SCIENTIFIC AND ARTISTIC EVALUATION OF MFWS' PROJECTS & WORKS
1997 EVALUATION BY DERRICK DE KERCKHOVE, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
EXTERNALIZING
CONSCIOUSNESS
MEDITATION ON THE WORK OF MONIKA FLEISCHMANN & WOLFGANG
STRAUSS by Derrick de KERCKHOVE
PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A COUPLE
In
public mentions, Monika comes first, in conversations too. Wolfgang
stays in the background. Purposely, it seems. At first, I thought it
was because he spoke less English than Monika. Then I sensed that both
are working deliberately at bringing down the conditioned reflexes of
their culture regarding the gender roles. They work as a team, like a
few other famous couples in virtual art and criticism. What is valuable
about Monika and Wolfgang is that they show that artists can work
intimately in pairs. The fact is, when examining their work, it is
genuinely difficult to single out what belongs to one and what to the
other. This helps to bring down some of the gender barriers and helps
us to develop the kind of social attitude needed for tomorrow’s
communities. Fleischmann and Strauss are artists who explore the edge
of reality, fully aware of the fact that what is only virtual today
will probably be real tomorrow.
THE SHAPE OF CONSCIOUSNESS
In
many ways, it seems as if the purpose of so much of today’s media
development is not only to converge on and off line, but to emerge as
the content and perhaps even the form of private consciousness. In Home
of the Brain, Fleischmann and Strauss’ first experimentation with fully
fledged VR for art, what you see is the externalization of what is
normally contained within the mind, namely the ability to move in an
imaginary space occupied by thoughts (in this piece, those of Paul
Virilio, Villem Flusser, Joseph Weizenbaum and Marvin Minsky’s).
Imagination, like calculation, is a mental skill. It is one among many
that have been subjected to a constant process of externalization,
first on a screen, all the way from TV to multi-media, now in the
screen with goggles and CAVEs (Computer-Assisted-Virtual-Environment).
As the contents and the processes of our minds are being poured into
these technologies, it is a good thing to have artists take the
responsibility to explore the consequences.
If the electronic
technologies are like the literate/mechanical ones which preceded them,
then iaced by "active observation". The observer discovers that he -
and not the artist - is the one creating the situation. When the
situation changes and the observer becomes a player, he suddenly begins
to identify himself with the situation. Observation becomes more than
merely consumption. In this moment consumption ceases. This is all the
more true in interactive scenarios when the observer participates in
the game and can intervene in it. In 1990 we endeavour to construct
Alice's Wonderland. With virtual reality goggles and gloves, the body
is exposed to new spatial experiences. The body is the interface
between the interior and the exterior, between reality and virtual
reality.
One of the major psychological changes attending the
virtualization of human experience is the change of direction of our
mind’s eye from within the private mind of the reader to the without of
the body of anyone interacting with anything. The virtual in that sense
is no different than cinema or television, but it puts an extra demand
on the technology that it be “real-time”, that is that it respond as
quickly to the hand as the mind responds to the thought, with the same
level of pertinence. The externalization of consciousness requires more
rather than less bodily interaction with the contents of imagination
now outside the brain. As Fleischmann and Strauss vigourously
emphasize: »We are turning the theory on its head that man is losing
his body to technology. In our opinion, the interactive media are
supporting the multisensory mechanisms of the body and are thus
extending man's space for play and action.«
MATERIALIZATION
The
body, indeed, is a reality that Fleischmann and Strauss understand far
better than the endless succession of those sour critics who claim that
the technology is robbing us of everything from our body to our minds
to our very existence. Contrary to most critics and opinion-makers, Fleischmann and Strauss believe that the virtual is not here to replace
the “real”, nor to displace “the body”, but to augment both and restore
our senses, the first of which is the sense of balance. Refering to
Virtual Balance, they explain: »Like Hermes the celestial messenger,
the observer navigates as a "Skywriter" using "virtual balance" and the
metamorphosis of digital landscapes. To do this, he uses neither mouse,
joystick or data glove. He simply has to move his body's centre of
gravity accordingly to allow him to fly upwards or downwards, to the
right or to the left. Unlike a joystick or mouse which reduces man to
minimal reflex actions, "Virtual Balance" requires the coordinated use
of the entire body and its perception. Neither time optimisation nor
disjointed gestures are required, but rather an interplay of the
senses.«
The second stage is materialization. Our thoughts and the
shape of the consciousness that shapes them eventually becomes
projected in the concrete reality of physical space. But it takes time.
In the old greco-roman culture, it took several hundred years before
formal architecture, say that of the theatre or the school or the
private house, matured into the material reflection of the typical
western -alphabetic- mode of consciousness. The same mode and its many
forms that we gleefully retrieved with print technologies in the
Renaissance. The materiality of our sensory lives now requires from
digital technology something more concrete than what we can imagine in
our minds. It may be that, in order to become really useful, virtuality
will need some form of permanence or at least some measure of
reliability, as we can see develop in the virtual worlds on line now
growing on the Internet. Thus the architecture of the Internet could
perhaps be decribed as a kind of materialization of the digital. We
talk about the digital as if it were truly “immaterial”. That is about
as clever as our commonsense pretense that the air is “empy”, or that
space is “neutral”, or the medieval assumption that “nature abbhors
vacuum”. There is little that is not material in digital stuff. It goes
through hardware and responds to the laws of physics and it effects
matter.
INTERNALIZATION
The third, and perhaps the last
stage, is internalization. This one is clearly evident in the silent
reading of our novels for which we simply internalize the theatrical
stage of what we see in real life. We rebuild in the privacy of our
mind the gestures and stories of the characters we read about. The
question addressed by Fleischmann and Strauss is what do we interiorize
and how do we internalize it from the experience of interactivity ?
This is a tough one but we see the beginning of an answer in Liquid
Views and Rigid Waves, two interactive pieces which probe the sense of
one’s selfhood. We have a self that we have inherited from the
alphabetic culture. It was severely threatened by TV, but beefed up by
the PC. The question is what does that self become in interaction, not
with machines alone, but with people via machines ? The self in Liquid
View is not threatened by digitization, only reflected by yet another
type of lens. In many ways, one could claim that all these powers at
the tip of our fingers, in the movement of our hips, actually augment
rather than diminish the self. The new problematic of selfhood is not
that it is vanishing, but rather it is that it is finally approaching a
radically new situation, that of potentially combining with other
selves, not in amorous but perceptual, cognitive and perhaps even
emotional associations.
For example, the fact that whatever is
externalized in virtual environments is shareable, gives a new, rather
ambiguous status to the self. Two or more people can take part in VR.
That makes each one incompletely subjective and incompletely objective.
Fleischmann and Strauss might put it another way: »The user
interacts with the virtual scenario, displacing, changing and
manipulating it in order to test it for realism. He can also retrieve
information from the computer which works invisibly in the background.
The objects and activities themselves become the inputs and outputs for
this environment. These is no longer a clearly perceivable interface
between the user and the system.«
Thus, there is no longer a
clear distinction between the extensions of the selves thus extended
and outered. Another example is when any number of people share a
realtime virtual world on-line, such as an alphaworld. Each one has a
private point-of-view but this POV relates to a single common
environment showing up on a screen which is in the same focal position
for everybody. Is that a “common mind” ? A common imagination ? What
what exactly remains of “my mind” in the moment of attention to that
screen ? Something like a form or many forms of shared consciousness
must be posited at some point in the artistic reflexion. It may be
that, at some remove, what we call today “extra-sensorial perception”
will become common sense.
»We are developing a photographic pattern of thinking«
Fleischmann
and Strauss question the spatial constraints of the legacy of the
Renaissance as well as the divine right of the self. Both space and
self are concurrent and collaborative forms of mental representation,
part and parcel of the typically western psycho-sensorial synthesis.
The self positions itself by reference to a 3-D reality. However, while
conventional perspective and trompe-l’oeil as well as holography today
always keep the self away from the spectacle (trompe-l’oeil means to
“fool the eye” into believing that it can appreciate the depth of a 2-D
representation without the need to touch the painting), VR and all
interactivity involve the self, suck it in the spectacle and into
action, so to speak. Virtual Reality is an excellent technology to
simulate other people’s, and even other creatures, mental experiences.
Tamas Waliczky, for example, has explored the visual perspective of a
four-year old in his unforgettable piece called The Garden.
Constitutionally, VR must always present the rudiments of a coherent
psycho-sensorial synthesis, by which I mean the combination of sensory
biases and mental skills typical of one culture or one generation.
Fleischmannt is likely that they will be or already are taking us
through several stages of psycho-technological transformations.
EXTERNALIZATION
The
first is externalization. The Greek invented theatre to externalize the
psychological effects of the alphabet, thereby showing a model of a
private mind and its content, the drama of life lived at the symbolical
level. McLuhan suggested that if electronic technologies were but
extensions (externalizations) of our nervous system, it would be “but a
small step to add consciousness”, thereby predicting virtual reality.
There is an unconscious demand latent in the externalization of our
mental skills, it is is that they afford us the same level of freedom
that we obtain in the privacy of our own imaginings. About, Home of the
Brain, Fleischmann and Strauss say: »
While the observer is only
the onlooker, this "looking" is a kind of movement. It embodies "active
observation". From a certain moment when the observer becomes immersed
in the action, his "passive onlooking" is replaced by "active
observation". The observer discovers the he - and not the artist - is
the one creating the situation. When the situation changes and the
observer becomes a player, he suddenly begins to identify himself with
the situation. Observation becomes more than merely consumption.«
Fleischmann
and Strauss are also
exploring the varieties of cultural textures in Spatial Navigator. This
first application is part of a global navigational concept that can be
accessed via the Internet or as a permanent installation on site. The
Skywriter will then fly through virtual continents, eavesdrop on the
sounds of the various cultures, or discover the symbol sets of the
different peoples. The "Global Passage" around the virtual world is
intended to visualise cultural identity and convey this between
different cultures. In Fleischmann and Strauss, what we are
witnessing is the art of people who have understood that something
really serious is happening when our literate consciousness is put
outside our minds but with other people’s thoughts in it. As they
judge:
» The game with reality remains the most important theme when
working with virtual sets.« Like the great novelists of old, they are
explorers and builders of consciousness. However, this time, it is an
externalized consciousness.
Derrick de Kerckhove, Director of McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology, University of Toronto, Wicklow, July 8th, 1997
1999 EVALUATION REPORT ON THE ART & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH DIVISION MARS (MEDIA ARTS RESEARCH STUDIES) OF GMD INSTITUTE FOR MEDIA COMMUNICATION
Scientific Evaluation of the GMD - Institute for Media Communication. International committee: Prof. Kellogg BOOTH, PhD, University of British Columbia, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang EFFELSBERG, Universität Mannheim, Hans Joachim GÖTZ, Bayerischer Rundfunk-HA Technik, Hugo KUBINYI, BASF, Prof. Dr. Peter MARTINI, Universität Bonn. Chairman Prof. Dr. Eugene FIUME, University of Toronto. Dec. 23, 1999.
»Arts and Technology (headed by MF): We are impressed with the diversity and impact of many projects at IMK that blend technology and art into unique forms of expression. These works are embodied variously as sculpture, multimedia content, sensor-based mechanical systems. All of these projects involve the novel use of sensor technology to drive the »art«. What may at first seem like frivolous uses of advanced sensing technology, backed up by computation, real-time graphics, and computergenerated sound, are in fact at the forefront of what is variously known as »ubiquitous computing«, »pervasive computing«, »perceptual user interfaces«, and »mixed reality environments«. At this time, it is often easier to find artistic uses for new technology than it is to find solid »business« applications. For this reason a mix of the two is appropriate within IMK. The Media Arts Research Studies (MARS) research group is providing a good focal point for pushing forward projects in Art and Technology. (...) The projects in Art and Technology contain innovative research, but their main aim is to integrate research and technology into showpieces that make participants aware of new possibilities in media. While we are not in a position to judge aesthetic value, it is clear to us that the projects have been very well positioned publicly, and they have in a short span created a great deal of attention for IMK and GMD. These projects benefit from access to other work at GMD and serve both as illustrations of how collaborations between art and technology can be conducted, but also as examples of the artistic, cultural, social issues that are inherent in emerging technology.«2005 GUTACHTEN ZUR STRATEGIE DER FRAUNHOFER IMK FORSCHUNGSABTEILUNG MARS (MEDIA ARTS & RESEARCH STUDIES)
Auszug der Beurteilung zu Wettbewerbssituation und Alleinstellungsmerkmal der Fraunhofer IMK - eCulture Abteilung/Forschungsgruppe MARS. Auditoren: Günter HARING (Universität Wien), Thorsten HERFET (Universität des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken), Felix HÖGER (Pironet NDH AG), Arnulf LUNZE (Dt. Bundestag, Abt. Informationstechnik), Rudolf MARTY (Gebert Rüf Stiftung), Jean-Philippe RICKENBACH (NZZ), Josef SCHÄFER (RWE), Herbert Tillmann, Georg TROGEMANN (KHM). Februar 2005.
»Im Vergleich zu nationalen und internationalen Wettbewerbern im Bereich eCulture liegt die Stärke des IMK MARS Lab in der integrativen Entwicklung von Werkzeugen und Umgebungen für Wissens- und Präsentationsmedien. Eine führende Stellung nimmt das Geschäftsfeld bei der Verbindung von neuen Wissenstechnologien mit gestalterischen Kompetenzen beim Aufbau von Online-Archiven, sowie der zugehörigen Entwicklung neuer Interaktionstechnologien ein. Die eCulture-Gruppe kann dabei auf eine international hohe Sichtbarkeit und einen großen Bekanntheitsgrad verweisen. Die relativ kleine Gruppe ist auf einschlägigen internationalen Konferenzen stark vertreten und gehört dem europäischen »Network of Excellence Interline« an, welches die führenden Forschergruppen Europas auf dem Gebiet der Online Archiv-Systeme im Kunst und Kulturbereich verbindet. Die im Rahmen des BMBF-geförderten Projektes CAT – Communication of ART and Technology aufgebaute Internetplattform netzspannung.org erfährt als Online-Archiv für Medienkunst und Technologie eine große Aufmerksamkeit in Fachkreisen. Die bemerkenswerte Reputation der Gruppe ist – nach Einschätzung der Auditoren – eng mit dem Namen der international bekannten Medienkünstlerin und Leiterin der Abteilung Monika Fleischmann verbunden.«
2007 EU-INNOVATIVE ACTIONS NETWORK EVALUATES FRAUNHOFER eCULTURE FACTORY
The
European IANIS-Innovative Actions Network for the Information Society
chooses the eCulture Factory headed by MF & WS as one of 3 selected excellent german Best Practice Projects (out of hundreds). Piet C.A.
SEVERIJNEN evaluates eculturefactory.de of Fraunhofer IAIS - MARS Lab with regard to aspects such as ICT & Knowledge Management.
The
evaluated Project had to fullfil the following
conditions:
» Regional project of the german eris@(Bremen, Schleswig Holstein, Sachsen) counties.
» Cofinanced by EU Structural Fund within the Regional Innovative Actions Programms.
» Contribute to the Social and/or Economic Development of the Region.
» Being innovative and 'different' in the sense of Technology, the Use
of Technology; the sense of Financing, Project
Management etc. IANIS is financed by the European Commission (DG
Regional Politics) with a Consortium of 44 Regions (39 EU and 5 New Member States). Maastricht 2007