My location is a computer classroom on the first floor of ADM. I have chosen this classroom because, to me, it is all about connection; the room is filled with wires, internet, a projector, lights, sound speakers, and many many computers. When this room is full, the students are together physically, but they are separately engrossed by their own computers and in their own virtual world, disconnected from those around them. This reminds me of my text from our collective class text on Pirate Pad:
“If we’re speaking to each other through a technology box, are we really in the present (now)?
I feel as if I’m having a relationship with my computer, the concept of you, rather than you.”
I begin in this room. I exit through the only door, you can hear the sound of it opening and closing.
I walk down a long, cement hallway that slowly curves as I walk; there is little to no sound.
I end up at the ADM lounge on the first floor. There is a flurry of voices (at the time I scouted this location, there was no such noise as it was a Sunday evening).
I go downstairs to the lobby and join my peers.
Throughout this journey, there will be the background noise of a full ADM building and the sound of voices.
If we’re speaking to each other through a technology box, are we really in the present (now)?
I feel as if I’m having a relationship with my computer, the concept of you, rather than you.
The Ending?
I presume that the ending of this piece reflects on the true connection between people that are interacting in the third space.
I think a good ending could be someone missing an important event, such as a funeral or death, but is trying to be “present” through a webcam or Skype. Clearly the true connection is lacking and emotional ties are not as close as they could be in person.
My final project, where I will hold a telematic dinner party, will be entirely based upon technology. I will be using Adobe Connect, just as we have in our online classes the past few weeks. I will have my participants download the app and become a little more comfortable with it, myself as well. We will all act as we normally would throughout a dinner party: eating, laughing, telling stories, interacting, etc. However, I am aware that technical difficulties can arise. As we have experienced in class, when too many people are involved, the connection can become glitchy or lagged. It is for this reason that I am keeping the numbers small: 5 people in total. I will be sure to have all members on the laptops because, after experience it myself, the connection on the phone can be quite unreliable. As I have instructed all of the participants to be at home throughout the event, I trust that the internet connections should be quite steady.
Below is an image (screenshot) of my experimentation with Adobe Connect Mobile. As you can see, I am smiling in this photo because I am aware that it is happening. However, Kathryn appears “paused” and Bridget is not in the picture. This is due to our lag and bad connection, causing us to be unable to properly communicate.
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.
Hole-In-Space was an experiment that shocked the unsuspecting public one evening in 1980 in both New York City and Los Angeles. The life-size images that were displayed broke down the 2,800 miles of distance and linked complete strangers through the act of a virtual connection. Created by Kit Galloway and Sherrie Rabinowitz, this technology was revolutionary for its time and allowed innocent passerby to experience a conversation like never before in the “virtual space,” a term coined by Galloway and Rabinowitz.
In today’s technological society, these connections are regularly had over Skype, FaceTime, and other forms of virtual conversation. However, in 1980, Skype had not been invented and cellular texting was still a few years down the road. The ability to visually connect with an individual on the other side of the country was cutting-edge and irresistible.
Some may argue that face-to-face interaction is the most personal and intimate, and while they may be right, it does not detract from the intimacy that can be shared through virtual visual communication. For example, the work, The Big Kiss, by Annie Abrams shows us that despite a physical distance that is keeping two individuals apart, the connection that can be had through virtual visual communication can hold moments and feelings of intimacy and emotion.
This virtual space that is discussed in the Galloway and Rabinowitz reading, “Welcome to ‘Electronic Café International’: A Nice Place for Hot Coffee, Iced Tea, & Virtual Space,” just like the Hole-In-Space experiment, is able to break down barriers that previously appeared impossible. The emotions, vulnerability, intimacy and friendship that were previously reserved for face-to-face connection can effectively be shared through with virtual space.
![We R Here [Now] Response](https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/n1404301k/wp-content/uploads/sites/113/2015/03/62629iDFFB0A81EB5D32BB.jpeg)
