“The attitude that nature is chaotic and that the artist puts order into it is a very absurd point of view, I think. All that we can hope for is to put some order into ourselves.”

Willem de Kooning

Took a few days away from the essay to give time for the presentation  feed back to settle in.

Doing some more reading  brought me back to the abstract expressionists; in particular Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning because of the emphasis on  gesture and physicality in their works.

Here is the link again for the interactive Pollock site that  I posted about  at the beginning of the course back in 2007/8.

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

The interest for me when making these digital Pollock style pieces is that the focus on the  physical engagement of the original works  is gone. I  read recently, that all of our online interaction happens through hand movements on the mouse or keyboard. What used to take bodily physical motion and time to achieve has become condensed in to small low impact isolated physical actions.

How does the concept of the ‘artist’ of 60 years ago may compare to today’s  understanding of the term ‘artist’ … the differences of expectations and contexts of that term; where that may currently fit in to a sense of global identity and propaganda?

Historically, abstract expressionism in the US has been interpreted as an exercise of a form of cultural imperialism by the USA a response to the cold war.

Threads seem to  lead to more questions in philosophical concepts.

Rationally I understand that the essay is an academic exercise. The goal should be to make a good contained job of writing and presenting the essay.

Just aim to get the essay finished.

This Tuesday the chat was based on discussion of our essay presentations.

The  online chat environment is not one I find easy.  It is a very impersonal environment that some how manages to create a very personal one.

Andy asked me two questions I wasn’t able to answer very well at the time, so will try to give a clearer response below:

The first was about the theme of walking and if I felt it dealt as a metaphor in my presentation.

Though I tried to deal with facts in the presentation, the idea of metaphor has been knocking at my consciousness but I can’t as yet articulate it clearly. I am very slow with the academic element of this course. It takes a long time to un-tease things from all the chaos that I go through both dyslexia wise and intellectually. Hope in a week or two when the essay is completed I will be able to include a clear metaphor but at this point in time how to articulate it clearly is work in progress.

Do feel some of these academic aspects have improved since first joining the course. Though  did have  a journey in that area to start with so it may seem very little progress. As long as it is going forward its all good.

The second was around Darwinism versus creationism in relation to themes in the presentation.  This question followed on from some of the issues raised in the previous discussion of Hassen’s presentation.

It is understandable that a work once it is viewed is informed for the viewer through the interpretation that they bring to the piece, based on their set of current understanding, history and experiences. Hopefully the viewer will take something away that may become relevant in a new context at some future point. Art goes with you and keeps re informing as understandings shift. This alongside its ability to raise debate is what makes it invaluable.

At a more personal level I wasn’t sure how to respond to the issues contained in Andy’s question, other than, for me this question focuses on the right to hold a personal belief structure and think we all should have a right to one and have a right to have those views respected and this is something we should all protect for each other; even if those views appear contradictory.

I have always admired Isaiah (or any  visionary), just as I admire Darwin’s tenacity and academic legacy and feel that they stem from the same place and  what is of real value is the on going debate.

This week has been spent focusing on the essay. It is great to begin to draw the ideas out. There is still a way to go and it isn’t a process that comes naturally, but like I said last week, it is a process that I am enjoying.

In Tuesday’s online chat we had individual chats with Andy, so I was able to discuss the essay. Andy was asking when a photograph became a photograph: When you push the shutter button, when its stored in the camera or when it is printed.

From reading an article by Cathy Weis on ageism, I am beginning to question if my understanding of embodiment. I have been thinking of embodiment in a linear way, time based due to our biological nature, and if in fact the notion of embodiment is far more diverse, and possibly more like a tag cloud.

I have read recently that can be argued is that rather than disembodying us cyberspace has in fact has embodied us.

This week I also managed to spend a little time on jotting down some notes for a prototype for the final show. Below is a 1^st draft for the final piece prototype:

Prototype draft 1

But having shown it to a couple of friends and discussed the options with them, they advised me against trying to travel down to Camberwell and create an installation.  Their feedback was the ideas in the presentation were too ambitious in relation to my resources and situation.

So had a good think through options and am going to look in to making a non linear narrative piece with Korsakow. That way all my recourses will be directed to a focused and contained piece and the time frame will be more realistic.

So the next step will be to spend a bit of time going back over Korsakow with my sister who knows more about the programming than I do and get up to speed and aim to put another draft presentation for the prototype together in a week or so.

I am comfortable with proceeding with a more contained project, a lot of my worries for the final piece have been based on options of getting down to London.

Korsakow is a structure that feels appropriate as it allows for interaction and the non linear narrative structure is representative of the way digital media has opened up choices and changed familiar processes. It feels as if it may echo some of the ideas above about the cyber world freeing us from a linear time biological lead understanding.

Appreciating why some of the questions we were posed in the early part of this course matter so profoundly, such as who controls the net and the sharing of information. Given how societies have structured and controlled themselves with biological based hierarchies that are in many ways obsolete in cyber space. (These some how are often found re asserting themselves. Like the sexual stereotyping of many avatars).

Just to end on an exciting piece of news about Mail Art One. At the end of last week I was contacted by the gallery director for the DLI gallery who wished to contact one of the contributors with a view to working with them.

I am really pleased about this as it was one of the things I hoped might be achieved through the publication.  Its aim was to be eclectic, democratic open to any one who wanted to could be included. I am glad I stuck at producing it. It feels really good to have facilitated that introduction.

Here is my abstract. It is really a draft that needs a lot of work but I wanted to post it and ‘own’ the essay.

Walking.

Abstract:

How may the act of walking be seen to reflect the position of the lived body in post human culture?

My current practice centres on examining the link between our identities and our unconsidered daily physical movements such as walking, an activity most of us take for granted.

The act of walking and its constant  importance to us can be found built into our consciousness, in everyday phrases  such as ‘walk like a man’, ‘walking to hell and back’; in folklore and fairy stories, e.g.: the Little Mermaid and Cinderella.

Historically cultural practices and ideologies surrounding walking have been used as a tool to reinforce gender, social roles, stereotypes; the rights and what it has meant for a man to walk freely have not been matched by those surrounding a woman’s to walk freely.

Projects are currently being undertaken that enable us to become cyborgs and walk in virtual realities. The sociological, political and psychological context of walking is constantly being redrawn in the face of our rapidly developing technological society. Walking is an activity that can be seen to reflect the predicament of the human body in a society that frequently seeks to renounce the unpredictable biological nature of the lived body in post human society.

Through this essay I will attempt to:

1. Outline a brief historical and sociological context of walking.

2. Examine the role of walking as understood in the context of embodiment theories.

3. Consider the role walking may posses in the post human cyber age.

5 key words:

Lived Body

Walking

Embodiment

Cyber

Post human

Got the autumn issue of Mail Art One finished and posted out this week. It has 2 new distributing venues: the long Gallery at the Tron Theatre Glasgow, the Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead and also the next issue for 2010 has been accepted for distribution by the DLI museum and gallery here in Durham.

http://mailartone.wordpress.com/

Didn’t get to the Print symposium at Newcastle on Tuesday and also missed the online chat again. Finding it really makes a difference when I miss the session so am making an effort to make sure this doesn’t happen if possible.

Something that has been on the time table for too long now is getting a web site started up. It will be a good exercise as it will require me to clarify what I’m about.  Andy mentioned that  I needed to keep an eye out for this with the abstract for the essay, to be wary of generalizing.

For me it is quite a challenge. Defining and paring down, searching for clarity, almost seems catch 22 situation. A mass of ideas that may or may not be relevant to each other, that hint and suggest rather than provide solid evidence. This may seem an ill disciplined approach, but maybe this very realization of this anomaly helps to clarify  issues to do with my chosen processes and engaging them to meet the requirements of  an MA.

I find the process of clarifying is something that doesn’t come naturally, but don’t want to stop engaging with it. Maybe  the conclusion is that the focus of the outcome should rely on the quality of debate  rather than on the defining of  absolutes.

Though the essay is pressing, also the presentation and compiling the evidence of learning out comes, I need to stop and make some work even if it’s just half a day spent making some collages or out doing some photography.

The touching again on the definition of the process of bicolage by Sherry Turlkle seems appropriate:

‘Bricoleurs approach problem-solving by entering into a relationship with their work materials that has more of the flavour of a conversation than a monologue.’

Making things, taking photographs is a much more instinctive way to process ideas.

Posting this link for this video of an interview with William Forsthye  from the dance tec site as think some of the points made are interesting particularly the point that dance has not had any sustained reading due to its lack of materialization.

The question that came to my mind from watching this video was that it seems there maybe a change in the way we experience or understand/experience movement due to digital technology.

http://www.dance-tech.net/profiles/blogs/dancetechnet-shared-movements

Have been compiling the autumn issue of Mail Art One this week and while I do the binding considering the form for the final piece.

Unfortunately I missed the group chat again this Tuesday due to a further hospital appointment. From reading the archive saw that Andy asked us to research for our final piece and look for practitioners who employ the same out puts.

Cathy Weis  uses what she terms ‘live internet performing structure’ and examines issues to do with failing of bodily control. (Weis herself suffers from a degenerative condition.)

http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-02-15/dance/dance/

The essay is on hold this week as I am waiting for a response from Andy to the abstract I emailed over. So I hope it is ok and I am on the right road with it at last.

Next Tuesday I have booked to attend a print symposium at the Laing art gallery Newcastle. It will mean missing the third chat session in a row if I attend, but I would like to make it there to be in touch face to face with other practitioners.

Researching for the essay and trying to get down out the outline this week. Find the ideas behind the subject area I’ve chosen are very exciting, but pinning them down in to a coherent discourse is a slow process.

Have been thinking about the link between the interface of surface, body and embodiment. How when walking you can feel absorbed in to that landscape.

‘As interface, the skin is obsolete. The significance of the cyber may well reside in the act of the body shedding its skin.’  Stelarc quoted in ‘Natural Born Cyborgs.’ Andy Clark

Reviewing and curating the weblog I came across one or two entries where I feel I haven’t been clear enough about the relevance of the content.

The 1st is around the work of choreographer Rosemary Butcher.

Butcher’s work became relevant because she bridges the line between dance and visual arts. Also she was one of the 1st UK choreographers to start using everyday movements to create works. Her work is grounded in the ordinary and banal, everyday movements… walking, running, standing,

‘….and the body’s physical relationship to contexts, environments and other objects.’

‘A ‘Conventional Subversive’.’ Josephine Leask: ‘Rosemary Butcher : Choreography, Collisions and Collaborations. ‘  Middlesex University Press 2005( P154)

With ‘Undercurrent’  the relevance was the change in the body when suspended in water.

‘The water and the trampoline were both what I call ‘interventions’. Their impact upon the movement was not caused by human decision, but by the nature of something else happening.’ 

Rosemary Butcher in ‘Rosemary Butcher: Choreography, Collisions and Collaborations.’ Middlesex University Press 2005

 Another entry I wanted to review was about the example of the traditional Japanese paper making process. The relevance was the level of embodiment involved in this process. In contrast to the level or kind of embodiment experienced using a mouse and keyboard.

Merlin Coverley

‘Pschogeography.’

Pocket Essentials. 2006

Rebecca Solnit

‘Wanderlust: A History of walking.’

Verso.  2001

Duncan Minshull (Editor)

‘A Vintage Book of Walking.’

Vintage.  2000

Geoffrey Beattie

‘Visible thought: the new psychology of body language.’

 Routledge.  2004.

Howard Rheingold

‘Virtual Reality.’

Seeker and Warburg 1991

Sarah H. Braddock Clarke and Marie O’Mahony

‘Techno Textiles.’

Thames and Hudson 2004

Rosemary Butcher and Susan Melrose

‘Rosemary Butcher: Choreography, Collisions and Collaborations.’

Middlesex University Press 2005

Daniel Lewis and Daniel Lewis 

‘The Illustrated Dance Technique of Jose Limon’

Princeton Book Company Reprint edition (30 Oct 1999)

Sandra Cerny Minton

‘Choreography: A Basic Approach Using Improvisation.’

Human Kinetics 2003

Chris Townsend (Editor)

‘The Art of Bill Viola.’

Thames and Hudson 2004

Christopher Butler

‘Post Modernism: A Very Short introduction.’

Oxford University Press 2002

Drew Leder

‘The Absent Body.’

University of Chicago Press. 1990

Nicholas Mirzoeff

‘An Introduction To Visual Culture.’

Routledge 1999

Don Hanlon Johnson & Ian J. Grand (Editors)

‘The Body in Psychotherapy: Inquiries into Somatic Psychology.’

North Atlantic Books, Berkley, California. 1998

Don Hanlon Johnson

‘Bone Breath, and Gesture. Practices of Embodiment.’

North Atlantic Books, Berkley, California. 1995

Sadie Plant

‘Zeros and Ones. Digital Women and New Technoculture.’

Fourth Estate Limited 1988

Peter Ludlow,Yujin Nagasawa and Daniel Stoljar (Editors)

‘There’s Something About Mary. Essays on Phenomenal Consciousness and Frank Jackson’s knowledge Argument.’

The Mit Press. 2004

Susan Sontag

‘Illness as Metaphor and Aids ad Its Metaphors.’

Penguin Books 1990

Merleau-Ponty (translated by Oliver Davis)

‘The World of Perception.’

Routledge Classics 2002

Elaine Scarry

‘The Body In Pain.The Making and Unmaking of the World.’

Oxford University Press 1985

Donna J. Haraway

‘Simians, cyborgs and Women. The Reinvention of Nature.’

Free Association Books. 1991

Griselda Pollock
‘Vision and Difference’  .

 Routlege Classics. 1988

Val Williams & Susan Bright.

‘How we are  photographing Britain.’

Tate publishing. 2007.

Paola Rapelli

‘Goya’.

Dorling Kindersley.

 John Brockman

‘Science at the edge.’

Weidenfeld and Nicholson.2004.

Tom Sorell

‘Descartes a very short introduction.’

Oxford University Press. 2000

Daniel Goleman

‘Social Intelligence, new science of human relationships.’

Hutchinson. 2006

David Hockney.

‘That’s the way I see it.’

Thames and Hudson.  1999.

Sherry Turkle

‘The second self. Computers and the human spirit.’

Simon and Schuster. 1985

Sherry Turkle

‘Life on the screen. Identity in the age of the internet.’

Simon and Schuster. 1995

Howard Rheingold

‘The virtual community.’

MIT Press. 2000

John Bowlby.

‘A secure base.’

Routledge. 1988.

Janet H. Murray.

‘Hamlet on the holodeck. The future of narrative in cyberspace.’

The Free Press. 1997

Antonio Damasio:

‘The feeling Of What Happens: body, emotion and the making of consciousness.’

Vintage. 2000

Antonio Damasio

‘Descartes’ Error’.

Vintage Books.1994

AntonyGormley:

‘Some Of The Facts.’

Tate St. Ives. 2001.

Alexandra Howson:

‘The Body In Society.’

Polity. 2004.

Don Hanlon Johnson & Ian J. Grand (editors):

‘The Body In Psychothrapy: Inquiries In Somatic Psychology.’

North Atlantic Books. 1998.

Jeffery Maitland:

 ‘Spacious Body: Explorations In Somatic Ontology.’

North Atlantic Books. 1995.

Viktor E. Frankl

‘Man’s Search For Meaning.’

Megaman NT Warrior. Ryo Takamisaki. VizKids. 2004

Grayson Perry with Wendy Jones

‘A portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl.’

Chatto and Windus.  2006

Rider. 2004.

ONLINE REFRENCES:

Enculturation. (2007, November 7). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:53, March 13, 2008, from 5http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Enculturation&oldid=169805075  

Mores. (2008, March 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:54, March 13, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mores&oldid=197683511

TRUST AND PRIVACY IN CYBERSPACE: A VIEW FROM

AN ASIAN VANTAGE POINT

Mr Rohan Samarajiva
Director-General of Telecommunications
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission
Sri Lanka

http://sociologyindex.com/cyberculture.htm

‘The Money programme: Email is rung my life.’

BBC Television 2008

the money programme 2.rtf

 2008.

Walking definition from Wikipedia

 http://pattiebellehastings.net/projects/cyborg/manual/cmbook06.html

Wikipedia:

Drift

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dérive

Article by Guy Ernst Debord

http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/display/89

Artist Patti Belle Hastings website Cyborg Mommy.

 http://pattiebellehastings.net/projects/cyborg/manual/cmbook06.html

Choreographer Edouard Locke

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaM0B6Cnx90&feature=related 

Wikipedia: Embodied Cognition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embodied_cognition

Ariana Page Russell

Skin Condition Made into art

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/02/03/skin-condition-dermatographia-made-into-art/

Stelarc

http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKEfJRe4uys&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDaNyZgtzrU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjFVuJDK0T4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKZN2Bo490U&feature=related

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Stelarc

http://switch.sjsu.edu/v19/00001r

http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/absent/absent.html

Haraway

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/Haraway/CyborgManifesto.html

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~RF6T-TYfk/haraway.html

Donna Haraway. (2008, February 25). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:54, March 13, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Donna_Haraway&oldid=193932098

Sadie plant

http://www.cyberartsweb.org/cpace/cpace/body/lgl1.html

Alva Noe

http://www.dance-tech.net/video/authorsgoogle-alva-noe-a

http://www.dance-tech.net/video/1462368:Video:19594

Marlon Barrios Solano

http://www.dance-tech.net/profiles/blogs/interview-with-marlon-barrios

http://www.dance-tech.net/profiles/blogs/interview-with-marlon-barrios-1