Technologised Bodies-PING BODY

The work I find the most interesting is the PING BODY done by Stelarc.

Stelarc is a Greek-Australian performance artist whose works always related to modern technology, robotic invention and human bodies.  He investigates the capabilities of human body.  " The human body is obsolete" is one of his famous statements.

PING BODY was made in 1996.  It is about adding a third hand on a person and the third hand is stimulated by muscle and the virtual nerve by using the internet.  Stelarc invented a muscle stimlatation system.  A set of muscle stimulating electrodes were put on different parts of a human body, so the third hand was connected with muscle on the real body.  By these electodes, the muscles, for example, on legs ca remote and control the movement of the third hand.

This project is kind of exploring an external and virtual nervous system in a body body.  The third hand can do wrist rotation, thumb rotation, individual finger flexion with each finger splitting open and it is made by the materials like stainless steel, aluminium and acrylic.

I think it raises an issue that the technology seems going to overwhelm the actual and physical world.  Stelarc reveals that the robotic third hand can almost do what a real hand can do, it can be attached to a physical body and can be controlled by the innovated virtual nervous system, it implies that technology starts involving in our natural and physical body which may make people become reliable on technology.  Technology is going to dominate our world and our bodies become the passive agent.  Another thing I find interesting about PING BODY is it integrating the physical body and the Interent.  Because "the stimulation was triggered by Internet traffic itself-the flow of data. 'Ping' commands were randomly sent to Internet domains.  The ping values would be directed to muscles of the body through an interface." (Christiane Paul, "Body and Identity" in Digital art, 167)  I think it is true that nowadays, we seems really cannot live without internet.  If one day my computer cannot connect to Interent, I really feel unsecured. 

Mouchette - What does she show?

I think the website of Mouchette really arouses our sensation by not just visually, but also the sound.

She uses a lot of close up of her different parts of face, such as her eyes and lips.  Also, she shows some close up of some sensitive poses and facial expressions, like sucking her finger into the mouth and showing her tongue which make feel disgusting.
And the objects she picks also arouse our sensation, for example she always shows close up of some liquid-like stuff.  There are some flies and ants moving around on the screen which really make me feel itchy and arouse my antipathy.
Colours she uses are those contrasting and shape colours, such as black and red, pink and red which can draw our attention and stimulate our sensation.

Whenever I go the main page of mouchette, there will be several sounds, one is a girl saying "Bonjour", one is a crying sound and one is a breathing sound.  Be honest, some of these sounds are quite controversial in terms of arousing sexual sensation.  So does the website want to raise the issue of child sexuality as the website is built by so called "a 13 year old girl" ?  Or is Mouchette really 13 years old only?


Apart from the appearance of the website, the content of the website is quite unreasonable.  The website is linked to different kind of pages which are totally not related to the title, for example, after I clicked her name, Mouchette, it led to another page with "members" and "non members", then I clicked "non members", another website, innergirl.com, popped up which is totally unrelated. So it is very difficult to understand the structure of Mouchette.com.  "The site's content has a deceptively innocent quality." (Mouchette.org.In Tribe and Jana, 66-67)


It is very interesting that the reading links Mouchette to works of Cindy Sherman.  Sherman dressed up and posed as movie characters or other famous figures in photography.  Both of them raise the question of the nature of identity.  Is what is performed in front of you the real identity of that person?  That is a big question to the technology and the internet!

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #14

Who are you - classmate identity interview

One of my classmates has at least five online identities which includes email account, facebook account, account on interent forum, MSN and youtube.  What interests me is that she has an account on youtube, becasue I saw people who have youtube account would share their video choices on youtube or upload their video works, they seem having their own channel.  But this classmate would rather use this youtube account as one of her online chatting tools, she chat with friends on youtube by using that account.

She said she becomes braver in the online world than in the reality.  As the online identity doesn't really show her private information which she won't as well, so she feel free to express her opinions on the online world, that is also why she finds online identity beneficial too, there is freedom for her to talk what she won't or does't want to talk in her real life.  She doesn't find any risk about the online identity as long as she won't show her real person up and show her private informate on the internet.

Individual research topic

My topic: Technologised bodies


a) Key quotes
A "marriage of art and technology" is how Professor Horace Ip describes Body-Brush, a new tool that transforms body movements into real-time three-dimensional (3D) paintings.
(http://www6.cityu.edu.hk/puo/CityUMember/Story/Story.aspx?id=20040901213242, 1 
December, 2002)


"Stelarc's work operates on the threshold between embodiment and disembodiment, a central aspect of discussions about the changes that digital technologies have brought about for our sense of self."
(Christian Paul, "Body and Identity" in Digital art, 167)


"The question of technology is not about technology itself but about modern humanity's way of being.  The technology is fundamental to modern 'culture' ..."
(Joanna Zylinska, Cyborg Experiments: The Extensions of the Body in the Meida Age, 18)


b) Key links
http://imhungkeung.blogspot.com/
http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2010/11/11/a-brief-reflection-on-donna-haraway/


c) Key books and articles
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3143608.stm
It really reveals that different aspects of art can cooperate at the same time to produce an artwork by using technology


Cyborg Experiments: The Extensions of the Body in the Media Age (edited by Joanna Zylinska, published by Continuum London, 2002)

It echoes with the example used in class, Stelarc.  The book comes deep into his works and the message behind his works, also another artist's works, Orlan.  It discusses the issues of Virtual & Real and the ethics of future.  And it includes an interesting information is an interview with Stelarc.

d) Case Study

Body-Brush Project

•Who is the artist/maker of the artwork/website/game?
1. Professor Horace Ip, Chair Professor of Computer Science and Head of CityU's Department of Computer Science
2. Mr Young Hay, Hong Kong Artist
3. Mr Alex Tang, Research student


•What is its name?
Body-Brush Project

•When was it produced/released?
Year 2001

•Describe it in detail
It is an analysis system that transforming human body movement to various visual form and space by using infra-red illumination.  Infra-red illumination can identify the silhouette image and  capture the human body motion data in the 3D space, so the body can move in a vast space.  Also, infra-red illumination won't limit the dancer to wear specific clothes, so it won't affect the dancer's movement and let him to move freely.  The data will be then delivered to computer and computer will turn the data of the movement to visual images.

The visualisation is in real-time, visual form varies according to body position, motion speed, motion acceleration and body- size change.  How you perform your action will be immediately shown in the interface in terms of visual forms.  For example, if there is acceleration, the 3D path of the brushstroke will be exaggerated accordingly.  

This work is actually inspired by Jackson Pollock's action painting including the human energy and action into the painting.

Jackson Pollock's action painting

•For you, what is interesting/unusual/thought-provoking/aesthetically pleasing/puzzling about this artwork/website/game? [you may choose your own adjectives! These are just some suggestions]. Explain in detail.
I think this work brings a new meaning to painting.  In the past, we were used to do painting and drawing on a flat paper or canvas which are all in 2-Dimension.  Since Professor Ip and his team invented this system, painting can be done in 3-Dimension.  Body movement can create images.  Doing painting is no longer done by hands only, but the whole body can be now involved, including feet.

Apart from what we see, what we feel is another important factor I think.  Since you need to move your body to generate brush strokes, it create an interaction between human and the environment.  Especially no more boundary, such as clothing, you can move completely freely.  During the movement, you can feel the surrounding.  Somehow, from what movement you perform, we can see what the environment brings to you, and what movement you perform can be seen from the visual images generated in the interface, so, I think, it builds a connection between the environment and the visual images.

Since variation of the brush strokes depends on the body movement, such as acceleration and force, so it also builds a relationship between the painting and the action, so as Jackson Pollock's action painting.  It is interesting to see how a movement in a 3D space can be transformed into a 2D image.

Besides, this work has a function of therapy.  It could be a tool for therapist to communicate with phabia patient, physically and emotionally abused patient.  As they don't talk much, they don't want recall some terrible memory, so therapist may use this system to interpret their movement in order to guess what they think in their minds.  I think this technology extends human's communication method.  We now can communicate not only by verbal speaking, but also your body movement.

Video-sharing sites

Do video-sharing sites such as Youtube enhance or worsen creative culture?

I think video-sharing sites can enhance creative culture.

I do agree with some points from Roman Marek but some I don't.

That's true that today those video-sharing sites in the internet are really really accessible, everybody has at least one computer at home, everybody can go on to the internet by just a click and that is no region limit.  Videos or ideas shared in the internet can be seen by everyone in the world.  But I will take this as an encouragement.  Since people can be easier to show their things up, it can motivate them and encourage them to make something creative and show it up in the internet.  Especially internet is a virtual environment as Roman Marek mentioned in the conference, it is unnecessary to show their real name and identification, it makes them even dare to show their creations.  It brings opportunity to the creator.  For example, you uploaded one of your video works to a video-sharing site, one day, a director, somehow, saw your video on that site and he really like your work, he may then offer you job! It can really happen indeed, no one knows.  There are some sites for people do share their video works seriously.

That is one of my favorite site

http://www.open-art.tv/theater/movielist19.html

I think video-sharing sites provide a platform for people to exchange comments and having conversation which is very important to creative culture, because it could be where you can fresh idea and knowledge from.  Actually, I have suggested similar point in my previous entry.  Some videos may talk about their own countries, or they want to express their own opinions, once they are uploaded, then different people from different countries can watch that video and then give response, feedback and comments on that video at anytime, it is like a conversation, it can be between creators and viewer, and also creators and creators.  It is a good platform to have conversation and cultural and creativity exchange.


Roman Marek is worried about the confusion between professional creator and amateur creator.  However, I think it can make the creative culture comprehensive and enrich the creative culture.  As the sharing sites is opened to everybody, different types, media and different kinds of content can be found in the site.  Also, people can learn and be inspired by each other. 


What I agree with Roman Marek is the copyright infringements.  People can access and receive things too easily, so copying others' ideas or videos or images without notifying can be happened.  Moreover, I agree with his "recycled videos", viewers can get the original material easily can re-edit or re-mix it, some (I could say ALL) of them are meaningless and pointless.  The following is an example:

This is the original video

This is a popular video in HK

In this video, a girl, Ruby, and obviously she is student, she criticizes the English  pronunciation of HK secondary school teachers.  Her video got a lot of criticism as well.

This is the remix version done by another guy.

He took the original video and did editing on the music and the vocal of Ruby. 

Youtube in Class: "Bus Uncle" and "Leave Whitney Alone"

I prefer "Leave Whitney Alone"!

I will rate it 9/10

1. How many viewers are estimated to have watched the youtube video?

"Bus Uncle" received 1.7 million hits in the first 3 weeks after it was released. (according to wikipedia)

"Leave Whitney Alone" had over four million views in two days. (according to wikipedia)

2. How would you rate the video?

a) Is it of high quality in technical terms? Is it interesting aesthetically eg camera angles, use of light, the narrative, and so on?

Those high rated videos are not in quality in terms of image and aesthetics.  I don't think they did pay attention to the lighting, camera angles and the resolution of the video.

"Bus Uncle" is not good in image quality, it doesn't have high resolution, it seems like shot by a mobile phone.

"Leave Whitney Alone" is not delicated to the camera angle, it seems that it shot by Chris Crocker, the only character in the video, the camera is held by him.  Therefore, close-up of him is the only camera angle in this video, we can even see inside his nose when he cried sadly.  Also, we can see that he is not delicated to the background setting as well, the whole video is shot under the bed, so the sheet became his backdrop.

"Guitar", obviously, is not delicated to the use of light.  The background is too bright while inside the room is too dark.  Also, the image quality is not good as well, everything in the video seems blurred. 

b) Does it raise interesting socio-cultural issues? 

Yes, I think they raise interesting socio-cultural issues.  Those videos are, somehow, like documentry video.

"Bus Uncle" reveals what happen in the HK daily life, what is about in our living environment, especially it is like a reality show, it did happen in live action.  After this video is released, it did arouse people to think about the PRESSURE problem in HK.  Bus Uncle kept shouting at the young man and even used bad language, is living in HK very stressful which makes Bus Uncle that angry?  Does Bus Uncle have Bipolar Disorder?  And it developed to another question--do HK people suffer a lot from hidden pressure?  Also, what the uncle said in the video have become popular culture in HK since then, it even become a gimmick of commercial products. Apart from commercial products, some TVC imitated and are inspired by this video.

That is a screen from the video 

Famous slogan of Bus Uncle printed on a T-shirt

(photos from http://www.cafepress.com/+bus-uncle+womens-maternity)

A TVcommercial got the idea from Bus Uncle to promote World Cup

"Leave Whitney Alone" is kind of like expressing own idea and opinion on a particular matter.  Especially, Britney Spear is such an international idol and under the circumstance that everyone was criticizng her, it is interesting to see that an American, Chris Crocker, tried to defend Britney and it is interesting to see how an American sees this idol who is in the same country with him.  Chris Crocker presented it in such a dramtic way, it must be very easier to get the attention and attracts people to do some "follow-up searching", for example, the background of Chris Crocker, why he is so emotional about that thing, why he dared to post this video on youtube which is a really popular video sharing channel in the world, and what Britney did on him/American which made him so emotional.  Be honest, I could not recognise whether he is man or lady, so it makes me more curious about who he is actually.  Then I found out that he is actually gay, so it brings up another interesting cultural question - what is the position or status of a gay man in America? Because of his interesting character and gender, he brings out a moral issue about gender and self-identification.

Photo of Chris Crocker

(photo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Crocker_(Internet_celebrity))

Comments of "Leave Britney Alone" on youtube

3. Do you think it deserved the attention that it received from the internet community?


Yes, I think they deserved to gain attention.  I will take it as a cultural exchange in fact.  Those videos raised up some cultural issues of their own countries (HK for the "Bus Uncle" and America for "Leave Britney Alone").  And internet community is such an international space, everyone in the world can watch it and give comments on it.  So it can be seen that there are loads of comments discussing the video in different aspects, it is like different people from different countries having conversation although some of them are quite rude and not in a good manner.  It serves as an opportunity for cultural exchange, it deserves the attention.