what is in a name?

joep
Posts: 7
 Joined: 2006-06-20

Name it, and it exists. What about assuming a new name? And, what could sharing a name bring? What possibilities could borrowing a reputation open?

Loesje, and Luther Blissett and, in another way, Spartacus.

I've found this nice explanation of Multiple Names at http://www.thing.de/projekte/7:9%23/multiple_names.html:

thing.de wrote:
Multiple Names are 'tags' that the avant-garde of the seventies and eighties proposed for a serial use. They have taken a number of forms, but are more commonly 'invented personal names' which, their proponents claim, anyone can take on as a 'context' or 'identity'. The idea is usually to create a collective body of artistic works using the 'invented identity'.

The first of these 'collective identities', 'Klaos Oldanburg', was propagated by the British mail artists Stefan Kukowski and Adam Czarnowski in the mid-seventies. A few years later, the American mail artist, David Zack, proposed 'Monty Cantsin' as the name of the 'first open pop-star', a name anybody could use. Factional differences between those using the 'Monty Cantsin' tag resulted in the 'rival' names of 'No Cantsin' and 'Karen Eliot', both of which emerged in the mid-eighties. A number of individuals and groups have independently 'originated' similar concepts. For example, a group centred around Sam Durrant in Boston (USA) proposed 'Bob Jones' as a multiple identity in the mid-eighties.

There have been multiple names for magazines ('Smile' originating in England in 1984) and pop groups ('White Colours' first proposed in England in 1982).

Multiple names are connected to radical theories of play. The idea is to create an 'open situation' for which no one in particular is responsible. Some proponents of the concept also claim that it is a way to 'practically examine, and break down, western philosophic notions of identity, individuality, value and truth'.


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julia
Posts: 4
 Joined: 2006-10-02
the idea of a name, an identification number and confusion

using these alias that you mention above sounds interesting. Doing this enables you too work as a collective under one name, even if you dont know the rest of the collective... :)

I was thinking a bit lately around names and identity too...

I was reading a text by yoko ono which encourages you to change your name after your age, your mood and your dress. I am in general trying to come up with opportunities to escape identity, but it seems impossible. Having no identity, means having an identity. To change your name on a daily, hourly or random basis will for sure mess up your surroundings and maybe your mind too. I am not sure what you will gain by doing this but it is a nice experiment. Maybe I will try it. :)

This kind of thoughts led me to passports and official papers. If we all change our name to the same name, it will sooner or later fuck up the system. But I suppose the system will then fast be replaced by another system. In Sweden for example your personal identification number (personal number) is more important than your actual name. Living in Sweden no one ever had problems with me spelling my name different at different places, but living in Germany it is important all of a sudden. The past two years I barely used my personal number at all, when in Sweden I hardly can rent a video without giving them my code. My personal number says a lot more than my name. It reveals my birth date, what town or hospital I was born, and what gender I have. In addition to that my current address is registered with my code, my bank card is linked to it, my library card and my doctor. I can even apply for university studies by filling in my personal number on a website. Then they automatically send me a log in number to my home address (which they know from the number only) and I can log in at their page. Doing this they already know who I am and have my previous grades stored under my personal number. It is very easy, customer friendly and systematized, but it makes me paranoid...


Wed, 2008-03-05 17:51 reply

Anonymous
Posts: 13
 Joined:
Collectives

We are always part of a number of common and shared identities. May it be the Swedish registration system or our online social communities. Interesting is where these identities are shared in a radical way, either by individuals creating a confronting public "me" or by collective identities.

In the time of virtual identities, the possibilities of forming virtual group identities are enormous. Most people choose to use the options to fool around in a second life or online game, but some use it as a radical play jard as well.


Fri, 2008-04-04 09:27 reply

FRH
Posts: 15
 Joined: 2006-06-16
does my name define me?

How important is a name for an individual?
My name has the meaning of happiness and joy, and that's a nice asset to me. But I do not call myself happiness or joy going out on the street.

A name is almost never an individual thing. Some names have a biblical background, other are quite popular during certain times and therefor a lot of my friends have names starting with an M. You can buy nice cups, namebooks and name-horoscopes to tell you who you are. An individual can enjoy these things but does not have the association that a corporate brand or a collective has.

The name of these two does identify them and calls on associastions of image and ideology. Those names are normally handpicked and well thought about. Where as for me, my name does not tell that much about me, the name of a company tells you so much more. Not the letters that make up the name, but the thoughts you have with it.

Having a number instead of a name would be more individual because two people would not get the same number. In that way, I don't think a number is that much different from a name, only that the latter sounds nicer then the former.
In the Netherlands we do not have a number system, but a Dig-ID. All offical governemental websites use this to store and adjust your information. So by entering a website like that they can all see all information about me. But, it saves me a lot of work because I can fill out offical papers online.
I do understand the feeling of paranoia that can come to exsistence when these informationstreams become heavily used.

To respond to the first posts, I would find it rather confusing to work as an individual under a collective name with individual work. because I do not nescissaryly have to support the work of the other individuals in this collective. Loesje on the other hand is a collective that works for me because we create our work togheter and even though we not always agree, in the Loesje texts we find a consencus of opinion.

So does my name define me? No, it does not, but I like it. But if I would sign a paper with my name or my number, what's the difference.


Sun, 2008-04-13 18:02 reply

Maria
Posts: 5
 Joined: 2006-08-15
No name, no numbre

Yesterday I came across a petition for registration of people. Every year some 50 million children doesn't get a birth certificate, as they are not registered they are not counted, they live without civic rights and doesn't get health care nor education. Because an unregistered child doesn't officially exist it lives in danger zone for child trade. (http://www.plan-international.org/ http://www.plan.fi http://www.omatnimetkirjoissa.fi)


Mon, 2008-04-14 16:31 reply

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