在結構上是非正式的，但營地動員社群超越了學術不可訪問的限制，傳統工藝者和學者通過共食共住將在同一台織機上將材料和數字技術編織在一起，更重要的是這種模式強調藝術、文化和理論生產的新模式，換言之，網絡和知識傳播的主要構成是友情，活動的產出是關於人與人之間透過相處而得到的觀念迭代，而非技術上的增進，參與者的思想演進和其流動才是真正的價值。
As part of the research project and publication of “Non-Governmental Matter”, we sought different perspectives from interdisciplinary art collectives across Europe and Asia. We seek to create a working model within artists communities that functions independently of government regulations on artist funding; thereby encouraging artists in these communities to work collectively and across mediums to address pertinent issues through their own creativity and unique cultural knowledge. Our goal for this project is to provide alternative frameworks for artist groups and solo artists interested in working collectively and across disciplines. The major part of this is research particularly focused on the forming method, history and financial model of art communities, collectives, art groups and networks. The targets are being studied here mainly associated with the “camp” network. Following this main purpose, several alternative targets rather than “camps” were also interviewed in this project, organizations such as Re-FREAM or Fabricademy, which use European grants or mixed funding sources, are used here as reference groups in comparison to other autonomous camps or non-funded and self-organized activities. Or other reference groups such as Senyawa provide insights into other issues arising from the exchange between the West and the East, such as colonial issues and conceptual conflicts. Similarly, this research aims to reshape and imagine a sustainable industry or platform, “What is the Machine? in order to support artists outside of the existing academic system. Interfacing with different communities and camp network leaders across Europe and Southeast Asia have taught us about the diversity of thought and practice across different working groups, who at the same time, share a common goal of open source accessibility to share knowledge and skills. As the art world continues to move into increased privatization, privileging the free flow of material knowledge and information without borders is paramount to fostering critical and theoretical practice, beyond the confines of institutions.
One such model of autonomous organization is the summer camp which is both an educational and networking occasion for artists, scientists and hackers. They are undefined, well known templates for organizers to generate events to support individual artists who share similar interests. This research we have gathered illustrates these networks, and informs us on best practices for their utilization to make them more accessible in the future. Although informal in structure, camps mobilize communities beyond the limitations of academic (in)accessibility, Traditional craftsmen and scholars weave together materials and digital technologies on the same loom by eating and living together, more importantly, this model emphasizes new modes of artistic, cultural, and theoretical production. In other words, the main component of networking and knowledge dissemination is friendship, and the output of the activity is about the iteration of concepts gained through human contact rather than technical advancement, and the evolution of the participants’ ideas and their mobility is the real value.
