GOTO10 is a collective of international artists and programmers, dedicated to Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) and digital arts. GOTO10 aims to support and grow digital art projects and tools for artistic creation, located on the blurry line between software programming and art. All of GOTO10’s projects are based on 100% Free/Libre Open Source Software.

GOTO10 describes itself as an invite-only network, so although what it produces is 100% open (Free/Libre Open Source Software), its organisational structure is very closed. You could also describe it as a friendship collective; member’s skills are secondary to friendship. GOTO10 knows a high level of trust, any of the currently 11 members can initiate ‘anything’ by lazy consensus. All communication and distributed working happens online via IRC, but face to face meetings are perceived as very important and take place at least twice a year during the MAKE ART FESTIVAL in France and for general housekeeping purposes.

GOTO10 is self-organized, and finances itself by project grants. Depending on the project, members take on different roles and levels of engagement. Although GOTO10 does not want to grow in (network) size it is highly collaborative; and it is trying to collaborate with other networks, organizations.

One of its largest and very collaborative projects is pure:dyne. To give some examples of collaborations between GOTO10 and other Winter Camp participants, Alejandro Doque is planning to make a Columbian version of pure:dyne in collaboration with an art magazin, Matt Ratto (Critical Making Lab of the University of Toronto) and James Wallbank (workshops at Access Space in Sheffield) use pure:dyne, and  Ramiro Consentino is going to work in collaboration with GOTO10 on streaming software of pure:dyne.

Another GOT010 working method is described as sprint – the initiation and intense non-stop working on ideas.

During Wintercamp, GOTO10 did a sprint on gosub10, a project that had been in the pipeline for 4 years but which they never managed to pull off. Gosub10 is a net label that celebrated its first release on 6 March 2009. It includes a streaming radio station and releases all source code of the individual tracks where possible, so that there is a possibility for users to remix source code.

Another project that GOTO10 had planned to work on but still needs some more time to develop is a FLOSS repository for software art. The project is currently still in its preparatory stage.

To conclude, GOTO10’s outro highlighted some issues: Their artistic research/flow is quite opposite to product design, and its processes are very often very unfinished. GOTO10 describes itself as a ground to sow seeds; as a collective at the cross-roads of networks than a network itself, but whatever its typology it stresses that a network is not an end in itself but a playground.

Another release by GOTO10: pure:dyne, an operating system on a USB key.

Available for only 8 euros during Winter Camp, or bring your USB stick and they will help you DIY.

From the GOTO10 website:
pure:dyne is happy to announce the release of this super-cute, super small 2gb liveUSB! Pre-loaded with the latest pure:dyne system (with 1.2gb space left over for storing your settings and files). A slick, slim, mini USB measuring just a few mm thick.

pure:dyne is an operating system developed to provide media artists with a complete set of tools for realtime audio and video processing. pure:dyne is a live distribution, you don’t need to install anything. Simply boot your computer using the live CD and you’re ready to start using software such as Pure Data, Supercollider, Icecast, Csound, Fluxus, Processing, Arduino and much much more.

pure:dyne will work on any PC laptop, desktop, and single-board computers, including the intel-based Mac, Asus’ Eee PC, and any x86 netbooks.

Various Artists – /Substrate/
GOSUB10-001

Today (6/3) GOTO10 launches Substrate (an inaugural release) on their new netlabel GOSUB10. A 12-track compilation of music from across the electronic music genre, it features friends and family of the GOTO10 collective, illustrating the strong networks by which the label will grow and provide insight into future directions.

/Substrate/ features tracks by: Earweego, krgn, vacca, 0xA, Bazterrak, Frank Barknecht, Yee-King, Soudo, Julian Brook, Martin Howse, Rob Canning and Ultrageranium.

Dedicated to new electronic music and audio/visuals, the GOSUB10 label will feature an eclectic group of musicians drawn together by their shared use of Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS). Freely distributed by stream, download and special DVD releases, and made available through an open license, GOSUB10 is run by the GOTO10 collective – an international group of artists, musicians and programmers, dedicated to FLOSS and digital arts. Brought to life in a intensive three day work sprint, the GOSUB10 netlabel is a natural extension of GOTO10’s activities supporting and promoting digital art alongside FLOSS tools through workshops, festivals, exhibitions, writing, and more.

text by Heather Corcoran.