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“Spirit Surfing” is an attempt to preserve and share a body of texts and visual essays written by artist, actor and musician Kevin Bewersdorf between 2002 and 2010, collected and edited by Domenico Quaranta without the explicit consent of the author, but according to his philosophy of sharing. Bewersdorf has been very active online between 2007 and 2009, as one of the leading figures of the so-called “pro-surfers” generation. With his works and texts, he had a long-standing influence on the practice and theory of art, not only net-based. When, around 2010, he decided to stop actively promoting himself as an artist, he deleted from the internet any content still under his control.

TRANSCRIPT

LINK Editions

Domenico Quaranta, In Your Computer, 2011

Valentina Tanni, Random, 2011

Miltos Manetas, In My Computer – Miltos Manetas, 2011

Gene McHugh, Post Internet, 2011

Domenico Quaranta (ed.), Collect the WWWorld. The Artist as Archivist in the Internet Age, 2011.

Exhibition Catalogue. Texts by Josephine Bosma, Gene McHugh, Joanne McNeil, Domenico

Quaranta

Brad Troemel, Peer Pressure, 2011

Domenico Quaranta (ed.), Gazira Babeli, 2011.

Yves Bernard, Domenico Quaranta (eds.), Holy Fire. Art of the Digital Age, 2011

Kevin Bewersdorf

Spirit Surfing

Publisher: LINK Editions, Brescia 2012

www.linkartcenter.eu

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-

NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of

this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite

300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

Printed and distributed by: Lulu.com

www.lulu.com

ISBN 978-1-291-02040-3

Kevin Bewersdorf is an artist, musician and actor. After playing a central role in the surfing clubgeneration of internet artists, in early 2009 he decided to stop doing art, taking everything he didout of the web, and replacing his online archive with an empty website, purekev.com. He starred inmovies, shorts and tv series, including LOL (2006) and Uncle Kent (2011), both directed by JoeSwamberg.

Contents

Editor's Note 1

ESSAYS 5

> King Lear directed by Jean-Luc Godard 7

> Why I Never Print My Photos (My Run-in with a Skater Mom) 11

> That's Incredible! 17

> Spirit Surfing 21

VISUAL ESSAYS 27

> Jerry Seinfeld as Compared To My Mother 29

> J.S. Bach Apparition (Seen While Pooping) 33

> Buy My Bunny 37

> Yo Picasso! 41

> Victorian Village 49

> Budweiser Clydesdales 53

> The Longest Building I have Ever Seen 57

> Stock Photography Watermarks As The Presence of God 61

> The Four Sacred Logos 71

INTERVIEWS 91

> Interview with Kevin Bewersdorf 93

> One Question Interview: Kevin Bewersdorf 99

Biography 101

Command S Saves 107

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Editor's Note

1

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

2

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

3

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

4

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

ESSAYS

5

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

6

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

King Lear directed byJean-Luc Godard

7

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

8

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

9

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

10

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Why I Never Print MyPhotos (My Run-in witha Skater Mom)

11

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

THE ORDER OF RIGHTS IN AMERICA

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

That's Incredible!

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

That's Incredible! was the show that helped create today'sreality series genre with segments that showed everythingfrom death defying stunts, mystifying phenomena and wackyanimal stunts, as well as uplifting stories about amazingpeople who overcame obstacles and handicaps. Hosts JohnDavidson, Fran Tarkenton and Cathy Lee Crosby were someof the first to break away from the canned variety acts of the1970s to reveal the more real and unusual sides of nature,medicine and human endeavor.

19

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

INFOmonks and INFObrats

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

The Boon

The Wake

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

The Frame

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

The Cloak

The INFOspirit

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

VISUAL ESSAYS

27

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Jerry Seinfeld asCompared To My Mother

29

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

30

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

31

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

32

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

J.S. Bach Apparition(Seen While Pooping)

33

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

34

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

35

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

36

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Buy My Bunny

37

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Bunny for Sale

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Bunny Sold

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

40

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Yo Picasso!

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

48

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Victorian Village

49

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

50

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

51

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

52

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Budweiser Clydesdales

53

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

54

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

55

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

56

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

The Longest Building IHave Ever Seen

57

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

58

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

59

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

60

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Stock PhotographyWatermarks As ThePresence of God

61

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

62

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

The Four Sacred Logos

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Part 1:

THE MARKETPLACE

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

THE MARKETPLACE CONTAINSONLY PRODUCTS

IN THE MARKETPLACE THERE AREONLY PRODUCTS

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Part 2:

THE PRODUCT

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

YOU ARE A PRODUCT ANDEVERYTHING IS IN YOU

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Part 3:

THE INFO

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Part 4:

THE INFOspirit

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

I AM MEDIOCREMEDIOCRITY IS IN ME

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

INTERVIEWS

91

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Interview with KevinBewersdorf

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Gene McHugh: The name of your website is MaximumSorrow. What does this phrase mean to you?

There seems to be a genuine interest in some of your recentwork in locating or describing how the spiritual could interfacewith the digital. For example, Spirit Surfers surf club and the“Stock Photography Watermarks as the Presence of God”photo essay on Art Fag City. Is that accurate and, if so, whatconclusions have you come to (if any)?

94

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

The written signature plays a prominent role in your self-portraits. What is it about this gesture that interests you?

What qualifies as a “boon” in Spirit Surfing? Can you describethe physical experience that occurs when you discover aboon?

95

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

How long does the “wake” of a boon typically last until it hasreceded?

In the accompanying text to your latest collection of music,Babes, you stress the virtues of struggle and mere survival inmaking music. Is this something specific to music or could youextend this stress to creative work, in general?

96

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Your first New York solo show opens on September 7th atV&A gallery. What will be on view?

What's your strategy for working between the gallery and theinternet?

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

One Question Interview:Kevin Bewersdorf

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

“What does the internet lack?”

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Biography

101

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Stats

The History of My Life (formerly “BIO”)

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

Command S Saves

107

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

108

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

109

Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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Kevin Bewersdorf – Spirit Surfing

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