On Multimedia: November 2005

Final Project Situational Tour

Ben and I focused on Union Station, a busy travel, shopping and tourist destination in Washington, DC. Themes used for my narrative were:

transportation
security
government influence
weather
decoration
contrast

The Moti/on Exhibit at Flashpoint

This exhibit, while in some instances (most notably Phenomenal Separation by Mark Brown) spoke to underlying themes of culture and multimedia in my opinion was more of a showcase of the "Uh, that's cool." or of the promise of information technology to instruct (5 Steps by Niels v.d. Heijden) or to make life easier (Remote Control by Jorn van Dijk, et al.)

Unfortunately, I am finding that a majority of multimedia art to which I have been exposed suffers from this same afflication: either simply being novel and clever, or only a presentation of new technology. While I find the solutions created by the MICA students to be innovative and in all cases ingenious, I have to admit that I continue to miss the point.

"Is There Love in the Telematic Embrace?" by Roy Ascott

This question while interesting, in my opinion relies very much on those involved and the circumstances surrounding the correspondence over various platforms but is not necessarily a result of the technology itself. Furthermore, people are able to find meaningful connections in all kinds of situations and over any means of communication, granted the need for the connection is strong enough.

A more vital question would be how much of this connection is real and how much is only perceived. As discussed in early essays, the Internet provides great opportunities for anonymity. How does this affect the validity of the feelings we have for people we meet on the Internet, and are they really what they represent themselves to be?

Ultimately, I believe that the Internet and the various new communications technologies are simply the next tool allowing people to prolong and reinforce relationships that they already have, and perhaps to meet others who share their interests and opinions.