They did not win the festival's grand prize, the Golden Nica, as they did in 1996, but they still stole the show. Actually, what they swiped was the Golden Nica itself. Earlier, they made a mockery of the money worship you see in so many new Internet corporations. Dressed in Blues Brothers suits, they discussed in minute detail all the money etoy was making. They elaborated on selling shares in the company, which they lampooned with the deadpan delivery of a gifted comic.
Reactions are very polarized.
They have a big presence as far as Net art goes. They're mixing business and art on the Net and taking on board techniques and language from the business world, high capital, and reproducing it in interesting ways online. I think the best way to describe them is as a brand, and you can buy into it. But for now, they all seem to be enjoying the fight and show no signs yet of accepting a settlement potentially worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. We always said we would talk about a settlement but that it would have to be OK for us, for our shareholders, and also for the community that is involved.