Blog Presentation - Technologized Bodies

To what extent are we already experiencing a man -machine symbiosis that has turned us into cyborgs?" The Technology is improving day by day, time by time. It is amazing that many artists have put different kinds of technology into their art works. recently, many artists have put such technology into human bodies, such as Stelarc and Kazuhiko Hachiya. In order to identify this kind of digital works, ‘technologized body’ has become the name of the type. In technologized bodies, ‘cyborg’ means a person whose physical abilities are extended beyond human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body.(1. )Moreover, ‘posthuman’ is also a term of technologized bodies used by Jeffrey Deitch, among others, to suggest that humans are entering a new phase of evolution in which biotechnology and computer science will give us the power to reconstruct and extend human bodies in artificial ways that take us far beyond biological evolution” (2)Yet, there are many questions to raise about if it is suitable for us to become mechanical human. It is said that "In an era where technological innovations are appearing at an ever increasing pace the future of the human body is thrown into question. Art that makes its business keeping up with emerging technologies becomes an important arena to consider the outcomes of these advances.” (3)Art that makes its business keeping up with emerging technologies becomes an important arena to consider the outcomes of these advances.” Our future is still an unknown of the combination of human and machine, because we used to separate art and technology in making an art work. The technology has got involved not only in our daily life, but also in art. In the digital art, It is believed that "technologized body" will be continuous to grow rapidly as the science and technology has the greatest improvement and its will never stop. Cyborg may refer to cyber organisms. One of the important theorists in "technologized body",Katherine Hayles, says in her book, How We Became Posthuman that “increasingly the question is not whether we will become posthuman, for posthumanity is already here. Rather, the question is what kind of posthumans we will be.” (4) Works of technologized bodies are getting more and more, we couldn't even escape it. Sooner or later we will become part of the machine of the machine will become part of us. (5) In the following case study, I'm going to introduce one of the important technologized bodies which is called Inter-Discommunication Machine by Kazuhiko Hachiya.








It is believed that Inter-Discommunication is a kind of stimulation game produced by a Japanese artist, Kazuhiko Hachiya in 1993.

1. Origin 1960s:blend of cyber - and organism
2. J. Robertson and C. McDaniel, Themes of Contemporary Art, 150-151
3.Christiane Paul, Digital Art, p 166
4.The Technologized Body, http://www.lacda.com/exhibits/technobody.html
5. Christiane Paul, Digital Art, p 166

Videogames - But are they art?

a) How does Adams define art? do you agree with his definition?

According to Adams, he thinks that

- art has message and it must have content

-art is aethetically interesting

- art works are published in art galleries

- art must make you feel something

-art should have narrative elements

-art has 2 parts which are literary art and fine art

- art should not be formalaic, but orginal (but there is an exception: appropration taking other art and representing in a new way, to create new meaning - post-modern idea)

My opinion:
I think art should be aesthetically interesting which is the most important point for me no matter it is a kind of high art or low art. If there is no interesting point to be found in a art works, and the work cannot be appreciated, then it shouldn't be a work of art. Besides , an art work should be interesting and be liked and regonized by people, so that it can becomes valuable.

b) according to Adams, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art?

- the degree to which all elements of the game work together in harmony any false notes

- the content of art can lead a communication between artists and viewers

What qualifies a videogame as art?

- Exploration of formal and aesthetic possibilities, eg perspective, line, colour, rhythm

- exploration of the basic elements of the game structure eg. mechanics or basic materials - the digital

- appropriation of existing games and/or popular culture

- content - the game has something important to say

- a truly fresh and innovative approach - the game becomes a medium, the compute artist's studio

10 Just playing-the ethics of digital games

a)According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing videogames for individuals and societies?

Pro:
-create completely different world through games
-create different sides of facts
-relax ourselves
-change our way of thinking ( in positive way)
-gain knowledges in different areas
-video games is somehow interesting which is good for entertainment

Cons:
-Videogames may change our thoughts and actions (in negative way)
-Addicted to video game
-youth may get confuse in the virtual world and real world.
-people would spend less time in communicating with people in reality
-some politicians may uses videogames as a mean to encourage people to take part in the army, like "America Army"
- somehow videogames is harmful for the children because their mind are not muture enough to understand what right or wrong is.

"Should games be more like fantasy and less like real-world war?"
I think we should accept different kinds of videogames no matter it is tend to be like fantasy or not.

My presentation

Carol, Alison and I will be in a group, and we have chosen "Technologised bodies" to be our topic.

9 Technologised Bodies

"To what extent are we already experiencing a man- machine symbiosis that has turned us into cyborgs(or posthuman bodies)?" Christiane Paul (Digital Art, p166)

Glasses and plastic surgury (e.g. making greater breast) both are man-machine that can be linked to our body, and help us to live conveniently. For instance, we can wear glasses to see things clearly. Plus, we can also have plastic surgury to make more beautiful bodies or faces.

What are some prons and cons of becoming a cyborg?

Prons:
- more conventient in our daily life
- can be more satisfy with our appearances by mending
- can live longer according to the technological improvement


Cons:
- changing the definition of beauty
- living in a unnatural world
- machinical stuffs look hematocryal

What do you think of Stelarc's work?

My opinion:
- organized systematically
- dehumanizing
- planned for the better living standard
- cold-blooded feeling

identity

Ive asked Carol Shek how many identities does she has, and she answered that she've got more than 6 e-mail accounts. She got one in Lingnan, one in HelloKitty.com, one in mymelody.com and one in yahoo.com. She usually uses her real name in those accounts while I don't. I've got over 10 e-mail accounts on the internet. I have more than 10 e-mail acconts and got more than 5 blogs online. Plus,I opened all of them with a fake name except one which only my close friends and family can be allowed to enter.

Allison has got 4 e-mail accounts and one blog on the internet. She merely uses two of them regularly. Although I have so many accounts on the internet, I only uses some of them too. There is a risk because I always forget my user name and password, and it is hard to get them back. Once I have opened it, I'll forget easily as I don't like using my real identity on the web.

To sum up:

Shu Ching Ng :- more than 10 emails( more than 5 in yahoo, Lingnan, HKBU, more than 3 in hotmail, 2 in Xanga, one in hellokitty.com, one in gmail, one in facebookm and 1 in myspace, and etc. ) , and 7 blogs (2 in xanga, netvigator, facebook, myspace and etc.)

Anna Wong: 4 emails(gmail, hotmail, yahoo, LN) , 1 facebook account Alison Chau:-4 emails(gmail, hotmail, yahoo, Lingnan University) and one blog

carol shek:-7 emails: gmail, hotmail, yahoo, LN, POLY U, Hello Kitty, my melody-Xanga-facebook

I have so many accounts on the internet, it is because I can express my own feeling to my target group. For example, when i get mad from my colleagues, I will only write down to the blog that my colleagues might see it.

The picture I like in this lesson

Jonah Brucker-Cohen and Katherine Moriwaki Umbrella

I like this picture personally. It is because the color of those umbrellas are sharp and stand out.