Operating as an online community of artists where discussions on art, philosophy and culture are a daily occurrence, Artlives invites a diversity of thoughts and views in a forum where no hierarchy exists. There is no peer group, as such , or even stylistic similarities that one would expect in a school or other environments where stylistic and philosophical influences are clear . However, in Artlives, there is a celebration of minds in an inter-cultural forum where ideas and information are exchanged and where relationships are being forged across continents and oceans. Sometimes the participants are unaware that this is happening. A pluralism of ideas creates an environment that is both stimulating and controversial, and yet also confusing. The confusion, in turn, becomes fodder for new and interesting debate. As history is dissected, the idea of not one modernity but a multiple of modernities emerges and questions are opened up. On Artlives, we have discovered that history is not as simple as the books would make it. Words get worn out, and some lose their impact. Multiculturalism has become a marketing ploy and a political pawn, and as a result its force has been diminished. But the idea of multiculturalism in Romania or Georgia, for instance , is an exciting and liberating idea. That idea is played out in Artlives daily and like an organism, the group develops and grows on fragile soil in cyber, refreshing and expanding its meaning to the participants.

Like any organism Artlives will develop and grow with time and nourishment unfolding its potential, when appropriate conditions arise.

Alison A Raimes, London