Getting In Touch: Marshall McLuhan, Augmenting the Human, and Haptic Space

5/24/2018 Getting In Touch: Marshall McLuhan, Augmenting the Human, and Haptic Space

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1BPUBLICACI6N DEI- POSGRADO EN COMUNICACI6NUNIVERSIDAD IBEROAMERICANA

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UNIVERSIDADIBEROAMERICANA ilililtI


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Getting In Touch:Mars h all M c Luh an, Augmentingthe Human and TIte Haptic SenseCarolvn Cuertin

Cadi - nris las iorerlises de las computadorls nos permiren Lrnacccso directo r ftx darx dc la nisnrc mauera qut nucstroscucrposlurciomn corb iftcrfNses con el nundo. Los "modcs v,n pm lrconpuLr


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o tre.o k' rhe ncrr bjg dr irg. Ll ing drkc strch if rerPrccs t5-^t J.,jaSli"ttilna k Lib,'r).s exihplcs. this pifei sill cxfldc rhetltinking ofNlrrshall Mcluhan b undesmnd rhe nrUicrtiorN ofLrctile engrgencrt on ru roles rs comrners and crertors olncdja,rrrd l p.rformcn olrnJ rv l',nitrfo,mJriorsp.rc.

lG_r, iaor* TacLllc recllnology, lnr. ;ces, Sixrhseosc, Nl.Luh.n

arshall McL han mainrained rhat the contenr of one nldium \\,asalways anorhr mcdium. lhe meclia themselves rhcrcb)' bccame

the mcssagc or, as hc later quippcd, rhe mcdiurn also became the zar,rrgc, an imnlcrsive cnvironmcnt or cataloguc of ellicts on drc humanbody. As extenshns ofthe human sensorium, the'nrcdia rvork us overcolnplercl/' .lnd immrsc us in thc acousric space ofrhe globalvillagc, aspacc ofsinultaneous h.ippcnings (1967,63). As a rcsuh. rouch becomc'sotll irtcrl:cc for the scnses in Mcluhan's electric ege. He says,

Outle,yword gLrsp' or 'rpprehc nsjon' poin $ tu (he p.occss ofgr ingironethnrg through anorhea ofhandlirg and scDsing trr.nl facers ar a rime dnn$hmrLc tban onc sense at r time. L tregins ro be evidcrr rhrr'touch is not rhe


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skiD, L'trr rhcinr.rph),oltbescnsd,,Dd keepirrg in rouch or'gerring in ru'cLis r rrtlcr ofthc firLirfirl nreeilrg of rhc sen$, of5igl,r i,.nsl:rcd iDro nnrD.tind n nd ino Drovem.dt, ind usc i d sncll (19('4: 89)

Any rcchnolop5ies thar cxtenrl tlre hand Mcluhan secs as bcing syo-onynous with touch (1964: 158)1 and rhc new insrrntancous clcclrictechnoloeics rhar are born of thc fragmcnratio[ that came wirh rhepriDring press and i$ clesccndNn$ specd up tire worlcl so nruch rhatthcy l>lul the boundaries bccween the rcnses. Mcl,uharr argued drat " B;.irnposing onvisualizablc rlarionships..., clccric technology dethLoncsthe visualsclse and resrorqs r$ ro rhc dominion ofsynaesrhcsi:r, and rhcclose inrcrinvolvemcnt ofrhc othcL senscs" (1964r I52). lr is in rhis vcryinterplay that the visual ir unssrrcd and a comningling ofthe scnses canonce again inlornr our interaction with our cnvirl)nment. Thc clectrooictredia provoke what Mcluhan r:rlls *al ourering" an


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desktop inrerhcc rvith its revolurionary concept oflayered windo*s hcactively soughr to cnlist the senses rhrough the click of r mouse rharcollapses modaliries in this case metaphor, acrion and mcaning-intoa deceprivcly simple state ofmodclessness.

More reccnt app liances like the iPhone a nd especi.rlly the iPad iircral-i7.c gesture as an irtujtivc modewithin rheir inrcrficcs. Augmented realirythc laycring ofvisible dara ovcr our perl3prion of rhc rtal world, is thencyr srcp oward maki[g thc computer interface disappcar altogether-

Erasing modalities privileges altcrcd subjective experienc and fosters an increased scnsory engagement on our part, for this mera-srarofmode-lessness is what wc call synaesthesia. "Litcrally, the word svn-esthesis mcans 'joined sensariorii.... Synesthesia is a condirion wherethe perception olan external object ol cxpelience, triggers a perceptualcxperienceinadditional scnsorymoddiries." (Parcrson). Ourperceptionis dcpendent on our scrrscs and we engage wirh rhc wollcl through ourown multimodal interface: our bodics. Touch is our inrerhcc drh rheworld, orrvhat Mcluhan called tommon se"se'and the 'meerilg-placcofthe senses" (1964, 89). The arrival ofnerv intcrhccs, like mobile aug'nrcnted reality rpplicatio ns, andvirtLLJ mobile inrerfaccs likc Patti Maesand Planav Mistrv'.s SicllSrnsaand Chris Flarrisol's Slllzpar rctuln us toembodicd space in profbund ways. Firsr rhough, an explorarior ofhowdigital technologics havc altered our conceprion and use ofpublic andpdvatc space will help clarifr how our senses ofborh nrcctirrg place androuch havc been irremediably alcc'cd.l)uBLlc vERsus PruvATr,,

MaLshall Mcluhan died rycar bcfoic thc invention ofrhe 6rsr perconalcomputer,1-et rnuch ofwhat he hLrd ro sav is as rclevant to electronic cul-

mrclind and a vrt di8ital library in in cm when the indd| .isrhesis = to p.rccil.d.


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ture as it was tu d1e elcctric (rnd people likcAlan Kav have wrirren:rbouthow inffucntial Mcluhan rvrs on rlreir $inking). One of Mcl.uhurtcarrlinallaws is ftara'hcw mcdiurn docs not displace orreplacc anothcrso nruch::s corrplicrtcs its opcrarion" and obscLLres I mcdiLrm's efrict(Gorlon xv). J.rv BolrcL and Richard Gllin call this proccss rcnrediation-V/ithout a doubr thcrvolld has changed dramarically in rire irrtervcningdecades since N4cl.uh.rn's deadr, but his larvs holl:rnd mrny ofhir predictions have come rrue. Ve cannor k,row wlrat h( would make ofrhingsas divcLse as re.rliry telcvision and real rimc, but he did sce telcvision asa cool, par.riciparory mcdiur rhrt cxtended orLr sclse of touch (1964:443). Tclcvision has now heated up and ir is Intcrnet, compuring andmobilc technoiogies in oLLr lives rh.rr are cool.

Some ofthc ne*, media for insnnce arc erodilg rhe vcry norions ofpublicand privare in our rcchnological agc. In "Blogging lhoughrs" lbrillMolrenscn rnd Jill Valkcr idcrti rhe l8rh cenrLrry saloD as somcrhingthar "cxisted ol dre borderline betwcen rhc privatc and dre public; ir wassituarcd in privarc hornes. but part ofrhe pLrblic sphcre bcing rhe sirc ofrhe pcrformance that was thc salon-expcLience" (257). Similarly, rheysa1-, rhe popular firrm ofneb rrotation, blogs, which unire corTversationwith thc clarity ofprint,

nxnd whffe thc st on did bctwe.n privxi rnd publjc. A bl(s is w.irrcn ry rnindiridud and cxp,esscs rhc afti[de and couvi.rion ofib wrireri ir h sfficrlrsLrbje(ivc though nor rec.ssarily intim.rre. lhi\docsoisrop ir iroh bciigin theprblic donatu, rnd bcing coi cched .bour quesrionr which ik in rhe dontaiolpublic authorio. Eech ildn idml cl, us. weblogs is h or slk iecls fit, drseis o tvriDnr of ic\"s lahes io dcidc whaL is {orth writins rborr o., as rhetcrm ls: what is worth blogglng (258).

'lhe implications ofthe ncrv uscr-gcneratcd mcdia are cnormous, norju$ for our consumprjon h.tbirs, llur in rcrms of everyrhing from po,etry to politics to pcdato61,. lhis pcrsonal rcvolLrtion inclLLdcs rhe likesofblogs, podcrsdng, wcarable computing, sociai rnedia likc facebook,googlc rn.rps, alld wikis, and augmentcd-re:rliry,capablc nrobiie interlaccs


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as the hxrbingers ofrhc larcst wave ofchaDgc callcd V'eb 2.0. Renrixes,nrash ups, and data visrraliaet io n arc sorne of rhe mosr rcll ing hallnarksofho*'wc arr now rnediated ir cvcry aspecr ofour lives. Thc \(cb andthe Internet havc consistentlv eroded rhc gap bcrween publicand plivatcspace, lor rherc is no notion of'public and priv,rrc crn the net.rt all. lt isall simultaneously public and plivate. It is a rew kind ofglobal vilhgerhar gocs bcyonrl Mcllfian's conccprion ofthat space.

The conccpr and pracricc ofprivare spacc was born with rhe prinrcdbook. Prior to public cducariuu ancl widesprercl lircracl,, all reeding wasnot simplv visil>le as an ixrcnsiorr ofthe eye. as Mcluhar argrrcs, butit was also crrllcctively visible: donc in public and.rloud. As rhc bookbecame m aliordablc comrnoditv, ho*evcr, rcaclinlr*,as trarslared inrox private, silellt Acr. ln rhc sanrc way drat noise was born ofthe rechno-logical age, so silence and privatc space bloomec{ Lrehind thc innovarionofglass rvindows. R. Mrrrrav Schafil says:

Thc glud windo* ws an nNaDtioo of grar i'nFrbn.c fi)r rhceundscapc.&xdnrgcxtchilcven$ in rn un nrr unl phen ro*likr 'silen.e- Thednninurionofsound uinsmksion, while not innredhtc and oL:curring onlv g.r.Luilly wi(hdre thickcrirg ofglazing,,mr only crexted rhc rorio| of a herc'aDd0 d)edora brlord. bur also inr.oduced a tission ofrhc sciscs (212).

Vhcn thcre were no windows to close, rhe conlntrnir) $?s invired inro lisrcl; irwas private snsory spxccwirh irs glass l;arriers rhat cteatcd aneecl lorsilcncc and privacy lhis is ofcoursc a Mcl.uhanesque mec{iatedenvironrnent. Dcl jck dc Kcrckhove argres rhar books crcarcd rhc senseof public and private spacc in tcrms of d)nsrrucrs of rhe self' as well(1995,206). lhe interior wolld houscd our 'private' self and our'innermosr droughrs aod privileget{ subjective and inrrospective rhotLghts,slicing orLr senscs up inro scpararc units. The eJ


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how the privatc inforrrrs rhcpublic and vice vcrsai (hev do nor overwrirc,,.h orl-.'. hl lnnn,r di;le. r i..rl rj. r ion.l-rp.An is the 6rst h,rrbinger ofrhis massive charrge and, as Susan Sontagnoted, "'Ite basic unir ofconrcnporaru arr is not rhc idea, but the ex,

tension ofsensations." Thc nature ofarrhas cle y changed in dramaticrvays-nruch as we hrrvc wiLh drc aclrent ofdigitizdtion. ArL And $-courselvcs have tlcen Lcmediated by technology. Thc ficr that infbrma-tion lus also been rcvolutionizrd jusras4:57), trLrt notallnedia arc createrJ cc1u.rl. Ilcompurcrs are pclcepu:,rl systcms, rhcrr thcyr. riv.ly enli' m.r:rphnr ro.rg.rge,'.r . crrivc rr r(. or ro rJ'iv.rr( ou,crcarive response. Metaphor,like synacsdresia, is a milgling ofrnodali-ties. Likcqise, rr ultimcdia in parricular with its inherent pcrfornrativegesturc, sceks to join rnetaphor', action and meaning inro a perft)rmcror intcractor'.s subjccrive expcrince, rhcrcby tr.rnstilming drem in theprocess. As a multimedia pcrfornrer, wc are lewly aware ofourcnrbodiedsel,es inhabiring a simr:lation. Vhcn our senscs are rotall]' cDgaged likenever bcfore, we hnvc not just rn imrnersivc experiencc, bur a mctasynacsthetic onc as well. rvc bcconrc sensitized to our senses'inrcrac-rions and horv they functiont w arc rransported bac.k nrro a rcalm of


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(Badrillard, I983: I25). Thcse networks further crodc thc real, rcsultnrgin a loss ofputrlic and prirate space. lhc public and privrre disappearin vilrual spacc lusr as rhc shifting 'oles ofrhe arris aod (hr browscand rhe workofarr and its irrteractor call into quesdon "the site of rt"nself(Virilio, 2000: I30).l cluhan said that cnviron menrs rerc alwayselusivc: (hey "xrc invisible. drcir ground rulcs, pcrvasivc structure andoverall pattcrns elude casy perceprion' (Massagc, 84-85).Movrvr^_-tNo mattcr how hard a browsr rries, she cmnot reduce this new digiralmedium to the three-dimcnsionality of prinr-lor should shc want to.Thc infbrmational conrent has been trxnsformcd ilto anew crpcriencc.McLuhan nrairrmirrct thxr 'nvironmcn$ arc not passivc wrappinss buracrivc processesr (1964: 12). \7hat we rake away from rhe browsing ofalr onlin work in rhc ncw clecrronic cnvironmcnt rhet is rhe \{orldVide Veb is notprimarily information, Frct ol sory; what wc t.rke rw.ryfrom the texrually unfolding event is our embodied pcrfonnance andemotional rcsponsc. It is dynamic subtext and context dr pm?liocePtiwetpqiences tl:;.. ^re ernctgclt properties ofou r b rowsirr g. Proprioccptionis rhe abiliry to fecl our body boundarics, and to sense the movemcnt,location. and orienrarion ofall our l:ody p.rns.

The now familiar hypcrlinked, online tcxt is not so much anrlin-lbrmarion as it is oursidc of this classificarion altogethcr Mthout ahicrarchy, we as readers must bodily explore rexrual spaces in ordcr todecidc what is imporrant. Howevcr, rhe rcal information in rhe web-na-dve tcxr-as in rhe glow from rhc ligh$ulb-is thc performance of thestructural cxperience thar our movcmcnr drrough these r.irtual spacesentails. The link makes the parh ofour reading visible through orir im-mcrcion ilr the experien tial herc -.rnd now Linking is xlways a subjccrivemovcment and a visual (Lrn)foldingofour dynamic statc ofcmbodirnent.Embodied, marerial, infbrmatiolal and cmcrgent, clectronic spacesfbrm:r "distributcd cognitivc systern' (Ha/es, I999: 290). As a browser


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movcs rhrouth virtualiv (both onlinc ald in reLrl, augmentcd space),her pcrspcctivc ald point ofview .lre consranrly in flux as shc trics onand discards new posirions, all ofwhich are infoLrled by hcr past publicand private histories, brckground,life expericnce and previous rcadingsofthis sire and orhers. 'Ihis nerv cxpcielce can arise out ofa browser'snavigadon because "technologies [are] beginlnnrgl to perform the firnc-don ofart in making us awrrre ofrhe psychic and social c-onscqucnces oftech nology" (Mc l-uhan, I 964: I 4) ald bccausc, to r efel back to So ntag,rheir p-im.rry , on.err i' rh. .rrcrr.ion oftn'.r'iorr.

The hyperlink, like all locadvc mcdia (that is, mcdia tied to a reallocation in real spacc), is irn acti a gesture, a subjcctivity, and an evcntsirunted in space-timc. Thc hypcrlink is always a|cady a pcrform,rncc.tu Pcggv Phalcn says, "perf;rrnance keeps onc anchor on rhe side ofthe corporcal (the body ll.eAi) and orc oir rhe side ofthe psychic Rcal.Pcrlormancc boldly and precariously dcclarcs rhat Bcing is performcd(and made rcmporarily visible) in rhat suspendcd in-bet*,een" (Phalen,167), Perfrrrmancc Qrr her is a tighuope walk be$vcen the tllo twistsoftransformarive embodiment. This concept of the gap in arricuhrioisofperforrnance and gcndcr is one raken up by rrany fcminist thcorists.For feminist rheorisr Donua Ha raway we m ust struggle across the dir,id-ing line bct*'ccn thc illicit couplings of bodies and rnechines. Al


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;\s active processcs, locAtive mcdir, c-vlxrspacc and rhe vinual spaccsof nov nrcdia environmL'rrts invcft dre rclatiorrship of thc browser roinfirrmarion bv irrrncLsing rhe brorvscr bodr in auglreored. infnrma-iitrrr sprcc (Novrk, 226). Ihe fluid body of dre browscr il circrLlariouis palt ofa social matrix or a global viil.rgc. Meclia attisrs arc &equendyintcrcsted in geognphic spccificit_r'. Thc ethercd narure of cybcrspaccdemands nerv sofovalc appLorchcs: locarive media, augmenrcd realityand situated software. t' y 2012, thcre lvill 197,000,000 a B'nenrdrcalio' caprble snrartphones in Lrsc worldwide', flre ncxt big thing rvillbe hvbrnl-media and hyirrid-intcrfaccs rhat inreract wirh rcal spacein real rime. l,ocative mcclia enaLrle the tagging oftbings, spaces andphces; geographically-infbrmcd gamesr rcal tinre social nerrvorking;opportunirics ro shape, organize and aurhor physical cnvilonmcnrs; thccrearion o f (psycho) gcogra phies; and rhc gencrxtior o f locario n-.r var.e,rnash.rblc d:rra.'Ilcsc new mobile tcchnologies are altcring rnorc thanar.j thcy arc altr ing how we pc|ceivc dre world, Likewise, in rhc cligir:rlre.rlm web-nat'r,c qtrks takc a social. cmbodied and proprioceptivclinrr. Thc lomadic iinh fir bodics thnr can torch between rrromcnrsinscns imnr((lia(y, irrsrrnr rrrr:Js. Jirerrion, rrrrns|orr,rrion. rrnmer-sion and associational cohesion into $c navigarion of thc fonu, andso brorvsing actrrally sparializes any cvbcrspatial text we surf, tndorvingit with dyn.rmic texmre. Ir invitcs thc browser in as an ncrivc clemcnr,blurring drc assumcd boundarics knreen inrer:rcror and .lurhor, rv.hercshe (rc)consrructs rhe tcxt hroLrgh rhe choices rrade in her navigationalgesures and choices. 'lhe ncw mcdia arc roored in a continuous prescntofrhe irmnediacy oiour visual ard navigrrionrl choiccs and doublingsbac[, p rivilcgnrg s Lr bjectivi ties, pol)Toc.rli y an(l nLptures in spacc timc.It is rhe privileging ofa matrix ofassociarional leaps betwren words or.

'Du lt. GxuD((, Jofin. -nrc vb.ld js lhc Desklop: Mobile r\lgo,otrcd Rcaliry"(iisronrpro. (l)cc ?009): p?


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imases or orher scnsory srimuli. As a sparial .rnd rcmpord srnrcrure,rhc clccrronjc rea[u cnbodies scnnxrus lluidity in spacc and time as advrr.rnri. rnedi,rr r[.rr i.1rr.'e..r.rll1 r' -n"r'or.Tivo neu embodied inrcrirce protorypes SixtbSense ard Skin-pzr crn actullv allorv rsl rimc inreracrion rvith infirmation in realspacc. P.rtri Macs .rnd I'ranav Misrrv's .9lxrl Jrrrz seeks to crele a ncwsvnrax frrr dre body. This opens rhc door to irrvcstigaLe in a oewborncoltexrwhat it rnqrns to bea prlt ofdre inforlrarion cDvironnlcnta.\ rhescreen disappean anclanvsurlacc c.rn become.r siteforthe pmjecrion ofdrc aLrgmentcd human. lhis is accomplished tlrrrLrgh a snrall. portablcprojcctclr. interacrive metadata and a mobile phone-drivcn interlace.Familial gcstures likc crearnrg:r picture frame or draw'ing a circle onrhc wrhr rcsult in lcal time phoro captue and :r clocl< nrtcrface for rcaltimc tclling respcctive\r lnrerrcting with rhe dat:r cloucl of informationaccesiLrlc through the \0odd VideVeb allows foL lcal time cngagernent*,ith dara in real spacc rs nr prrduct infbrnration *'hile shopping orrcal rime input abour a pcnon, a phce or a thing. \fith rhc advenr ChrisHaLrixrn's S*lnpur, a bio inprLt inrcrfice woln arouncl thc ann tharprojecrs interactivc nlenus on thc sldD, nc are rranslated into the inlor-maion space and drc machinc itr;clf: *,e arc r disperscd, disassembled,and rcassemblcd sul>jcct outside ofall the expccred culrural paradigms.'We h"rvc hecomc infirnnation in .rn embodiec{ lbrmj. 'Ihis frcsh state ofmode-lcssness .rllows us ro rediscover our bodies in s,vnaesthesic space.'l1ris ulcimately transforms drc acstheric space ofour brow'sings intoa spa.u'tilme architc tft rvhere a narrative or tracc ofour journey is anemergcnt properry of navigatiorr. Sincc archirecnrral environnrents arccomprised of unlolding space irnrnersed h rcal time, opcning spacc lorbodies, rnovemenr.rnd idcas, it is imponrnr to rrn


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Norak h:rs ol;served rhat "rybcrspace ri uchitccrurc; cyberspace lai anarchitecturc; and cvl>esprce ronnins trchiLecrure" (original rnplrasis,226). Virturl cnvironmenrs havc, as a rcsult, emerged as acsthcricizedrcnditions oftlre archirccnrrc o[our crextivc and dreinl states this isimaginatiorrll space, the spacc olrhe drerm, oL thc sprcc oi the crearivc.rct grorvl |ugc cnough ftr us to insclt ourselves into "rs wirh ,\'zrrl.Vzsrand Virpm. 'Ihc htcracrive digitLrl cnvironment is also such a sr uctlrrethar r:nt'ilds to allorv thc passrge ol'bodies duough it in re tirnc, justrs the body t(x) .?rrki'r, ftr and ri dre archirecnrrc ofrhc senses and ofrhe very srrfi oflifa itself.

Novclist Victor llugo once observcd rhat, in dre writing proccss,"fflorm is the l;ase that riscs tc, the surface" (qtd in Virilio. 199Ib, 67).h our tirnc, thc interll,rce is a litcral rendition ofrhis kinrl ofaesrheti-cized hepric fbrn as suLrc, nd, in clcctrnic spaces, firlrr drrs notmcan simply a surlicc tension. I( is vhar w'c must touch and irrnrcrscourselvcs in (l'ke in our mcmories) in order ro navigarc the {luid spaccsand tines ofrhe virtual *orld.Tun xr.w tttpte: tto'r vtlrl v :Rsus AUGMTNTTD riNvlltoNMENTsInlonnarion ovcrload is a by-prodr:ct ofthe meering oftcxtual and sen-sory renlnrs. lr is rhc plaoe rvhere words and imases lose drcir meaninsand bccome in/comprehcnsible and un/recogn;z:rble. l)eta glut dctcrritorializcs us in sp:rce, giving us a sense ofdislocarion xnd disorienra-tion ard mnking ir difficult to lavigatc bv totLch or ro rcad o.rr senses.'lhis is dre crux ofovcrload. ft is.rlways a|cady about navigation: thenavigarion of .r mulripliciry ofscnsory srimuli. llccausc boclies navigatcin space, drcy:rrc always already in a state offlux.

Sight is no longcr privileged in rhc infirrmarion age; nrorion insteadbccomcr a sensory form ofrvr;tnrgor signing like the 6rst rime wc inhatrited acousric space. Acousric sprcc was asninalconccpt f'or McLLrhan.He believcd rhat print technologics had lostered:r lincar birs, whereasacoustic space is morc closelv Jdn to thc inmersive nattrlc olthc natural


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{rorld. 'Ihe acomric is immcrsive, envelopnrg us in irs unblokcn 360degrces. Conposed ofcentcrs antl no rnarqins. rhe linear bi.rs ofwesternsocicrywas colrpiinrcnted bv mo acoustic technologics: caslr morreyandthe comprss. Currencv is a metaphor, astand'in tbrour matcrials,orth,and rhe compass rcnders the world:rs navigrble informarion space.

Vhile surfirgin cybersl)ace, thebody wri(es i6clfinto the imneLsiveenlironurcnt m a di'nanic cvenL in process,like the compLrs in thc rvorld-lhis istlre bodv in virru:rlspacc pcrlbrming in rc:rldrne, andemcring. notnrovemenr as theauc, bur nrovement as performnnce. Ihar is ro say, drisis nor movcmcnt firr au rudience, bur a dynamic and pelsonal act drat abrowserpcrforms lor a-nd byhcrseli Pcrforrnance is a lbrrn that has beenfavourcd by many artists, In part at lcrsr no doubr be.causc physicatiryand gcndr are so rcadily fb'cgro'rndcd and probleuratizcd in drc bodyofthc pcrformer: As a dynamic and tr:rDsitory alt fbarr, perfi-rrmLurce isedrereal, exisring both inside and ousidc of time and space, insidc andoursidc ofreprcsentation and thc rc:l. Constmcting a 'second rinre, thcdme ofrc-rurn or re visiradon to the samc marerial thrt is nor a repeti'rnlr. According to PcgX I'halen, '[1:Jerfbrmaucc...carr be defined asrepresen ratio n with our rcprodrrcrion (3) because it rLva;s cxists virtuallyin rhe present nromenr on thc vcrgc ofbccomirg. I'h-llen s.r1's,

I)c,fo.mancc.sonly liG n in thc prcsnt. l'.'fo.nnnc. c.ind t c Mvcd, kco,ded,drrurncrtc,l, or orhcnvise participate nr dre circtrlirioo ol rcprcsnernns a/refberrilnnNr oncc irdocs so, ir bci,trres soDedring other thar peLliLrnaucc.lb rlcdegrec tfirt pcrformrnce aaen:pLs to cnteL drc economy ofreproducLionit bcmys and lcssens the prorrrisc ofia own ontology (I'h.len, 146).

Like our expcriencc of navigaring an inrmcrsive environmcnt, the cx-pericoce ofrhe pcrformence .rnnor be xrchived eirhcr. lr is rhe actr.ralmovement of rhc body in space-rime that is dre narrativc of impo.there. Wc must be danccLs ro understand the dance. Ve must danceto tLndeLstand the languagc, ln the computerizecl metli:r, the brorvseris both pcrlirrmer and audience, surface md cleprh, body:rnd subjcct.ln the s:rme lrarner. in this mcdirrm rhe velue ofthc work ofart is in


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Rllru lBlRod iiarGNr DE(i ru\'c^()6\this ethcreal, cxperienrial dinension. lhe c(nnpurcr as rool aho hasa powcrfLrl rveapon nr its arscnal: when it acts as a nedirrm for art, itacqrrires drc powcr to critique hsclfas bofi rool and medirrm. In th:rtmectirg ofminds, rrc cnn see the birth ofnew mediu and technologicsxs they happcn. More solitary rharr th*rtle, rvc srill rneintain rhe scnscofcommuniw in rhe layers ofour mind wirh disparrrc rea,Jings ofnewrnetJ i.r works. OuL expcriencc lemxins oLLr own rhough becruse absolutcrepcrition oi rh c evenr is impossible ( llh:Jen , I 27) . Evcry jou rney throughthc iext is A rc secing of irs evcnrs in rnulriplc prcscn$, is i rc'rurniDqro and oI interioriries rrncl exrerioriries. Auy kir:d of pcLformance by isvery naturc is sir(latd in rhc irn mediate su rface ofdrc prescnr momenr.As browscrs in thc new rnedia, we writc oursclves in thc surfices arrdtouch rhe dcprhs ofthc rcadi ng surf.:rce ofrhe rcxt as perfornrati.r,e cvcntsin drc gap of the prescnt mcrurenr.

Vhen we pelfbrm ourinreracrion wirh orherkinds ofmcdiainsrantiLrted m art fotms-wirh a book or.r tclevision, fbrexanrl)lc-wc are vcrvarvare ofthc ficr that wc inselr oursclves into it Lrs irs iudiencc. and drlrwe choosr ro inrcr:r.r wirh i(. \v;rh thc ncw b(xn-digiral firrms ofart,howcver, there is lo such coosciorLs seprrariou benvcen us ancl then.It is hardcr to say where we end and rhey begin, and whcre *'c are andwlr.rri,orrrlr. *rcrr .Wlrerr.rrneJiLrrrbcrorne"rcrpL,rr.ivc..r.irrr,r.r.-rive complrrr prograDrs and environments c:rn be, we arr no lolrgcrobscLvers. Lxtcad, wc bcconre perllrners on the stage of irs interticeevcn Lrs we arc rhar \drich is bcing pcrlorrled through irs machinarions.I want to underscore hcre thar, rvhile rvc ue the inpur, withour its r.traftonuersation thueis no work of.rrt. I s is rvhcLe responsive environ-mens likc virnral reality or inrcractive game spaces deparr from rhcirpaler cousins rhat scr our ro entertain rLs. 'lhesc "rre disclLrsive spaccs xndcxpericnces rh:rt rcquirc tr-s to r.rlk back. lie cnvir onrnent itsclfbecomes

r exrellsiorl ofus in morc intirnate rvavs rhan wc evcl irnaqined, com-ing ro mr simukxncously as or:r audicncc and as a "third skiri' (Prince13) dratprivilcges our sensorr cngagcmen t. Multirncdia "clvironmcnts"McLuhan has obscrved, "irc not passivc wrrppings bur activc proccsses"


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(l(' flrNrc^cr6N

(McLLrhan, l2). Multimedir pert-ormaucc rhereby uses rhc byproducrsofthis rechnological nreta-rncdiurr ro take pleasurc in the conminglingofrhe senses ro produce an ahelcd scnsc ofselfor I ncw sLrbjcctiviryImme'iivc environmenrs, like rhe painrcd c.rvc, the sweat lodge, $cnredieval catlredral, arci Snr Trck\ holodcck, are bv


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IlAasr \ Iurto{trrEftk:iNA DE G^rfNIcr(.rdNcorq)lcsscd inro geogr"phic sprce by cchnologicll :rdvanccs likc rhetclcphonc rncl $c airplanc, Virilio cJls firr Lr ncir stLrte ofbcing. a srirrcrhrr he cllls trajccrivit_v: "llorecn the subjcctivc aud thc objcctive," hcs,r1 s, rh cre shoulcl bc '\he t r:ricctivc, th:rr bci ng rhc movemcn t liom h eretcr dreLc, fiorn one to the othcf. wi$out rvhich rvc rvill ncvcr echicvc:r pnrfbuncl undcrstanding ol drc v.rriorr rcgimc* ol perception of thcworld thar hare sur:ceedcd cach other drcughour rhe agcs (24). flresc,rre thc:rftershochs ofglobalizllrion to lx sLrrc. ConsmLcts oltlre sclfrrecrcated in the process of"storytclling- rvhich isa nexLrsofch;rngein rhclelationship betrvccn" subjccthootl, racc, 'gendcr rnd tcchnologlr' ((i.rs-sell, 3l 1). t:ch poinr in phce on oLrr ioulncv rhrough immcrsivc spacesis .r spccific cml,oclicd position that is nlwrys ir rhc pr.,ress olbecomingsorrething elsc. Antl it is our journcl'thlough our orun collaborarivcact ofconvcrsation rvith :r cligital lxcc ancl with tillorv interacrors rs anleans ol rrtisric (ne.rgerr cnr th:u cugendcrs dyn:rnric emboc{imcnt for

In rhc 19'h ccntury comgrscr Richrrrcl \\,hgneL r,-carned ro crearcq.hat he crlled thc Ge:runtLunsrn,o'lt or 'lirLal,Arnvork (now iinally sctro bc realizcd in dcvices like Si:rrLSrz,r ancl .5*r.r4rrr). V/agner drcrntto1-clevising a sc.rmlcss environment rvherc irrr could irhabit the Lcal: aplace whcre'ihcrc.rrc rrc molc arts and no rnore boundarics, but onll'rrr, rhe u n iversal , undiviclcd ' (qtcl in Savrc l i) 8) . Vagncr'.s to t:rlizing' or'imncr sive cllicr ofrrusic dram.r rvas ore ofthe 6rst nrodeln rnemprs ro


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(i,vcN :$rtir is in facr ar rncient inrprrlsc rh,rt can be firrrd in nany metlir rndgenrcs fiorn sxcfcd cuvcs to Creck thcrtre to nrcclicval crrlrcdrals- Ilsimihr riays. mult;me(li.r irnrrrersi


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II6

Rw,sD{ hneoavEtuc^N^ Di CoNluNrcAcr(iN

The,v sing, change colour, shape, and c-body their orvn syntat theiranimatcd naturc-nrorc liLe lifc than sinpLe enrcrtxinment-ngagcsus, immcrsing us in their meaning ind invit;ng tts to resPond rc them.The [,ibtary incnrporates us into its discuffivc $prces. Ve are co optedarrd interpellatul prccisely bccause irs Projec ultimarely is semiotic,n,'rqlslqrgic.rl rnJ musi.a'. Lrsing rhe cre.rrivc pro..* {o invirc us inroa new way of secing anC. heing. 'lhe Librar;y ttchievcs the intcnctiviryrhat mosr cnvlronmcns onll'twitch and shoot rt b1' rccluiring us tounderrake the act ofcre:rtion in synaesthetic larrguage- Vc cannot helpbut be transformed by the naturc ofthis ncw vistLal alphaber as we alrerour perspcctive to lind ways to color, write, play, dLrncc and sing it. Thisenvironment uses thc expericnct ofsynaesdresia that is fanriliar from ourchildhoods and from ourengagcment in the creative process to enlistallofour scnses and to inrmerse us totally in rhe media. Howevcr, becauscrhis is alr imposcd state rather dran an ortanic one, we rtain a senseofwonder a"d awarcness ofour own presence irr these simulterions. Asthe cnvironments aspire to modelessncss, collapsing modalities, andbeing disorienting by dcsign. we are made more And more tware ofolrrscnses not less. bccduse wc are always mulrirrod.rl evcn in a nrodelessenvironmcnt- Paticlson links the changing dcpths ofsubjecthood andbody ro language through virrual space and actual navigation, andmakethese lluid boundaries rcal. Thesc virtualirics imptess themselvcs on ourbodies in our subjcctive expcrierce olthe rrr. ln the electronic sPaces ofher work, the inscribing motion of navigrtion produces agency for irsintemctors as does thc act ofcrcative collabora(ion with the cnvironmentitself.

Wberc 1tu Librarl seeks to plug us in, bodily, on the level of lan-gulgc. JnctlJrzr and Jfrzpr,r .rre rnorc r'.,nsparerr, rnrerrciing as on(does with rhem in real space. All of thesc "cw engagements are meta-synresthesic-synaesthesia with an ironic gap-orwhat Arthur Krokercalls "spasm," a noir mera-vcrsiflr ofVR thnt sceks to critique its ownsim xperiencerr it is happening by giving Lrs irorric disrancr frorn bothdigital data and the informarion ecor.orr,y (Spasrn 6). Synacsthesia is


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CoMUNrc^cr6N

to dre body what meraphor is ro the mind_rhat much is clear_andthis in part is why these new augmented data spaces are so integral tolotions ofbeing in the world. pe.ception roo is prccisely this nrterplayofthe senses. Ve cannot malc rneaning rvithout this interconnection.Paterson argues thar as a specific lolm ofinteraction in a


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r18

l{ rs ^ lni r.AM ftr( ^N^ L)F (-()tr r\r.^(r,i\d d l(4)nu.. A'lost inrporrunrll'. it is rhe interacdviq. rhar rcinscrrs usback inro narrarivc antlrhercforc track into scnsorv engagernent rvitharrrrrgmenrcd rvrxltl. Tlc stage or inrcrfice then ir whet hes been recodedinro r motlelcss stLrte, brLt synlcsLhctic nredia is rcsponsivc:visual, .rucli-rory, rrclilc, phrsical, kinctic. ts rcceptor: tr.rnslarc rhat motlelcssncssinro a kind ol m.rchinc bascd scnsorv cxpcriencc. if litcracv lracturcdthe scnscs as Mcl.uharr argucd, and this is hc1'ro my thinking, thcn Lhcconpurer ald augnrented reality crrvironmcnts arc truly rcvolutionaryFor this xL)ility, vi.r inierrcrivc infirrnation sprces, to give us thc porerrrialto rcunire xnd rcconrbinc the scnscs ir) new ways, rhar is ir intcrrsclyindividu,rlizc


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(i)MUNkno6N

K.tv, ^lrn. "Clonlrrcr Sofrwr.: .\t i."tij(A"toi.nt, (SeprcmtrcL 1984) 07 lar06. hnp:/At*rv.roonr.rlk.cour/tligPicturr/alan kr1'.httrIGy, A].,,. User lDrc*i.e;A Pe6orralVic$i Mrrt u.htJ, n Ri hh.JWryu)

to Vinrul l?uliry RtnrJil h cke. r,rd Kc,, Jod.n, E(ls. Nen \brkr\tlwNorton t{ Co. 2001. L2l- 1-l l.KRoxFR, rrhui Splr,, l'ttmt Ruli ry, A,ltunl,)h$i., LL.n i( F/.11. Moitnl:N$\ $6rld ItNpe.rivcs, 199J.

I4^Es, l'rrtir.d Pran.rr Mnr.r: t)rrij Mics r)d Pnnxv Mill..r'l)cno,\ rrt5i,/6.." li(6/M ch 1009. Ackssc(l 09 VIi,.h 2010. hirpr//wyred..om/ralkVpffri . n1 cr drnos dre_sixrh_scnse.l[rr]N{c l.urr,\N, l\,lrAh.ll r nd (l\tcitin tiorc. Ilrt:tluliun r t/t. A,l$n .: A lDktu,

toll, ofLlli,t lbronror Pei,glLin (:in{dn, 2003. [1967].MCL,JH^N, \.fxAhall. Undnn,'li,g ivdia: 1lr F^tt rioth of llat. (iiti.rl I IeF

Getting In Touch: Marshall McLuhan, Augmenting the Human, and Haptic Space

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Transcript of Getting In Touch: Marshall McLuhan, Augmenting the Human, and Haptic Space