NETWORK MUSEUM

The Public Sphere Called "Cybercafe"
Heath Bunting and the cybercafe, 
"Backspace"

Cybercafe was born in London?

There are quite a few people who believe that the cybercafe
or "internet cafe" was born in London and not the United
States. I, also, was told this before when I interviewed
"Cyberia", a cybercafe on Tottenham Court Road. Later, when
I met Heath Bunting, I was informed that the concept itself
of "Cyberia" was his creation.

Heath Bunting and networking

People may remember the name, Heath Bunting, from his visit
to Japan on invitation by NTT's Intercommunication Center.
Those involved in the internet culture and have not heard
his name must be bogus. However, on the other hand, there
are only a few who can accurately say who he really is.
Artist? Certainly, since, centering on the city and
cyberspace, he draws graffiti, does hacking, and also things
similar to performances, he could be described as a type of
artist. Activist? Maybe so.

For example, his activities are something like this. He
distributes the internet mail addresses even to those who do
not have computers and those who cannot use computers from
various reasons. He creates a system in which mails sent
through the internet to those mail addresses eventually
arrive as regular mail at those people with these mail
addresses. For connection between the internet and the
postal system, he seems to be trying to attain cooperation
(rather, maybe he is trying hacking?) from direct mail
companies. These activities can be understood as practical
political activities that fill in the gap between the
"haves" and "have-nots" of cyberspace which is often argued.

Heath Bunting has many of these activities. However, he
himself seems to be extremely wary of these activities being
taken up by major media. It is told that until recently, he
had a time when he was a homeless with no real address
except his internet mail address. He is an extreme person.
Still, this does not mean that he is a fastidious person,
difficult to get along with. On the contrary, Heath Bunting
actively seeks exchange with various people from various
countries, constantly attempting the networking of people.

"Backspace", a cybercafe established on the southern bank of
the Thames

Heath Bunting is recently using the cybercafe, "Backspace",
located on the southern bank of the Thames near London
Bridge, as his base for networking. This small space which
usually operates as a cybercafe, recently holds a series of
conferences once a month titled "Anti With E". Though they
are called conferences, they are not something rigid.
Admission is free. However, participants must bring in food
and drinks for everyone to share. The themes are set roughly
on subjects such as network art, network religion, and
network politics, and the conferences are opened to anyone
present to make a presentation freely, if they wish. Among
the presenters, there are quite a few from overseas. Besides
Pit Schultz, Graham Harwood, Peter Lambourn Wilson, Geert
Lovink, and Richard Barbrook, there is also Toshiya UENO
from Japan. Outside of these members, basically, anyone is
given equal time to make a presentation. The principle of
democracy is thoroughly applied. Thus, at the same time, if
one says something foolish, he will be fully attacked
whether or not he is famous. Such outright argument is
unthinkable in Japan where serious arguments tend to be
avoided due to consideration for others. Sometimes, when a
speaker goes out of control, Heath Bunting watches him with
a smile. It does not matter how long an off-the-mark
discussion continues. In the first place, they are not
discussing in order to come up with a conclusion. After the
discussion, people who become acquainted there, go out
drinking in a pub. There are also groups who have become
friends because they had an argument. In other words, an
argument is an argument, a person is a person.

The public sphere of cyber culture.

There is a famous argument by Habermas concerning public
sphere. According to his argument, "public" spaces such as
cafes and pubs where people had political discussions from
free points-of-view in the 19th century, have played
important roles in "modern" politics. Habermas, who is a
modernist, states that "now is the time when such a space is
needed", but looking at the conferences in "Backspace", we
can feel that the tradition of consciously and constantly
creating and maintaining "public" space clearly remains
within certain political movements in Europe.

What is common in their arguments is the clear indication of
an attitude of opposing the "privatization" of the "public
sphere" including cyberspace by "another power" such as the
state or corporations. The public spheres are not spaces
which belong to the state, corporations nor to individuals.
When something interesting-looking starts, the state or
corporations immediately intervene, and the individuals
engage merely in making money...the people involved in
cyberspace in Japan, who do not have any doubt about this
situation should peek into "Backspace", make a presentation
even in lousy English, and reconsider the meaning of the
word, "public" once again. What do you think?

Yoshitaka Mori