Digital Be-In
Encyclopedia
The Digital Be-In is an ongoing San Francisco-based event that began with a mission to carry forth the ethos and values expressed at the 1960s' Human Be-In
, and bring them into the world of multimedia
and Internet
technology. It served a role through the 1990s as a venue for the San Francisco Bay Area
's community of new media
pioneers to socialize and exchange ideas. Cyberculture
became the focal point of the gatherings. However, producer Michael Gosney also brought in key figures from the Human Be-In such as Allen Cohen
, Chet Helms
and Timothy Leary
to maintain the 60s influence, as well as 60s icons Ken Kesey
, Ram Dass
and Wavy Gravy
. The most recent event (Digital Be-In 16: ECOCITY) was held 2008-04-28.
In the early years, it drew major companies as sponsors, such as Apple, Microsoft
, Adobe Systems
and Kodak, while at the same time staying an underground party. After 1997 and after the year 2000, the event started to show maturity. The production team organized socially-conscious themes that began catching on with the Be-In attendees, to the point where the symposium for the 2006 theme, Planet Code, had as large an audience as the party that followed it.
magazine, an early digital art
magazine. Verbum president, Michael Gosney, promoted digital media and early desktop publishing as a way to continue the countercultural ideas that were begun during the original Be-In and the Summer of Love
, while underscoring the visionary and humanistic components of cyberculture.
Computer-industry people and underground artists came together at the first Digital Be-In to celebrate the emergent electronic art and design medium, entertained by a combination of music and visuals. At subsequent events, Gosney also involved co-founders of the Human Be-In, Allen Cohen, Chet Helms
, Timothy Leary
and John Perry Barlow
.
every January until 1998. During the 3rd year, Allen Cohen showcased a hardcover volume of the entire run of the SF Oracle issues. In its 4th year, the event occurred on the 25th Anniversary of the Human Be-In. That 4th event, called the New Human Be-In, became the first public event. Although Wired Magazine editor Gary Wolf
belittled the presence so-called smart drugs, he acknowledged that the New Human Be-In was one of the rare occasions that year where the Bay Area's community of "gadget-lovers and artists, programmers and entrepreneurs" gathered in person.
In 1995, the official name was shortened from Digital Art Be-In simply to Digital Be-In. Additionally that year, Verbum organized a Be-In in Tokyo
. There they had a video tape message from Timothy Leary, a presentation on the links between the 1960s counterculture of the Bay Area and the personal computer revolution, a Digital Art Gallery, and the Digital Frontier included exhibits by avant garde multimedia publishers.
Through the 1990s, the Be-In went on to feature the development of new technology and digital art alongside immersive light shows. Projections combined original 1960s artists' analog work with video effects and 3D digital animation. In 1996, the 8th Be-In took its next step and started netcasting.
Human Be-In
The Human Be-In was a happening in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, the afternoon and evening of January 14, 1967. It was a prelude to San Francisco's Summer of Love, which made the Haight-Ashbury district a symbol as the center of an American counterculture and introduced the word 'psychedelic'...
, and bring them into the world of multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
and Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
technology. It served a role through the 1990s as a venue for the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
's community of new media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
pioneers to socialize and exchange ideas. Cyberculture
Cyberculture
Cyberculture is the culture that has emerged, or is emerging, from the use of computer networks for communication, entertainment and business. It is also the study of various social phenomena associated with the Internet and other new forms of network communication, such as online communities,...
became the focal point of the gatherings. However, producer Michael Gosney also brought in key figures from the Human Be-In such as Allen Cohen
Allen Cohen (poet)
Allen Cohen was an American poet. Born in 1940 in Brooklyn, New York, he attended Brooklyn College and then moved to San Francisco in 1963. There, he founded and edited the San Francisco Oracle underground newspaper, which was published from 1966 to 1968...
, Chet Helms
Chet Helms
Chester Leo "Chet" Helms , often called the father of San Francisco's "1967 Summer of Love," was a music promoter and a cultural figure in San Francisco during its hippie period in the late Sixties....
and Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
to maintain the 60s influence, as well as 60s icons Ken Kesey
Ken Kesey
Kenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a...
, Ram Dass
Ram Dass
Ram Dass is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book Be Here Now. He is known for his personal and professional associations with Timothy Leary at Harvard University in the early 1960s, for his travels to India and his relationship with the Hindu guru Neem...
and Wavy Gravy
Wavy Gravy
Wavy Gravy is an American entertainer and activist for peace, best known for his hippie appearance, personality and beliefs. His moniker...
. The most recent event (Digital Be-In 16: ECOCITY) was held 2008-04-28.
In the early years, it drew major companies as sponsors, such as Apple, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
and Kodak, while at the same time staying an underground party. After 1997 and after the year 2000, the event started to show maturity. The production team organized socially-conscious themes that began catching on with the Be-In attendees, to the point where the symposium for the 2006 theme, Planet Code, had as large an audience as the party that followed it.
Beginnings
Inspired by the 1967 Human Be-In, the first Digital Be-In was held on January 21, 1989 in San Francisco, as a party for VerbumVerbum (magazine)
Verbum was an early personal computer and computer art magazine focusing on interactive art and computer graphics. It was published from 1987 until the late 1990s. It, along with Info 64, was one of the first periodicals to be entirely based on desktop publishing techniques...
magazine, an early digital art
Digital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
magazine. Verbum president, Michael Gosney, promoted digital media and early desktop publishing as a way to continue the countercultural ideas that were begun during the original Be-In and the Summer of Love
Summer of Love
The Summer of Love was a social phenomenon that occurred during the summer of 1967, when as many as 100,000 people converged on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, creating a cultural and political rebellion...
, while underscoring the visionary and humanistic components of cyberculture.
Computer-industry people and underground artists came together at the first Digital Be-In to celebrate the emergent electronic art and design medium, entertained by a combination of music and visuals. At subsequent events, Gosney also involved co-founders of the Human Be-In, Allen Cohen, Chet Helms
Chet Helms
Chester Leo "Chet" Helms , often called the father of San Francisco's "1967 Summer of Love," was a music promoter and a cultural figure in San Francisco during its hippie period in the late Sixties....
, Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
and John Perry Barlow
John Perry Barlow
John Perry Barlow is an American poet and essayist, a retired Wyoming cattle rancher, and a cyberlibertarian political activist who has been associated with both the Democratic and Republican parties. He is also a former lyricist for the Grateful Dead and a founding member of the Electronic...
.
The Nineties
Verbum held 10 consecutive Be-Ins during Macworld Conference & ExpoMacworld Conference & Expo
Produced by Boston-based IDG World Expo, Macworld | iWorld is a trade-show with conference tracks dedicated to the Apple Macintosh platform. It is held annually in the United States, usually during the second week of January...
every January until 1998. During the 3rd year, Allen Cohen showcased a hardcover volume of the entire run of the SF Oracle issues. In its 4th year, the event occurred on the 25th Anniversary of the Human Be-In. That 4th event, called the New Human Be-In, became the first public event. Although Wired Magazine editor Gary Wolf
Gary Wolf (journalist)
This article refers to the journalist and contributing editor for Wired magazine. For the novelist and creator of the Roger Rabbit universe, see Gary K. Wolf.Gary Wolf is a writer and contributing editor at Wired magazine...
belittled the presence so-called smart drugs, he acknowledged that the New Human Be-In was one of the rare occasions that year where the Bay Area's community of "gadget-lovers and artists, programmers and entrepreneurs" gathered in person.
In 1995, the official name was shortened from Digital Art Be-In simply to Digital Be-In. Additionally that year, Verbum organized a Be-In in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. There they had a video tape message from Timothy Leary, a presentation on the links between the 1960s counterculture of the Bay Area and the personal computer revolution, a Digital Art Gallery, and the Digital Frontier included exhibits by avant garde multimedia publishers.
Through the 1990s, the Be-In went on to feature the development of new technology and digital art alongside immersive light shows. Projections combined original 1960s artists' analog work with video effects and 3D digital animation. In 1996, the 8th Be-In took its next step and started netcasting.
Themes
In 1997, Digital Be-In 9 matured with the introduction of a political theme, "Cultural Diversity in Cyberspace." Number 10 was themed "Human Rights in Cyberspace" and number 11 was "Body, Mind and Cyberspace." Then there was a break for the millennium. Number 12 resumed in 2002, under the theme "Media Revolution," number 13, "The Transparent Network" was in 2004 and number 14, "Planet Code," happened on Earth Day, April 22, 2006.External links
- Be-In Website
- Digital Be-In History
- Live from the Digital Be-In. A report by Ken Kesey Intrepid Trips.
- Allen Cohen biography
- Turn on. Tune in. Take charge. Lawrence Hagerty's Be-In 12 speech.
- Be-In Now. Be-In 13 blog.
- Grokking the transparent network. Common Ground story.
- Notes from the Digital Be-In. Futuresalon blog entry.
- Planet Code Digital Be-In. Onevillage blog entry.
- Back from the Digital Be-In. Technologist Eric Magnuson's blog entry.