Neurocam................

Well the deadline for the last Neurocam assignment/assessment is today and no confirmation
from them either way. The last time there was some sort of management shake up and operative cull it took months before another assignment arrived in my inbox.

Can I take it as the Neuroboards are down too that I may be in for a long wait?. The final death throws or a Phoenix emerging from the ashes, I eagerly await the outcome. Actually scratch that, I really cannot be bothered to keep up the pretence of this arts project anymore so I will publish what I have found out regarding it. Firstly please find find below a transcript of e-mails uncovering the whole project followed by an internal report. Happy reading cammers and please do not spam me for helping blow the lid. If the artists had more time it would have been a worthwhile project. As is there are far more interesting things going on out there......

Black report: http://trystingfields.com/2006/text/BlackReport.pdf

Website (password protected): www.neurocam.com

Whats really going on by Another Operative...............

Okay here goes. When I first joined Neurocam it was obvious that it was either: a). Genuinely a secret organisation, as it claimed to be or b). Something else, pretending to be a secret organisation.
I am no stranger to secret organisations. A few years ago, when I was fresh out of university and before I worked in the music industry, I spent a short amount of time working for the Department Of Public Health, a government department in the UK.

We worked directly opposite the MI5 building on the banks of the River Thames. And whilst there I was made privy to a certain amount of private correspondence and tothe inner workings of some of the higher government departments, and I got to see how confidential documents and secrets are dealt with in a private organisation.Furthermore, my grandfather is a freemason. In fact, he is the grand high master of his lodge.
He has never really spoken about freemasonry with me, but I have seen some of his books around his house, and I am aware of the secret handshakes he performs and the meetings he attends and the small symbols he occasionally wears on his clothing when meeting with certain colleagues. Several of his fellow masons attended my grandmother's funeral last week and I was introduced to a couple ofthem and we spoke briefly and they seemed like kind, intelligent men.And I have read many fictional books like The Da Vinci Code and numerous factual accounts which refer to secret brotherhoods and sects and things like that.But there is something about Neurocam which differentiates it from all other secret organisations I have ever known: it doesn't have a clear purpose.Why would you go to all the trouble of setting up a secret organisation and trying to get people to join if you did not have a purpose for them? This did not seem like an effective method of recruitment to me; nor was it an effective or reasonable way to run an organisation. It did not seem legit. So, early on, I came to the conclusion that Neurocam was most probably b). Something else. And I thought about what it could be, and the most likely solution was that it was an art project of some sort.
I would consider myself an artist. I have always been very creative, and before I turned to music I was a keen painter and sculptor and a keen follower of all kinds of subversive, experimental and alternative art, and Neurocam seemed to fit into these patterns. The more I thought about it and investigated it, the more certain I was that Neurocam was the work of an artist. It had clearly had a lot of time and money invested into it, but this is not unusual.
When I was younger I was a huge fan of the pop group The KLF. The two founding members of the KLF were Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, who later disbanded the group and set up a subversive art movement named The K Foundation. I monitored the progress of The K Foundation very closely. They did some brilliant subversive artwork and you can find records of most of it online, but their most controversial act was probably when they burned a million pounds. They literally set fire to £1,000,000 and watched it burn, for the sake of art. You can read all about the event here. In comparison with that, the money spent on putting up a couple of billboards for Neurocam and making a website is small change.
Similarly, I have always been a fan of art which involves members of the public. Stuff like "Join Me" by Danny Wallace - who was recently mentioned on Adam's blog - or his more recent project of starting up a new country.And, again, Neurocam seemed to fit into these patterns. So I concluded that it was most likely an art project. But who was running it?I decided to investigate. I started on the Neuroblogs and the Neuroboards and came across the name of Robert Henley / Robin Hely several times. Why would the name of an established artist be connected with Neurocam out of the blue if he was not in some way involved? This seemed to be the most likely person responsible, so I decided to follow up on these leads. I decided to try and contact the man himself. But I knew he would deny it or cover it up or make up some stories if I simply asked him about it outright, so I came up with a plan.I created a false email account and decided to pretend I was a journalist named John Mclusky (I chose this name simply because John is so generic, and Mclusky are one of my favourite rock bands of all time), from the Guardian Newspaper in the UK. I decided to say that I was writing an article on subversive art and that I would like to interview some artists about it on an upcoming trip to Australia.
So my story and my alias was ready. Now all I had to do was get the answers I wanted.

The correspondence that follows is an exact copy of all the emails I have sent and received over the past few weeks. I have not altered any of them, except to remove the contact details and names involved, as I do not believe I have the right to make these public.I swear on my life that all of this is true and that I am satisfied that I have solved the mystery of Neurocam. Whether or not you choose to believe me is up to you. You may come to your own conclusions. But here goes.-I did some searching online and found that Robin Hely was linked to an arts organisation named the Conical Arts Centre, which was funded by the Australian Council for the Arts. So I went to the Australian Council for the Arts' website and wrote them an email:

From: John Mcluksy <--------@gmail.com>Reply-To: John Mclusky <--------@gmail.com>To: mail@ozco.gov.auDate: Jul 6, 2005 10:34 AMSubject: Conical Arts CentreReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
Dear Sir / Madam,My name is John Mclusky and I am an arts journalist from London, UK.I am planning a trip to Australia soon and am looking into the possibility of making some arts contacts while I am over there, so I thought I would write and ask for your help regarding one project in particular.I am extremely interested in the Conical Arts Centre based at 3 Rochester St, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia 3065. I have been reading about the centre on their website: http://www.conical.org.auThe website links to your organisation so I was wondering if you would be able to give me some more information on it please. I would especially like to know about the artist Robin Hely, who is listed as one of the founders of the centre. I really like the sound of Mr Hely's work and would love to be able to work with him or at least meet with him while I am in the country. If you have any further information or contact details for the artist, or on the organisation itself, I would really appreciate it if you could let me know. In what way is this centre linked with yourselves?Many thanks in advance.
Yours sincerely,John Mclusky

I received the following reply:
From: ---------- <--------@ozco.gov.au>To: "--------@gmail.com" <--------@gmail.com>Cc: -------- <--------@ozco.gov.au>Date: Jul 7, 2005 1:28 AMSubject: RE: Conical Arts CentreReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
Dear John,
Thank you for your enquiry.We assisted Conical with funding for program and administration costs through the federal government's Young and Emerging Artists Initiative - support for Artist-Run Spaces. This is our only link to the organisation.I am afraid I cannot be of much help; I do not have further information on Robin Hely. Please contact Conical directly.
Regards,--------Program OfficerVisual Arts/Craft BoardAustralia Council for the Arts

Not much help. I emailed Conical directly but the email address seemed to be inactive. So I did a little more research and found some work by Robin Hely on something called the PROJEKT video art achives' website. There was also some work on there which he had done with another artist named Peter Burke. So I found a contact for the PROJEKT video art archives and contacted them:

From: John Mcluksy <--------@gmail.com>Reply-To: John Mclusky <--------@gmail.com>To: --------@vca.unimelb.edu.au, contact@--------.comDate: Jul 6, 2005 11:37 AMSubject: PROJEKT video art archivesReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
Dear Mr --------,
I understand that you are the curator of the PROJEKT video art archives.I am a journalist from London, UK and I will be travelling to Australia soon.I will be writing an article on the Australian fine arts scene, focusing on the development of video art and its involvement with the mass media, and vice versa.I would like to interview some of the artists as part of the feature whilst I am there. I am particulary interested in the works of Peter Burke and Robin Hely, whom I noticed on your site. The article will be focusing on the concept of involving the public in modern art, as art that grows and develops itself, as an autonomous concept.I would be very grateful if you could give me the contact details for these artists or perhaps any more information on this theme in general.Thanking you in advance.Yours sincerely,John McluskyThe response I received was a massive breakthrough. It was almost allthe proof I had been looking for. I couldn't believe it was thatsimple. Here it is:

From: -------- <--------@vca.unimelb.edu.au>To: John Mclusky <--------@gmail.com>Date: Jul 6, 2005 1:14 PMSubject: Re: PROJEKT video art archivesReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
Hi John,
It would be great to catch up with you when you get here. I'm in Melbourne (where all of the galleries are). I'm here until January then off to L.A for a while. So if you are here before then I can point you in the right direction. For more information of what is happening here, check out unMagazine http://www.unmagazine.orgPeter Burke's contact is --------@vu.edu.auHe also has a really crazy website at http://www.shellyinnocence.com/and Robin Hely has --------@hotmail.comIf you can't find him try this site...its subversive type thing he's up to.http://www.neurocam.com/index.htmCheers.Congratulations on the Olympics--------(I received this email a few hours after London had won its bid to host the 2012 Olympics, hence the reference). Also, tragically, this was the day before the July 7th terror attacks.At this stage I knew I was on the right track. Not only had I received confirmation that Hely was linked with Neurocam, but I had also been given confirmation that his colleague, Burke, was responsible for Shelly Innocence, a similar project which had been mentioned several times in Neurocam circles. I was finally ready to contact the artists themselves.
From:John Mcluksy <--------@gmail.com>Reply-To: John Mclusky <--------@gmail.com>To: --------@hotmail.com, --------@vu.edu.auDate: Jul 6, 2005 1:35 PMSubject: Guardian article on the arts and mass mediaReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
Dear Robin and Peter,
I am a journalist residing in London, UK and I will be travelling to Australia soon to work on anarticle on the Australian fine arts scene, focusing on the development of modern art and its involvement with the mass media, and vice versa.I was given Mr Brendan Lee's contact details by our Arts Editor, and Mr Lee in turn gave me your contact details (please see the emails below). I would be interested in including the Neurocam and Shelly Innocence projects in my article. Would this be possible? I was also wondering how successful these projects had been, and if you have any plans to display the results in any gallery or as a video exhibition at any time in the future.I would very much appreciate your help.Thanking you in advance.Yours sincerely,John Mclusky,Arts correspondent for Guardian Newspapers Ltd,164 Deansgate, Manchester M60 2RR, UK(This really is the address for Guardian Newspapers Ltd. I found it online).Here's the response I received from Peter:
From: --------@vu.edu.au <--------@vu.edu.au>To: John Mclusky <---------@gmail.com>Date: Jul 7, 2005 12:31 AMSubject: Re: Guardian article on the arts and mass mediaReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
Hi John,
Thanks for your email. Yes, I'd be interested to catch up with you when you are in town. When will it be? As Brendan mentioned, shellyinnocence.com documents my recent project. Do you have anything on line of yours I could look at?Regards, Peter-------------------------------------------------------------Peter BurkeVisual Art, Design and Multimedia DepartmentVictoria UniversityTel: (03) 9919 ----Email: --------@vu.edu.auhttp://art.tafe.vu.edu.auI decided I better try to make myself seem more legit, so I repliedwith some more bullshit:From: John Mclusky <--------@gmail.com>Reply-To: John Mclusky <--------@gmail.com>To: "--------@vu.edu.au" <--------@vu.edu.au>Date: Jul 8, 2005 12:09 AMSubject: Re: Guardian article on the arts and mass mediaReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
Peter,
As you may have heard, London suffered a terrorist attack today.Fortunately I was not injured but my schedule was severely disrupted and will probably continue to be affected for at least the next week or so. I am not sure when I will be in Australia but I now estimate that it will be some time at the end of August.I write for the print version of The Guardian, not the website. I am relatively new to the Arts team here and have been writing for the Culture supplement every Saturday, but this forthcoming article which actually be one of my first major commissioned features for the paper itself.The article begins with a rare interview with the London-based graffiti artist Banksy (http://www.banksy.co.uk), focusing on the subversive nature of his art and the way he uses the medium to interact with the public and make art more of a shared communcal experience as opposed to a private one.I then intend to focus on the current art movement in Australia and would be particularly keen to look at projects such as shellyinnocence, which have a similar approach to that of Banksy but in a different medium; and how modern mass media and the internet are changing art as we know it, on a global scale.I would be interested in looking at your expectations and reasons for the project, and what exactly the results have been. I really appreciate your help with this.Yours sincerely,JohnPeter seemed satisfied by this, and I received the following reply:From: --------@vu.edu.au <--------@vu.edu.au>To: --------@gmail.comDate: Jul 27, 2005 3:39 AMSubject: Re: Guardian article on the arts and mass mediaReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
John,
Yes, I am available for an interview and would be interestd in meeting with you to discuss some of my recent 'performative interventions' during your visit to Melbourne.* Shelly Innocence, a fake advertising campaign on billboards around Melbourne and website in 2004/5.* Public Happinness Booth and Spontanous laughter 2004* FutureX, a run of 4000 Y2k antidotes distributed by Professor Chan, a self-professsed scientist, on the streets of Melbourne leading up to the year 2000.* Headlines - 500 fake tabloid headlines installed on the facade of the Herald-Sun building between 1998-2003.* Starlink Express - fake courier company attempting to deliver a giant parcel in the CBD in 2002.We could discuss the audience responses in terms of interaction, website hits and emails, media interest, graffiti on billboards, public trust etc.Regards, Peter-------------------------------------------------------------Peter BurkeVisual Art, Design and Multimedia DepartmentVictoria UniversityTel: (03) 9919 ----Email: --------@vu.edu.auhttp://art.tafe.vu.edu.auI was happy with this, and had no further questions for Peter and havenot corresponded with him since.Here is the reply I received from the man himself, Robin Hely:From: Robin Hely <--------@gmail.com>Reply-To: Robin Hely <--------@gmail.com>To: --------@gmail.comDate: Jul 7, 2005 12:39 AMSubject: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
JohnI would be more than happy to talk to you about Project Neurocam, but due to the nature of the project must remain anonymous in terms of my own involvement. Project Neurocam has been extremely successful on an international level with thousands of participants still interacting every week. Until such time it as the project reaches some form of closure it muct not be obviously touted as an an art project. For your reference here is an article on Neurocam published in The Age on the 18/12/04:http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/12/17/1102787276356.html?oneclick=trueI look to speaking with you soon.Robert Henley

I was pleased with this but I still didn't have all the answers I wanted. Robin was clearly being cagey about giving away information, and I thought it was funny that he had signed off as "Robert Henley". So I wrote back with a similar email to the one I had sent Peter, to try and make myself sound as legit as possible:
From: John Mclusky <--------@gmail.com>Reply-To: John Mclusky <--------@gmail.com>To: Robin Hely <--------@gmail.com>Date: Jul 8, 2005 12:19 AMSubject: Re: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
Robin,
As you may have heard, London suffered a terrorist attack today. Fortunately I was not injured but my schedule was severely disrupted and will probably continue to be affected for at least the next week or so. I am not sure when I will be in Australia but I now estimate that it will be some time at the end of August.The article I am writing begins with a rare interview with the London-based graffiti artist Banksy (http://www.banksy.co.uk), focusing on the subversive nature of his art and the way he uses the medium to interact with the public and make art more of a shared communcal experience as opposed to a private one.I am also hoping to interview Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond, the artists formerly known as The KLF; a subversive pop group who released a number of successful albums and then sensationally quit the music business and burned £1 million for the sake of art, and who have been carrying out various bizarre art projects over the past decade.I then intend to focus on the current art movement in Australia and would be particularly keen to look at projects such as Project Neurocam, which have a similar approach to that of Banksy but in a different medium; and how modern mass media and the internet are changing art as we know it, on a global scale. I am more interested in taking a look at the long-term effects of projects such as yours on the art world and society's perceptions in general, rather than in writing a sensationalist feature such as the article in the Age which you linked me to.I would be interested in looking at your expectations and reasons for the project, and what exactly the results have been. Will the thousands of participants be told at any stage that they have been contributing to a piece of art? Are they made aware of this at any stage? Do you think projects like this are irresponsible in an environment where terrorist attacks like the ones today are occuring throughout the world?Of course I understand the sense of complete secrecy and anonymity (indeed I am aware of your 'Robert Henley' project already, and your fondness for aliases) that is required for Neurocam to work, and I assure you that the article will not compromise these. I really appreciate your help with this.Thanking you in advance.Yours sincerely,John

Here is Robin's reply:
From: Robin Hely <--------@gmail.com>Reply-To: Robin Hely <--------@gmail.com>To: --------@gmail.comDate: Jul 27, 2005 2:54 AMSubject: interviewReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Trash this message Report phishing Show original
John
I will be available for an interview when you are in Melbourne.>Will the>thousands of participants be told at any stage that they have been>contributing to a piece of art?Probably not. This spoils the experience for them and potentially may make them feel used. Neurocam is about making the participants the actual work. I do not intend to collate the documentation of what has happended with Neurocam and put it in an art context.>Do you think projects like this are irresponsible in an>environment where terrorist attacks like the ones today are occuring>throughout the world?Not at all. If anything Neurocam works against the climate of excessive paranoia surrounding our daily lives. I have had encounters with the police who feel that projects like Neurocam should be banned from our society.Robert Hely

And that was it. Short but sweet. And I was satisfied with that, and I have not contacted Robin since. As far as I am concerned, I have received the answers I wanted and I do not want to disturb anyone any further.Whether or not you all want to believe me or not is up to you.-But that's it. I'm done. This is the end of Another Operative. I hope you liked him as much as I did.And now I'm off to create my new blog. I'll still be checking my email at anotheroperative@gmail.com for a while, and I'll leave this blog here so that people can see it, and see all the correspondence I've posted above. Feel free to email me if you have any further questions, or if you want to know the URL for the new blog, or even if you just want to say hi, really.As for Neurocam, who knows what will happen next. Maybe Robin will see this post and immediately issue an email to all Operatives saying that I am sort of bitter ex-agent with a grudge and that I should be ignored at all costs. Maybe he will make up some more propaganda to refute my claims. Maybe he has a damage limitation contingency already in place which he can put into effect in case something like thishappens. Or maybe he will just ignore it altogether and pretend it hasn't happened. I don't know. And, more importantly, I don't care any more. It's clear he hasn't had as much time for Neurocam lately as he used to have anyway; hence the retirement of the Maxwell Knight persona, and the CEO position going up for grabs, and the removal of all contact addresses from the main Neurocam website, etc. Whatever he chooses to do, I am sure there will be some conspiracy-loving credulous loners out there who will be willing to believe him and play along for a while longer. And if he doesn't take advantage of them, someone else sure will. That's the way of the world.And, as long as nobody gets hurt, I'm fine with that.I wish you all well.Out.

The exposé was up for just an hour or two before I received this email from Robin:
From: Robin Hely Mailed-By: gmail.com To: xxxxxxxx Date: Aug 14, 2005 11:27 PMSubject: Re: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?
YOU FUCKING CUNTTHANKS FOR ATTEMPTING TO SPOIL THIS FOR EVERYONE YOU MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHITIF YOU HAVE ANY BALLS CALL ME IN PERSON AND FACE UP TO YOU ACTIONS YOUFUCKING WANKER

I also started to reveive similarly abusive and threatening emails from several operatives.I replied to Robin:From: mclusky Mailed-By: gmail.com To: Robin Hely Date: Aug 14, 2005 11:41 PMSubject: Re: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?
Robin,
I do not appreciate your abuse.I would have thought you would have appreciated that this was all in good spirits and within the nature of the "game". I have simply posted the answer to the question that a lot of people have been asking.I would like me to delete the blog I will consider it but I do not understand why you are acting so offended. Surely this is all just another part of the art project - didn't you expect something like this to happen eventually?"John"

Robin responded:
From: Robin Hely Mailed-By: gmail.com To: mclusky Date: Aug 14, 2005 11:49 PMSubject: Re: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?
If you take down your blog and explain that it was a complete fabrication I will have a conversation with you. It is like Teigan says, you may as well walk into an art gallery and start throwing shit at the paintings...... Do not be so vain as to think you are the first person to have figured this out. Many people have figured it out, they simply have the good sense not to ruin it for everyone else.This is not a game. It is not about "winning" anything or "working it out" like an ARG. It is an interactive art project that was just about to get a whole lot more interesting. If you choose to leave your post, it is over - for everyone.
At this point, I deleted my blog.
Robin wrote again:
From: Robin Hely Mailed-By: gmail.com To: mclusky Date: Aug 15, 2005 12:01 AMSubject: Re: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?
Thanks
Unless you are prepared to offer some kind of explanation I fear the damage has already been done. Like I said, I have been putting a lot of work into a a new direction for Neurocam which was just about to be launched. I am sorry if I reacted badly, but can you see that what you did has potentially ruined the last months worth of meticulous planning and work that has gone on behind the scenes.
I responded:
From: mclusky Mailed-By: gmail.com To: Robin Hely Date: Aug 15, 2005 12:10 AMSubject: Re: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?
Let me explain this from my perspective:I joined Neurocam. At no point was I ever given any explanation as to what it was or what its purpose might be. How was I to know that it was not a game? How was I to know that the aim was not to just "work it out" like an ARG? How was I to know that other people had figured it out?All I knew was that a lot of people, including myself, wanted to know exactly what Neurocam was, and so I set about finding out. Did you really think nobody would do this?I expected some people to be pleased with the information and some people to be bemused, but I certainly did not expect an email calling me a FUCKING CUNT and I have to say I am extremely disappointed.It was never my intention to ruin anything for anyone; far from it. As far as the "damage already being done", I do not think that is the case. It is 1am here in London and I posted on the blog just a few hours ago and nobody really checks the blogs on a Sunday night. I am not certain of the time difference between here and Australia but if I am right and it is just Monday morning there then I am sure very few people will have seen the post and even fewer will have decided whether or not to believe it.If you would like me to post some sort of disinformation or explanation then perhaps I could do so.However, I still think that Neurocam should make its purposes and origins a little clearer to all those involved. There are some very young and easily influenced and credulous people out there, and sending them out on secret "missions" just doesn't seem safe or right to me.What if a teenage girl joins Neurocam and you send her on a mission to meet some random middle aged male Operative and the guy decides to tell her that part of the mission is that she has to go somewhere in his car with him, and then he rapes or abducts her? Have you thought about all this stuff? The atmosphere here in London is incredibly tense since the terrorist attacks. There are alerts every day, and anysort of unidentified package triggers alarms and police cordons and an emergency scenario straight away.I just don't feel that you are being as responsible as you could be at times; and sadly your abusive email to me simply confirmed this.
Robin replied again:From: Robin Hely Mailed-By: gmail.com To: mclusky Date: Aug 15, 2005 12:52 AMSubject: Re: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?>
I joined Neurocam. At no point was I ever given any explanation as to> what it was or what its purpose might be. How was I to know that it> was not a game? How was I to know that the aim was not to just "work> it out" like an ARG? How was I to know that other people had figured> it out?Not knowing the parameters of engagement have always been part of the Neurocam experience. How participants respond to this is also part of it. There are two ways to engage; suspending rational disbelief and interacting with a kind of free-form theatre, or pulling it apart and seeing what makes it tick. The latter option gets most people nowhere and ultimately leads to frustration. The former option is a choice to experience something, in much the same way as we might experience theunfolding of a narrative in a film context. When doing this we sit in a movie theatre and watch the film, we don't search the theatre and see where the light is coming from. For those who have chosen to pull Neurocam apart, I have attempted (as best I am able) to cover my tracks. The important thing about this work is that the audience does not know from the ourset what kind of activity they are engaging with.That is what makes it interesting. Those who have found out the truth have consistently chosen to withold this information from the Neurocam community out of respect for the project. Some have even continued interacting. Even the likes of Beltaine have had the good grace not to spoil it for others>> All I knew was that a lot of people, including myself, wanted to know> exactly what Neurocam was, and so I set about finding out. Did you> really think nobody would do this?Finding out who is behind it has always been the least interesting way to play, in my opinion.>> I expected some people to be pleased with the information and some> people to be bemused, but I certainly did not expect an email calling> me a FUCKING CUNT and I have to say I am extremely disappointed.I was angry and I reacted. I think my reaction was more than justified. I am usually a very polite and non-violent individual and it takes a lot to make me react. This project is very important to me and has become the sole means of expression for my art practice. I know that it is wrong to be so precious about any art project, but Ihave spent literally years working on this.>> It was never my intention to ruin anything for anyone; far from it. As> far as the "damage already being done", I do not think that is the> case. It is 1am here in London and I posted on the blog just a few> hours ago and nobody really checks the blogs on a Sunday night. I am> not certain of the time difference between here and Australia but if I> am right and it is just Monday morning there then I am sure very few> people will have seen the post and even fewer will have decided> whether or not to believe it.It will already be on the Neuroboards and from there it will spread like wildfire.>> If you would like me to post some sort of disinformation or> explanation then perhaps I could do so.It is the only way of saving the project.>> However, I still think that Neurocam should make its purposes and> origins a little clearer to all those involved. There are some very> young and easily influenced and credulous people out there, and> sending them out on secret "missions" just doesn't seem safe or right> to me.I understand this and it is something I have thought about a lot. I should say "we". Although I started this project on my own, I now work with a large committee of people based internationally. You have to understand that Neurocam cannot make its purposes any clearer. The nature of the project requires that it be a covert organisation right from the start. The secret missions are all assessed in terms ofsafety and we always have our own people on standby in case anything goes wrong.>> What if a teenage girl joins Neurocam and you send her on a mission to> meet some random middle aged male Operative and the guy decides to> tell her that part of the mission is that she has to go somewhere in> his car with him, and then he rapes or abducts her?This has never happened and will never happen as I explained above.> Have you thought> about all this stuff? The atmosphere here in London is incredibly> tense since the terrorist attacks. There are alerts every day, and any> sort of unidentified package triggers alarms and police cordons and an> emergency scenario straight away.We understand this and have acted accordingly. We have not issued any assignments for quite some time involving suspicious packages or covert exchanges etc.>> I just don't feel that you are being as responsible as you could be at> times; and sadly your abusive email to me simply confirmed this.There is only so much responsibility one can effect before an art project becomes overly prescriptive, mediated, contextualised and dull. I believe that people have a choice in whether or not they engage with Neurocam. If people want to experience a new type of art practice, they have to step outside of their regular lives. If theychose to do so, it is essentially their responsibility in terms of how it affects them. All we can do is make sure it is safe and not make any promises we can't keep. Beyond that, we would have to tell them the whole story.I understand you position, but feel that you should have made yourself clear from the start; you are idealogically opposed to what we are doing with Neurocam and want to shut it down.
RHI wrote back:
From: mclusky Mailed-By: gmail.com To: Robin Hely Date: Aug 15, 2005 12:57 AMSubject: Re: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?
I do not want to shut it down; I simply wanted to make the facts clear to people and to let them make up their own minds.However, I understand that this is your project and whether or not I agree with it, I respect your decision to run it in this way; as I am sure you can respect my decision to find out what it was all about and post the results.If you wish me to post some sort of explanation or disinformation then I could do so. Let me know if you have any preferred ideas.
Robin replied:
From: Robin Hely Mailed-By: gmail.com To: mclusky Date: Aug 15, 2005 1:35 AMSubject: Re: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in this matter.I think you could post a message stating that my emails in the previous post were entirely fabricated by yourself in an attempt to outline a possible conclusion to the Neurocam mystery.I must say that your strategy to uncover the facts was very clever. I was slightly suspicious at first and had I been less busy I would have thoroughly checked out the "Mclusky" character. You are the only operative who has gone beyond mere speculation in terms of my connection with Neurocam, and I think that most of the community would have believed you.Thanks againRobin Hely
I replied:
From: mclusky Mailed-By: gmail.com To: Robin Hely Date: Aug 15, 2005 1:45 AMSubject: Re: neurocamReply Reply to all Forward Print Add sender to Contacts list Delete this message Report phishing Show original Message text garbled?
I will do so tomorrow. It's almost 3am here now and time for me to getsome sleep.This was the last time Robin and I corresponded.And I deleted this entire blog - along with all references to Neurocam - and started over, although my heart really hasn't been in it since.Maybe now the slate can be well and truly wiped clean.The reason Neurocam was destined to fail right from its outset is that Robin Hely is not a kind, intelligent visionary with good intentions. Instead he is a vain, egotistical, manipulative and vindictive artist; willing to use people as pawns in his own games, without ever stopping to think about how they may be affected, or at what cost. He's like Conchis but without the charm or absolution.I have no doubt that Neurocam could have flourished, if only its intentions had been clear and pure and good. Instead it has simply come to a feeble end; exposed as one man's idea of a bit of fun, with no real objectives or purpose laid out, and a lot of other people's wasted time and effort laying in its wake.I understand Robin's argument, and I understand that this is his art project, and that some people will feel that I am ruining it or "spoiling the fun", but I feel that my right to make this post is just as strong as Robin's right to start Neurocam in the first place.The difference between someone going into an art gallery and throwing shit at the paintings and me doing this is simple: the art in an art gallery does not purposely manipulate and mislead people, or force them to put their time and effort into a project that has vague and unclear intentions. The mystery and intrigue of Neurocam - unlike a project such as Shellyinnocence - was always tinged with a nasty dark side; an image which would create fear and ensure that people would obide by its rules. And I simply don't think it's fair to subject people to this without letting them know what they are doing. We have enough fear in our lives these days without needing to create it as an art project. Just turn on the news.I believe people have the right to know what they are involved in, and that is why I will leave this exposé posted here. I do not want to "bring Neurocam down", I simply want to let people make their own choices about what they choose to invest their time and energies in to. If Neurocam is truly a worthy project then it will survive this, and the operatives will choose to continue regardless. Sadly, I do not think this will be the case.