Our presenter for this week was John Park. I really liked his presentation because it was engaging and because I can relate to him. He said that he used to sit where we sat in the same lecture hall, and it just was so motivating. One of the key parts to his presentation was when he began to talk about the problems of technology, specifically the zombies part. I totally agree with him, that we as a human species are becoming less human and more robotic. I for one don’t like where we are going. Technology is developing at an exponential rate and we have become so dependent on it. When I really think about it, we really are living in a zombie apocalypse. Every day when I walk down 13th, I dodge people who are not watching where they are going because they are texting; once I even saw a dude on a bike texting- with both hands. I wanted to throw my shoe at him. When I go home, my roommate is staring mindlessly at the TV playing some online game on the PS3. They are everywhere. Sure, I use technology but I regulate it. I’m just glad they don’t have a craving for brains. Sometimes I wish for more human interaction rather than texting someone or facebooking them. We are a very social species, we need to interact with one another rather than with a piece of plastic.
That being said, I don’t mean to say that technology is bad and that we should go back to the dark ages. If used correctly, technology can not only be useful but it can be something beautiful. Something that can make one more human simply by reminding them that they are human. I know what I said was vague, but this is what I felt when John showed us a piece called “I Want You to Want Me.” This piece really moved me because it was so “human.” It was truthful, it showed what men and women really wanted in each other. “In online dating profiles what people do is they talk about themselves in maybe 200 words and they say the most important things about themselves. And so it is a very fertile ground for building a mosaic of humanity.” I thought that was very beautiful. Living in a world where things are not what they seem (ex: make up, photoshoped images, cosmetic surgery) one forgets that they are human and that they have human feeling and needs. I believe that there is a lot of good in the world, one just has to look for it. One can argue, that people can lie about what they say in their profiles, but I think that if one goes on an a dating website, they are really looking for someone because they gave up looking physically. Profiles may be stretched a bit but I think of it as a snapshot of what people desire. It fascinates me.
Our artist for the week is David Byrne. He has a very interesting installation called “Playing the Building.” The work is composed of an organ that is attached to a building’s pipes and columns. When the organ’s keys are pressed, it interacts with the corresponding part of the building making various sounds. I really like this piece because it is so clever! It pushes the boundary on what is art. Is the installation the piece of art? Or is it the music being played by the consumer the art? Both maybe? It makes me think and I like pieces that do that. It reminds me of Andy Warhol when he said that in the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes. It’s true, when people sit and play the piano they become famous for a little while. I can also see a connection here with John Park and how technology can be used as a form of art. It reminds of the Dj table that he showed us in class. I find that “Playing the Building” and the Dj table (I can’t remember the name) are similar because they are both a common object that has been altered to make it interactive, fun, and beautiful at the same time. These kinds of interactive pieces really bring out the humanness inside us. In his interview Byrne said “I believe we have an innate longing for the spiritual and ecstatic. If we're not getting it in church, synagogue, or temple then eventually we'll locate it elsewhere: at a concert, a rave, Burning Man, or through sports or drugs, or even through some kinds of art.” This search for a greater power is what makes us who we are, makes us human. We just need to be reminded of that.
Finally, our second artist for this week is Janet Cardiff. Cardiff was different than everything I have talked about. I found her work to be very creepy and spooky. Especially her audio walks. I listened to an audio walk called “Ghost Machine” and it freaked me out. Her voice is so eerie, especially when she whispers. I always feel something loud and scary is about to happen, but never does. It was very suspenseful. I also watched an installation video called “Pianorama.” This installation reminded me of David Byrne’s “Playing the Building” because they were so similar, yet so different at the same time. They both involved a musical instrument and they both played music. However, Byrne’s was a lot more lively and I associated it with humanness and life. On the contrary, Cardiff’s I found to be rather ghostly. When the keys are struck, two voices can be heard discussing a music composition. Their voices are there but their bodies are not. It reminds of death and how transient this life is.
Mohammad - your reactions to the material are well-expressed and in-depth. Your connections should address overarching themes, more than lesser details.
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