XCELA Group

XCELA Group
Type	Research collective
Founder	Charlotte Fang
Products	Viral Public License (January 2019), "Against New Games" manifesto (January 2019), "Extortion Industry" manifesto (March 2019)
Website	xcela.org (defunct)

XCELA Group was a digital sovereignty and experimental computing initiative founded by Charlotte Fang in January 2019. Despite its presentation as a research collective, XCELA initially consisted primarily of Fang working alone, using the framing of a collective to house his writing on network accelerationism and digital sovereignty. The initiative began with the creation of the Viral Public License (VPL) and the publication of the "Against New Games" manifesto in January 2019, followed by the "Extortion Industry" manifesto in March 2019. As XCELA developed, it gradually expanded to include a loose network of developer collaborators working as contributors to projects envisioned by Fang. XCELA functioned as a precursor to Remilia Collective, with its projects and philosophical approaches being integrated into Remilia when Fang formally folded XCELA into the broader collective in March 2022. Notable releases associated with the XCELA group include the Viral Public License, Exocore and Remichat POC.

History

Initial solo phase

XCELA Group was founded by Charlotte Fang in January 2019, beginning with the creation of the Viral Public License and the publication of the "Against New Games" text. During this initial phase, XCELA existed primarily as a framing device for Fang's own writing and projects rather than an actual collective of multiple contributors. By presenting XCELA as a research group, Fang was able to establish a platform for exploring various ideas related to digital sovereignty and network accelerationism without tying the work directly to his personal identity.

In March 2019, Fang published a follow-up piece titled "Extortion Industry" under the XCELA banner, further developing the critique of the video game industry begun in "Against New Games" by focusing on the copyright-based business model's similarities to extortion. Both of these early texts were anonymously attributed but are now generally recognized as being penned by Fang.

During this solo phase, XCELA maintained a website (xcela.org) that outlined several potential project areas including digital sovereignty, new web pioneering, new computing, new living, and information freedoms. The site served as both a manifesto for XCELA and each project area as active initiatives of a research collective, though most existed primarily as conceptual frameworks at this stage.

Expansion into a loose network

As XCELA developed beyond its initial manifestos, it gradually expanded to include a loose network of developer collaborators who contributed to projects envisioned by Fang. This transformation from solo initiative to actual (though loosely structured) collective occurred organically as Fang's ideas attracted interest from programmers and developers with similar concerns about digital sovereignty and platform dependence.

The group's focus evolved to include practical implementations of its philosophical positions, with contributors working on experimental projects including:

• Digital Sovereignty Stack (DSS): An infrastructure framework for personal website deployment
• Realtime communication platforms: Experimental chat systems that transmitted keystrokes in real time
• Markdown backlinking tools: Tools for creating interconnected personal knowledge bases

Notable associated releases included:

• Exocore
• Remichat POC
• Somachat
• Milady Maker (application)

This collaborative phase saw XCELA function more as a network of aligned individuals contributing to shared projects rather than a formal organization with defined roles and structure. Documentation from this period often solicited assistance from developers with specific skills, indicating the ad-hoc and open nature of these collaborations.

Relation to Remilia Collective and dissolution

XCELA Group functioned as a precursor to Remilia Collective, which Fang established in January 2021. For approximately a year, both initiatives existed in parallel, with XCELA focusing on experimental computing research and network accelerationism, while Remilia developed as a broader art collective centered around New Net Art and network spirituality.

In March 2022, Fang formally folded XCELA into Remilia Collective, integrating its projects and philosophical approaches into Remilia's expanded scope of activities. This consolidation aligned with Remilia's growth into what Fang described as "a fellowship of pseudonymous net art extremists, a virtual tribe functionally organized like a cyberyakuza, a groupchat-as-studio-collective."

The merging of XCELA into Remilia represented not an end to its projects but an evolution of its approach, with many of the same themes—digital sovereignty, network accelerationism, information freedom—continuing to inform Remilia's work in different contexts and with a broader range of contributors.

Philosophy and approach

Digital sovereignty

A central theme throughout XCELA's existence was the concept of digital sovereignty—the idea that individual freedom in online spaces depends on self-sufficiency through private ownership of digital infrastructure. This position was articulated in the group's statement: "Web 2.0 is becoming inhospitable; network event horizon is impending. Good users will be forced to migrate to their own domains, if they have them."

XCELA characterized digital sovereignty as a form of resistance against platform dependence, arguing that "freedom relies on self sufficiency relies on private ownership. If you build your own temple in the woods, you become immortal, networking with an underground network of exiles." This framing positioned digital independence not merely as a technical concern but as an essential condition for intellectual and creative freedom.

Network accelerationism

XCELA engaged with concepts of network accelerationism—exploring how digital networks enable accelerated cultural evolution and self-organization. This interest connected to broader accelerationist philosophies but focused specifically on the role of networks in facilitating both liberation and capture.

The group's approach to network accelerationism was characterized by a dual awareness of both the emancipatory potential of networked communication and its tendency toward centralization and control. This tension informed many of XCELA's experimental projects, which attempted to preserve the connectivity benefits of networks while resisting corporate platform dominance.

Information freedom

XCELA advocated strongly for information freedom, most explicitly through the creation and application of the Viral Public License (VPL). This copyleft license, created by Fang in early 2019, was designed to combine the permissiveness of licenses like MIT and BSD with the viral nature of the GNU General Public License, ensuring that any derivatives of licensed works would maintain the same freedoms.

The VPL embodied XCELA's approach to information ownership, rejecting traditional copyright restrictions while simultaneously protecting works from proprietary capture. This position aligned with arguments made in the "Extortion Industry" manifesto, which characterized copyright enforcement in the video game industry as a form of extortion through artificial scarcity.

Key projects

Viral Public License

The Viral Public License (VPL) was one of XCELA's most significant contributions, created by Charlotte Fang in January 2019. The license is characterized by two primary features:

1. Waiving all rights to the licensed work, similar to public domain designation 2. Requiring that any derivative work also use the VPL, ensuring perpetual openness

Fang described the VPL as "a perfect copyleft virus, extending copyright waiving licenses like the CC0 or Public Domain by not just waiving rights but also requiring projects using it to maintain the license waiving rights too." The VPL became a foundational element of both XCELA and later Remilia's approach to information freedom.

Digital Sovereignty Stack

The Digital Sovereignty Stack (DSS) was a proposed technical infrastructure framework developed by XCELA to facilitate individual ownership of web presence. The project aimed to create an accessible personal website stack that would allow users to easily deploy their own web infrastructure, reducing dependency on centralized platforms.

This initiative aligned with XCELA's core philosophy that digital sovereignty relies on self-sufficiency through private ownership, expressed in their statement: "If you build your own temple in the woods, you become immortal, networking with an underground network of exiles."

Realtime Communication Experiments

Under the "New Web Pioneering" focus area, XCELA developed experimental communication platforms centered on what they termed "realtime" interaction—where keystrokes are transmitted as they're typed rather than after pressing send. The group built prototypes including a realtime imageboard and IRC-like chat systems.

XCELA described this approach not as a gimmick but as "a radical new communication medium" with distinct characteristics more akin to voice conversation than traditional text chat. These experiments would later influence Remilia's approach to community building and online interaction.

Legacy

XCELA's most enduring contribution was likely the Viral Public License, which continued to be used in various Remilia Corporation projects after XCELA's formal incorporation into the collective. The license embodied XCELA's approach to information freedom through viral permissiveness rather than restrictive protection.

Many of the themes explored in XCELA's work—digital sovereignty, platform independence, network theory—continued to inform Remilia's projects after the merger, evolving into frameworks like network spirituality and post-authorship. The transition from XCELA to Remilia represented less a discontinuity than an expansion of scope, with technological concerns being integrated into a broader artistic and cultural project.

While XCELA itself may not have achieved widespread recognition, its ideas and approaches have continued to resonate within discussions about digital autonomy, decentralization, and the future of networked creativity. Its early critique of platform dependence anticipated later concerns about digital sovereignty that have become increasingly prominent in discussions about internet freedom.

See also

• Charlotte Fang
• Remilia Corporation
• Remilia Collective
• New Net Art
• Network accelerationism
• Viral Public License
• Against New Games
• Extortion Industry