February 2015 – Hannah

Research Critique IV: Open Source Jodi

I understand Jodi.org and the Jodi Art Collective as a medium for the people. In this day in age, there are many people who are fairly “tech-savvy” and are possibly able to code with ease, however, in the 1990’s, those who were so well versed in the Internet and its make-up were harder to find. Jodi.org was a Desktop Theatre piece which provided a voice to and for the greater population who could not see beneath the surface of the ominous Internet. By displaying screen grabs of coding and as described in Lecture 7: “Their aim was to deconstruct the interface of the Web and reveal the code hidden beneath the surface.”

Similarly, Women in Black in the Palace, as explored in the reading, “So Far and Yet So Close: Lessons Drawn from Telematic Improvisation” by Adrienne Jenik, is a place for Israeli women to anonymously express themselves regarding violence towards Palestinians by the Israeli state. By holding these vigils on a public space where the users are solely known by avatars, it becomes much more accessible to the greater public. As quoted in the reading:

“The Palace was an early, free, easy to use and access online visual chat-space where ‘rooms’ (appearing in discrete graphical windows) were configured within ‘palaces’ (server-hosts). People from anywhere in the world could appear as avatars and relate to one another through text, movement and other forms of expression. One’s visual appearance on screen (known as an avatar) could be chosen from a menu of offerings, or could be created from any bitmapped image and uploaded (an affordance not possible in most contemporary chat spaces at that time). As a result, the crude, cartoon drawn and photography-based bitmapped images worn by the population resulted in an extremely heterogeneous visual effect.”

These cyberspace communities, such as Jodi.org become a form of Open Source Media as they are readily accessible and non-discriminatory.

Project Hyper-Essay #1: Distant Connections

DA9005 Media and Performance has allowed me to understand the depth of intimacy within the virtual world. Whether it be e-mail, Facebook, or texting, but especially through the cyberspace world of the webcam, the third space can be the perfect dimension to harvest emotion.

As an exchange student, Skype is an important network for me; it is one of the only ways for me to stay in contact with my family who are in Canada, over 14,000 km away and 13 hours behind me. Through the use of this webcam-based program, I am able to not only hear the voices of my loved ones, but I can also share a visual connection. With the use of Skype, I am able to tell jokes with my family, share stories, cry when I’m sad, or even yell at the computer to them when I’m angry. Although at first it may seem bizarre, the presence of the screen almost seems to disappear after the initial moments of interaction. It is then that the 14,000 km seems to melt away and I am once again sitting in the same room as my mother, father, brother, or friends. A similar idea was introduced with the installation of Hole-In-Space:

For my final project, I would like to tackle this idea of a shared connection and intimacy within a webcam interaction. The basis of my project will be shared moments through Skype. Despite the 13-hour time difference with most of my friends and family, I am still able to maintain the relationship with them while I am away. Even though I may be going to bed while they wake up, I continue to talk to them on a regular basis. I would like to record video of shared moments on Skype, such as eating a meal, brushing teeth, doing laundry, watching a movie, or laying in bed. These are intimate moments that are typically saved for the confines of a home with face-to-face interactions, however, due to the large physical separation between me and my loved ones, I am forced to share this intimacy over a webcam. Although there is a time difference, the 13-hours allows me to almost mirror the actions on the other side of the world: while I am going to bed in my pajamas, my mother is just waking up, also in her pajamas. While I’m eating an early breakfast, my best friend may be eating her late night dinner. By sharing these moments live on-camera, it appears to break down the barriers and strip the presence of the computer, allowing us to inhabit a similar time and a shared space due to this common action. Similarly, the idea of breaking barriers was discussed in the reading, “Welcome to ‘Electronic Café International’: A Nice Place for Hot Coffee, Iced Tea, & Virtual Space,” by Galloway and Rabinowitz.

A perfect example of this shared intimacy despite a distance is the work, The Big Kiss, by Annie Abrams. This incredibly personal action still holds its intimacy despite a physical separation.

Update 1:

Upon discussing with Randall, I have decided to alter the focus of my FYP. I will continue with the interaction of people from across the world in the cyberspace, however, it will be in a more cohesive fashion. Later this semester, I will host a Telematic Dinner Party. With a few of my friends from all over the world (England, Czech Republic, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore), we will all simulataneously take part in a dinner party over Adobe Connect. With all the telltale signs of a dinner party (invitations, music, hors d’oeuvres, courses, toasts, etc.), despite our time differences, we will partake in a gathering just like any other in the real world.

Disembodiment in Facebook/Embodiment in Telematic Vision

The quote from the reading, ‘Virtual Bodies‘, explains the disembodiment of the cyberspace perfectly: the movement from a physical presence to a concept. Take Facebook for example: in real life, a person is presented (for the most part) as their true self in their physical presence. However, upon entering the cyberspace, they are able to represent themselves as they please; one can edit photos to appear as desired and is able to take their time to craft an opinion or response before commenting on a post. In this sense, the Facebook profile is more of a concept of a person rather than a true physical representation of the person.

The telematic experiment, Telematic Vision, by Paul Sermon is an interactive installation, composed of two, identical blue couches in entirely separate locations, linked together by a monitor. The video images captured from each part of the installation are sent to a video mixer, combining the images onto the monitor before the persons, appearing as if the separate parties were on a singular couch, physically interacting with one another (bringing the virtual bodies into the third space). Participants (from both sides) react to one another by moving their bodies and physically interacting. Without this participation, the artwork or performance does not exist. Similar to the explanation of dance from the reading, this installation portrays a deep connection between performance and embodiment. However, the reading creates a dichotomy between physical presence and concept (as explained above by the example of Facebook). In Telematic Vision, it becomes holistic. Without the physical presence (participants sitting on the couch), there is no concept (the virtual presentation of the users in the third space, interacting on the monitor). These two notions (physical presence and concept) therefore become co-dependant.