Is There Love in the Telemantic Embrace Summary

In this essay Roy Ascott questions whether there is real human emotion expressed though telecommunination technologies. Does this form of technology engage the intellect, emotions and sensibility of the observer? He asserts that these new technologies are influencing society, this creating a "telemantic culture". This new type of culture comprise a set of "behaviors ideas, media, values, and objectives" that are contrasting to those of time past. The term telematics involves interaction between humans and artificial systems of intelligence, which many experience in our daily lives. The content of this telemantic art is created rather than received by the observer, as in a stand still form of art. The various media that incorporates this form of technology is always changing. The result of this interaction is the meaning of the telematic art that is embodied in the data. Ascott parallels the context of telmatic systems to the scientific analogy that was given by John Wheeler. In these systems the oberver gets more involved and now becomes the participator. In addition to John Weeler's analogy, the author refernces the telemantic experience to a work called The Large Glass, wehre love is expericed. Because of these types of works, Ascott suggests a "redescription of human consciousness"-since the experiece with the technology gives a sense of a real human embrace.

Ascott goes on to say that the telelmatic network funels a new way of perceiving the human race, as it changes through this technology. He calls this new order of perceptionglobal vision. We as humans are now majorly dependant on the computer, and our cognitive processes are not completed without the computer technology. We are living in a dynamic telematic culture, which allows us to think and act more creatively, with a passionate experience with the participation and interaction with other minds globally. Ascott futhers his discussion by transforming the meaning of the computer as a solid object to that of that of something that actually has intrinsic attributes-he understands the computer system to be a "pure system, a universal transformative matrix". This is how the use of the computer is incorporated in the telematic culture.

In conclusion, this essay enlightened the reader with the meaning of being in a telematic culture and how the computer now relates to the human not as mere object only, but as one that supports a new way of imaginative expression. In this embrace there is a new level of consciousness and creativity.

Final Project- Remix

Please click here for my remix of the Lake Bryan Situational Tour.

MORI Summary

MORI, is an installation that was partially created by our instructor, Randall Packer, which utilizes the movements of the earth to develop a powerful telemantic experience with the observer. Prior to the class entering the installation, we were enlightened with the technical aspect of the project through observation of the program on which it operates. MORI receives information of the earth's movements via the Internet, which collects the movements of the Hayward Fault in California that are detected by a seismograph. After receiving the background information, we proceeded into the "dark room". My initial reaction was one of slight fear and anxiety in hearing the loud sounds, feeling the vibration, and seeing NOTHING! However, my eyes eventually adjusted, and could maneuver throughout the room, along with the help of the fiber-optic cable that lined the interior. While we walked to the center of the room, the environment of the outside world was gradually fading, as we were being immersed into what felt like another dimension of the earth. The variety of sounds and the vibrations that were felt from the bottom of our bodies and up to our heads, all interacted to created a connection between us and the earth.

In the center of the installation, there was a portal that displayed the seismic data stream. On that particular day the stream was very active because of an earthquake that had recently taking place. After observing the very sharp and vigorous movements of the stream, we were told to lie on the ground in order to fully be immersed into that environment, and so said so done. Immediately, it felt as though the sound effects and vibrations maximize and I was elevated to the highest plane of the earth. It felt as if the entire earth was beneath my body, and not my body within the earth. I felt a real connection with the earth that I don't feel on a daily basis. After a few minutes of laying there I began to drift in to "dreamland"; the experience had transitioned from once of fear to one of relaxation.

The overall exposure to this "earthwork" allowed the user to telematically experience the movements of the earth. One could encounter the effects of an earthquake that took place in another continent, just by being in the room. At that point, one is submerged into that space by means of the seismic data that is received via the internet. The ambiance of MORI truly reflected the notion of telepresence, which is a term coined by Scott Fisher to describe the process of "extending out physical and mental being into a remote space by means of telecommunication technologies". This project differs from the ones which were discussed in class that incorporated telepresence, in that there was no direct form of interactivity with the user in order for it to be a completed work. However, in order for it to carry out its intended functions, there must be some form of interaction with the user.

This project allowed us to experience the earth in a way that we have never really encountered. The experience was fascinating, enlightening and intellectual; made me appreciate the earth even more!

Final Situal Tour-Washington Monument

This project encompasses the final situal tour for the semester and was done once again by myself and Brad Feldman. The Washington Monument was chosen as the location for this tour. You can view the completion of this assignment by clicking here.

Summary of MOTION Art Exhibition

Motion is a media exhibition that was presented by the Gallery at Flashpoint in Washington, DC. Our class was asked to visit the exhibition and critique the works that were presented. The exhibition highlighted different screen-based works, interface installations, and collaborative network projects of various artists from Maryland, Florida, Seoul, and Korea.

My first reaction to the exhibition was a disappointing one, not for the various works that were presented, but more so for the setup and organization of these works within the gallery. I expected to see a top-of-the-line exhibition based on its description and advertisements. Nonetheless, the works and installations that were displayed were very interesting and forwarding thinking in their construction. All of them required the participation of the user in order to gain the full effect of the piece. One of the first pieces that I explored was one created by Samuel Ortiz called Environment, which is a sound installation that incorporates the use of a chair and headphones. As the user interacts with the chair, by either rocking or swinging side to side, the surrounding sound is amplified and made aware to the user through the use of the headphones. This work reminded me of the Janette Cardiff Tour that was presented by the Hirsh Horn Museum, where the everyday sounds were amplified on the recording and made aware to the user as he took the tour. Another piece that interested me was Bathroom Beats created by Pamela Council, which is also a sound installation that used the space of a bathroom for making music. I had fun with this piece, as I created my own set of beats by using two metal sticks that triggered recorded bathroom sounds as they touched other metal sections. The authority was transferred to the user to make a creative work out of this project. One last work of art that caught my attention was an interactive installation called Fields, which contains earth magnets that aid in the creation of abstract reformations of the user’s presence. The movements were projected on a screen located on the side of the plexiglass structure that contained the essential objects.

The majority of these pieces would not be complete if there wasn't any interaction with the user or its environment. In most art exhibitions the user mainly observes the piece from a distance, but this exhibition went a step further in involving the participation of the audience to create a different atmosphere for art exhibits.

On-Line Narrativity II

This is an in-class assignment that gave us an opportunity to practice the formulation of Situation Tours. The class was asked to conduct this assignment in the American Uiversity environment. The location that our group chose was the Mary Graydon Center on the main campus. The photographs and captions below summarizes my experience of the Mary Graydon environment and the persons with whom we conversed.











Frontview of the Mary Graydon Center













Unusual Halloween-Looking Decorations on hand rail













An establishing shot of the 1st floor lounge- some students chilling or being very studious.

Undergrad student getting a quick read in the lounge before hitting the gym. Said that he usually reads in the Mary Graydon center as oppose to the library. [RITUAL]

Students all equipped with laptops working on a group project.

First year student getting a quick bite to eat while checking email. Uusally does not stay long at this location, but is usually in a hurry. Agrees with the decision made with Ladner. [ideology]

Food stalls that provide a variety of food.

The Information Desk- the workers job usually includes answering questions from new students and other visitors who are unfamiliar with the campus.

Students at the 'Mary Graydon Tables' promoting different oranizations, this one being Heifer International.

Pic of the sign to Conference Room 1, which is OFF LIMITS to students. [AUTHORITY]

Cyber Cafe located on the 2nd Floor of the MG Center.

First-year graduate student located in the Cyber Cafe. Doesn't live on campus and only comes for classes. She likes AU mostly for the friendly professors. [IDEOLOGY]

Members of the Eagle News staff. Office located on the 2nd floor.Restricted acess, mostly editors are allowed with an AU ID that is activated by Public Safety. [SECURITY]

Sign of the ATV and WVAU Suite on the 2nd floor, which also has restricted access . Workers enter with an issued ID.

Link to Situational Tour Blog

Click on link below to be directed to my blog on the Situational Tour Project.

http://embassysituationaltour.blogspot.com/

"Welcome to 'Electronic Cafe International' "

The article explores the ideas of Kit Galloway and Sherri Rabinowitz in creating a virtual space that would integrate distance, language, values, and culture of various people across the nation. This was a place which had no geographical boundaries and one in which different artists can work together in an international multimedia environment. These ideas were based on the work of Ernie Kovacs and Steve Allen who created a kind of composite image space with the use of superimposed live video images. The virtual space invented by Galloway and Rabinowitz allowed its inhabitants to relate to each other untraditionally, and took away the feeling of being physically harmed during the interaction. This virtual space is also similar to one of the works discussed in class, Hole in the Space, which also allowed interaction between persons of different locations.

Galloway and Rabinowitz used these ideas and formulated the Electronic Café. This café is based in California and is networked to other a number of different states and countries. The purpose of this café was to create a sense of community across the globe and to allow an exchange of various forms of art. This concept was first tested at the L.A Museum of Contemporary Art, where five different LA communities were linked through a telecom system, computer database, and a dial-up image bank. This project was so powerful that it even dissolved tensions between different communities.

As a result of these cafés, there were many situations solved and they even stimulated other artistic coalitions, one being the MIDI Dancer. This was a program created on a Macintosh that recorded the motion of a dancer, which controlled the music, lighting, microphone levels. The information was transmitted to another location. This speaks of the integration that the Electronic Café possesses; an integration of technology, cultures, communities, the arts, and different art forms. According to the authors, “it encourages cross-cultural collaborations, problem-solving, and decision making. The goal of this café is to essentially promote new kinds of artistic collaboration that will support the “tele-species”.