The Centre for Contemporary Art


This is the start of the index page of the Center for Contemporary Art in Warsaw. Marta Dubrzynska and Michiel van der Haagen did some investigative journalism to find out what went wrong in Poland:
We would like to use this opportunity to create a temporary autonomous zone in which we can discuss the present Polish internet situation. Marta Dubrzynska is Webmaster of the Centre for Contemporary Art. This was the first cultural institution on the World Wide Web in eastern Europe. She will present this Art Centre that is struggling against lack of funding and "neo" communist politics to show modern art, both from abroad and from inside of Poland. Not many artists in Poland realize the importance of internet. The Center wants to bring them into contact with this new medium, but we sudenly find ourselves in a basic struggle for acces. Poland suffers from two monopoles+ that of the Polish Telecom PTT and of the only internet provider NASK. In November last year NASK anounced a new price list which made Internet monopoles, that of the PTT and of the only internet provider NASK. In November last year NASK anounced a new price list which made Internet unaccesable for most users including some University faculties. They wanted to charge per byte and the cost could increase 10 till 40 times. Under pressure of the protest that followed this new price are probably not introduced yet (we are not even sure of that, we will be if we get the bill in april). We want to tell about the reaction of the Polish internet community and we would like to discuss possible tactics to break the monopoles.
The Centre for Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski Castle
Al.Ujazdowskie 6, 00-461 Warsaw, Poland
tel: (48 2) 628 12 71-3, (48 2) 628 76 83
fax: (48 2) 628 95 50