LEC9 Technologised Bodies

To what extent are we already experiencing a man -machine symbiosis that has turned us into cyborgs?

To a certain extent, we always use the machine in our daily life. For example, we use mobile phone to connect with others, use watch to check the time, use computer to calculate something....etc.
Ususally, some people who have health problem would have some operation to implant machine.
For example, the heart disease patients sometimes implant heart pacemakers to save their life. Some people who is hearing disorder would use audiphone to help them in daily life.

What are some pros and cons of becoming a cyborg?
Pros:
1. more convenient
2. strengthen our body
3. make our body more beautiful as our wish

Cons:
1.unnatural, against the natural law
2. may be harm for our body because our body cannot adopt it.

What do you think of Stelarc's work?
I think it is systematic, lifeless and electronic. It looks like a robotic system.

Identity

"Lau Mei Yee" - my real name.
"June" is the name for the foreigners and colleagues when they call me.
"Ar yee" is the name for the schoolmates and friends.
"Mei Yee" is the name for my parents and relatives.
"Alien Mei Yee" is the name when I use the ICQ messager, because there was a cartoon many years ago called "Alien Mei Yee" (in Chinese).

I have 4 email accounts, included yahoo, MSN, gmail, Lingnan university.
Also, I have facebook account.

My classmate: (Christine Yan)
Christine is a name used for work or studies. She said, 'It seems that it is more serious or more elegant.'
Cow is use for common, she would pefer my friends call her cow rather than Christine. It is more fun and friendly. It is very warm if her friends call her "cow cow".
Evil Cow is a name used for net name.Since she always treat other people so they give her the name.
Yan Ching In is her real name and this name is usually for her family used. They call her when she do something wrong,they would shout her name"Yan Ching In, come out and see what she did!!!!!"'

Christine has account of gmail,yahoo,facebook, forum, msn, and she uses 'yaninhk' as her internet name.
'yan106' is the username of her email and the username when she surf the forum.
Her username in Lingnan University is 'christineyan'.

Review--youtube

Quote 2“…Through their many activities – uploading, viewing, discussing, and collaborating—the YouTube community forms a network of creative practice. In his book on the social worlds of art, music and design, Howard Becker (1982) described this kind of formation as an ‘art world’—’the network of people whose cooperative activity, organised via their joint knowledge of conventional means of doing things, produces the kind of art works that art world is noted for’ (Becker, 1982: x). He argues that the construction and negotiation of aesthetic values and ‘proper’ techniques is not confined to academics or experts, but involves everyone who contributes to the process of cultural production, including audiences. Similarly, on YouTube, aesthetic values, cultural forms, and creative techniques are normalised via the collective activities and judgements of the entire social network—forming an informal and emergent (and by far from homogeneous) ‘art world’ that is specific to YouTube”.

I'm most agree with the quote 2.Actually, the youtube created a new form of sharing creative video, music and art. It is a cooperative activity, it does not need professional technique, it only needs the creativity of andiences. Andiences/people have a great platform to show their ideas by uploading videos.

Mark Napier - "shredder"

Source from
http://www.potatoland.org/shredder/shredder.html - Mark Napier - "shredder" (Accessed from Oct 14, 2009)

What are some challenges digital art presents to the art world?

What are some challenges digital art presents to the art world (ie galleries, exhibition goers, art critics and scholars)?



The art world is very broad and the information always change. The audiences are difficult to follow or find the information because it changes all time.

Some people cannot accept the digital artwork because it is not traditional.

Some people think that the digital artists are not professional because they do not use the traditional art skill. It's only technology and not really artistic.

Compare to traditional art, we need to access on the internet otherwise we cannot view/appreicate the digital artwork. It is difficult to promote in some place which do not have internet services. (e.g. developing countries). This is the limitation.


Some people think that the digital art are just commercial, not really artistic, reproduction and copy. It may decrease creativity.

Screening of 'Mission of earth'

Screening of 'Mission of earth' (2003-2004)

by Lev Manovich

'Mission of earth' is a digital cinema.

According to the story outline, 'Inga is an alien who comes to Earth from twenty years behind Earth culturally and technologically. Mission to Earth is an allegoryof both the Cold war ear and of the contemporary immigrant experience that is so frequently the norm for inhabitants of 'global cities'. The film reminds us that, while hybrid identity is often celebrated as progressive, it also entails psychological trauma. '

Actually, I think this movie is quite boring because of the monotone, monotonous music and the boring story plots.

What is new or different between 'Mission to Earth" and tradtional ways of telling a story and constructing a film?

For example, the Mission to Earth used a special layout. In most parts of the film you will see both video clips and motion graphics clips appearing side by side. However, it usually only have a video clip at the same time.

The motion graphics correspond with videos but they are also independent. They form a parallel film that follows the same narrative but visualizes its themes and the characters's interfeeling at the same time.

The movie remind me of Mondrian because the whole movie looks likes a Combination of many boxes/ grid squares. It uses simple colours, sketchy lines to form it.

Piet Mondrian, Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow, 1930

Sources from:http://chelseaartmuseum.org/projectroom/2005/manovich/ -On Soft Cinema (accessed Oct 11, 2009)