Bodies Without Spirits

Readings:

Daniel Canty, “American Automata” in HorizonZero, vol. 2 Imitators of Life: Robots, Automata, and Cyborgs

Allison Muri, “Of Sh*t and the Soul: Tropes of Cybernetic Disembodiment in Contemporary Culture”

According to Canty and Muri's articles, what have been the recurring fears/anxieties provoked by automata, robots and cyborgs throughout literary and cultural history (identify at least two)? What links do you see between our discussion two weeks ago regarding technology as an extension of our bodies, and the notions of disembodiment that these authors address?

Remix Culture: The Art of Ryan Trecartin

Ryan Trecartin, A Family Finds Entertainment

Readings:

http://kohbunny.com/shamim.html

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/ryan_trecartin.htm

Question:

Consider the two following artists' quotes from this week's readings:

"Caspar David Friedrich once wrote 'the painter should not paint merely what he sees in front of him but also what he sees within him. If he sees nothing within himself, however, then he should refrain from painting what he sees in front of him.'" - Swallowing Time

"'We consume and consume and puke, more than fetishise the objects and information we use.' Ryan Trecartin explains, 'We don't act inside or outside of consumer culture, entertainment, or art culture, we consume and translate, we're a by-product of it.'" - The Saatchi Gallery

Assuming both artists' perspectives are correct, what inevitable conclusion must we draw concerning the type of work it is possible for contemporary appropriation artists to make? Use examples from the Saatchi site or examples from your own personal knowledge of contemporary appropriation artists to explain.

Extending or perfecting the body’s “natural” capabilities

Sterlac, 1/4 Scale Ear

Readings:

Michael Bull, “ipod”

Alexander Chislenko, “Technology as Extension of Human Functional Architecture”

HorizonZero 16: Wear: Smart Clothes, Fashionable Technologies

Question:

Both Bull and Chislenko discuss the evolution of technology that augments our body's "natural" abilities. How do you see Bull's discussion of the ipod fitting into Chislenko's argument regarding extensions and/or systems functions? After reading these articles, what do you think their overall arguments are regarding the way that technology influences the relationship between our body and our identity?

Immersive Environments, Part Two

Jennifer Steinkamp's Daisy Chain Twist

Readings:

• Agnus Leech's "Bleeding the Mirror: Notes On the Many Transformations of David Rokeby's Very Nervous System" (to see Rokeby perform the piece, click here: Very Nervous System)
• Holly Willis, "A Conversation with Jennifer Steinkamp"
• Bennett and Beith, “Alternate Universe”

In his article "Bending the Mirror," Angus Leech cites the following statement by David Rokeby about the reasoning that informed his work "Very Nervous System":

"Because the computer is purely logical, the language of interaction should strive to be intuitive. Because the computer removes you from your body, the body should be strongly engaged. Because the computer's activity takes place in the tiny playing fields of integrated circuits, the encounter with the computer should take place in a human scaled physical space."

After considering this quote and reading the three articles, what is your take on his perspective of the oppositions posed by computers and the realm of the physical? Do you think that an art work and on-line games have the potential to synthesize the physical space of the body and computer technology or do these attempts at creating an interactive/virtual reality merely call more attention to the limitations of our bodies? Please make sure to incorporate discussions of all three articles into your answer.