New Media Reader 177-227

I loved Italo Calvino's mathematical crime story. I thought it was ingenious of him to use the genre of the crime story. The actions he uses in his equations (to rape, to murder, etc.) are funny because these are actions that we generally conceive of as being beyond the rational, unpredictable, and unexplainable. But also, he is playing on the crime fiction idea that all crimes can be solved by a hyper-rational computer like mind (McLuhan mentions Edgar Allen Poe's "The Purloined Letter" for example). Finally, I thought it was a good satire of the genre because the plots of these kinds of stories are often formulaic, involving a set number of stock characters doing a set number of actions, as I discovered at my own peril while reading a massive pulp fiction anthology recently. It reminded me of the article we read about how movies of the future might conform themselves to the desires of the viewer, and shows a model of how this might work. It was also interesting showed how cultural or personal biases can subjectify a seemingly objective mathematical process, in showing the actions that Calvino thought each character might be capable of, or which actions could exclude each other. In the real world, by some freak incident maybe one of the eliminated combinations of actions and characters could occur, but not in the rational world of fiction or computing.
McLuhan's articles were so dense with ideas and references that sometimes I had difficulty understanding it all, but several of his ideas stood out to me. His "Gutenberg Galaxy" excerpt resonated with some of my recent preoccupations. I'm taking a class on the history of mass media. and reading a book about Victorian sexuality, most of the sources for which are sensationalist newspapers, pamphlets, and pornography publications. In these contexts, I often think about how the internet is currently considered to be bringing information to the masses as never before, but the wealth of affordable publications that sprang up in the 19th century was a similar paradigm shift, into paradigm that I think is still mostly holding sway today. I was especially compelled by McLuhan's statement that widespread literacy created a shift from the manufacture of art for a patron, into the manufacture of art for mass consumption, and transformed art into a commodity. This also forced the artist to be more aware of the audience and the arts intended effect. This was the first move towards artist/veiwer interaction. I also was interested in his discussion of the individual versus the group experience. While we mostly consume and interpret culture in an individual way, we also have a shared experience in pop culture, a level on which people can communicate across class, race, age and gender.
"The Medium is Message" was interesting because of McLuhan's argument that technologies have a meaning in and of themselves, that they are political and non-neutral. This was different from most articles we have read where technology is only as dangerous as those who wield it.

Ken Perlin's Tour

I really enjoyed touring Ken Perlin's studio. Ken was very charming, interesting, and well-informed. I really appreciated his overarching career goal of trying to make computers more organic and user friendly. it was exciting to see how his groundbreaking inventions were created by himself and a few students out of parts bought on ebay. His laboratory really brought home the democratic aspect of technological development. His invention of the pressure sensitive touch pad has so much potential for computer graphics and design. it brakes down boundaries between technology and the user, and turns the computer screen into a more three demensional space. It reminded me of Douglas Englebart's envisioning of an architect at work in the way a designer could easily move through 3d space in renderings of their design and shape it with their movements.

Timeline page 176-226

1962- Marshall McLuhan writes "The Gutenberg Galaxy"
-used paradigm shifts sparked by the printing press to understand the changes which new media will inspire.

1964- Marshall McLuhan writes "Understanding the Medium"
-he famously writes "the medium is the message" stating that technology is not a tool but has a meaning of its own.
-states that technology should be studied on its own terms.

late 60's early 70's - Billy Kluver and others found E.A.T. (Experiments in Art and Technology) a collective in which artists like Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, and Jean Tinguely experimented with new technologies, performance, and interaction in artworks.

Timeline pg 49-108

1950- Alan Turing invents the "Turing Test"
-tests if computers can fool someone into thinking it's human
-begins human/computer dialog
-moves computers from the realm of the mathematical into the realm of written language

1960-62- Joseph Licklider encourages universities to link computers, sets precedent for the development of the internet

1961- Allan Kaprow and his troupe perform interactive, interdisciplinary 'happenings' in New York.
-Beginning of performance art

1961- William Burroughs describes Brion Gysin's Cut-Up method of writing
-begun by Tristan Tsara
-broke down traditional limits of language and expression

1962- Douglas Englebart (inventor of mouses, windows, word processors) wrote a book "Augmenting Human Intellect" about ho computers will help people deal with the manifold problems of an increasingly complex world

Timeline 109-176

1961- Roy Ascott applies cybernetic concepts to art and art education at the Ealing School of Art.
-in 1964 he publishes the the first essay on new media art which describes his techniques and philosophy

1963- Ivan Sutherland creates the Sketchpad system
-Set the precedents for the interface we know today, i.e. objects on a background.
-Allowed computers to be used for graphic purposes

1965- Ted Nelson outlines concepts of Hypertext and coins the word.

Early '70's- Oulipo (Ouvoir de la litterature Potentille) founded
-a french literary group aimed at investigating our conventional ideas of the structure of language and the form of texts
-they propose new potential ways in which literature can be written

NEW MEDIA READER PG 109-176

These further chapters of the new media reader continued to show how proto new media artists broke down static formal rules within their respective disciplines. I especially enjoyed Roy Ascott's peice on his work at the Ealing School of Art. Not only did the projects of the students sound totally fun, and a great way to force students to think creatively, but he vocalized something that I firmly believe in: that a contemporary artist must be firmly involved in many aspects of culture in order to be relevant. Our culture romanticizes the artist as a solitary introspective creature who is completely removed from society, but this is not viable in reality. I feel endless frustration towards my creative friends who self-consciously reject trash tv, or top forty hits, or celebrity gossip. I don't think this is just me trying to justify my guilty pleasures. These are essential parts of our cultural landscape that should be understood and commented on. Similarly, my anguish is directed towards people who say "I can't do anything with computers." and refuse to learn anything about them. It is such a huge oversight, and artists who ignore advancements in technology are missing the boat on an immense paradigm shift that should be manifest in the avant-garde.
Reading Raymond Queneau's "A Hundred Thousand Billion Poems" (did he do the math?) as a french and english speaker was interesting in thagt the translator of this work appeared to have been subscribing to Oulipo methods himself. The meanings of the lines in translation bore only tangential similarities to the original. Obviously the point was to convey method over meaning. It is interesting to see the way the translator had to strip the text down to the bare minimum of what needed to be communicated in order for the spirit of the original to come through. Also both author and translator were very impressive rhymers.

New Media Reader pages 73-108

Douglas Engelbart writes that augmenting human intellect will require not only new technologies but also the development of new methods of thinking and working. These chapters of the reader continue to outline the paradigm shifts that contributed to the foundations of new media. We see how Allan Kaprow uses Happenings to redefine what theater can be. He and his collaborators created a form with less boundaries between performance, that were unscripted and spontaneous, that stimulated all the senses. He also takes the commercialism of the established art world to task, stating that the happenings are something which are difficult to co-opt. In this essay, we see some embryotic new media art themes: breakdown of boundaries between disciplines, interactivity, and a rejection of established commercial venues. In Burrough's essay on "The Cut-Up Method of Brion Gysin," he defines a modern conciousness which is able to understand information that is non-linear, fragmented, and contains infinite random exciting combinations. All of these new art forms spring from the same anxiety that spurred Engelbart, the inability of humans to deal with the increasing complex issues that confront them, and a search for an alternative to this.

Helvetica and Obama's typeface

When I was watching the documentary "Helvetica" I was surprised by how instantly the typefaces they showed throughout the decades could immediately call up for me the look of an era, as easily as fashion or hairstyles usually do. The most effective and interesting part of the documentary was the way they tied type styles to all the larger cultural shifts of the last hundred years. In the article "To the Letter Born" Brian Collins says, "Political campaigns are the Brigadoon of branding. There’s a compressed amount of time to tell a candidate’s story before the race is over and the campaign vanishes." This statement shows why type and graphic design are so representative or iconic of historical eras, from art nouveau print ads of the turn of the century , to concert posters of the 60's. These are the disposable ephemera of everyday life. Unlike most other forms of expression, type and graphics surround us everyday, but only need to be relevant for a short period time. Advertisements and branding just needs to be the most appealing to the most people at a certain moment, that's why it's a great way of understanding the spirit of an age, and the Obama Campaign is no exception. The way that many of the type designers talked about their work, they sounded like fanatical wine connaisseurs discussing a fine vintage, but is simply because they have the language to articulate. I think everyone gets a very strong message from type whether they can articulate it or not, as demonstrated by the word "change" in three different fonts. This is why, in our visual age, when people are more likely to be swayed the look of something, rather than actually read or listen to words, the "branding" that Brian Collins is discussing is the most important part of a political campaign.

Chelsea Galleries

I was intrigued by David Fried’s piece with the balls communicating. While I felt aesthetically it was a little corporate art-y, I loved the mysterious alchemical process by which the balls moved. I loved that the artist developed a concept and then found a technology to make it work. In some cases with new media, the technology is the art, but in others, the concept can be invented almost separately from a medium, and then substantiated through technology\

Although some people in class complained that the method of R. Luke Dubois’ work “Hindsight is Always 20/20” was disingenuous and created an expected result, I thought it seemed an incredibly innovative and interesting as a historical document. It showed how computer sciences could be applied to history in an interdisciplinary way to offer a unique perspective. The information presented through his systematic breakdown of state of the union addresses was consistent with my understanding of ideological shifts in American politics. It presented history for a computer generation: non-narrative, data-based, multi-disciplinary, and requiring of a critical thought process.

Michael Zansky’s pieces showed a facet of new media art that is homegrown and low-tech. Entering the gallery felt to me like entering a renaissance cabinet of curiosities, in which disparate objects are juxtaposed to create a sense of wonder and enchantment. Images that recalled the cosmos were combined with precious little objects in a way that emulated the combinations of nature and artifact which occurred in these proto-museums, but the inclusion of whimsical yet somehow terrifying pop-culture tchochkes brought the whole thing up to date. The constant maniacal rotations of the still lives and the distortion of the lenses brought on sensory bewilderment like a bad trip. I loved this art and found the artist’s method inspiring

I also loved Doug Aitken’s video work “Migrations” at 303 gallery, but I couldn’t tell if it was just because of the beautiful cinematography of cute animals. I loved how he used these kind of iconic noir Americana images of anonymous motel rooms. While the animals are just in there doing their natural behavior in an unnatural environment, our imagination creates a narrative and psychology for the creatures based on our association of this cinematic locale with moral transgression and existential crisis.

My favorite piece at eyebeam was the squares of wallpaper that followed your movements. It reminded me of the haunted house portraits whose eyes watch you cross the room, but more subtly ominous. Who knew that some tasteful wallpaper minimally hung could be so scary? The exhibit at eyebeam showcased a broad spectrum of new media themes, from interactivity, to technological innovation, to grassroots organizing. It helped me gain a better understanding of what new media art entails.

Frank Gehry IAC Headquaters

I feel like I always am being really negative on my blog, but Frank Gehry is another irrational prejudice of mine. His work is so gimmicky and kitschy. At least this building was somewhat toned down, perhaps in deference to the fact that it's a corporate headquarter. While researching online, I couldn't find any mention of green design in this building. If this was an aspect of the design, its a shame that it wasn't publicized more, as Gehry is probably one of the more copied architects working today. It would be nice for him to start an appealing trend for once! One sustainable building that I really love is the new California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. It has a living roof that is planted with grass and flowers and regulates heat throughout the building, it runs on solar power and the aquarium runs all over the building. No only does it look lovely, but the building is an exhibit in itself. I'm so excited to see it in person!
http://www.calacademy.org/

The Future of Gaming

hatr The new technologies described in the articles about the virtual reality cocoon, the mind reading headset, and LittleBigPlanet all aim at collapsing the distance between the world of the game and the world of the gamer, with varying methods and focuses. The technology that was the most appealing and accessible to me was LittleBigPlanet. I loved the idea that it was accessible to everyone even non-gamers. It reminded me of what we we talking about in class about how video games are completely elementary and in their infancy. The way that LittleBigPlanet supports the unlimited creativity of the players, rather than confining them to an extremely limited set of choices definitely seems like the logical and feasible next stage of evolution, and definitely changes my conception of gaming from a past time to a medium. The other two technologies seemed a little misguided.
The article about the mind-reading headset seemed a little alarmist. While I recognize that there could easily be a technology that recognizes mental impulses towards emotions or physical movements, this seems a far cry from technology that could read subconcious thoughts or influence our thoughts from afar. However, I found it an interesting sign of the times that the article focused on the gaming potential of this technology, or it's uses for terrorism, or government intrigue, rather than focusing on more practical applications in the medical realm that many people mentioned in class. This demonstrates many people's ambivalence towards new technology.
As someone who is infinitely lazy, I didn't really understand the appeal of the virtual reality cocoon. Well, maybe that's an overstatement. I do understand the appeal of entering a complete 3d recreation of a historical or fictional environment. But for me the internet is great because I don't have to move more than a few fingers to access a universe of information. Wouldn't going to amazon.com and pretending to walk around a book store be kind of like going to a bookstore and walking around it? Naw, I'm just being obtuse. This technology would be insane and completely redefine our understanding of the limits of the human body in ways that are scarcely comprehensible.