User:Eastwood/research writing
2017
Media Object
1500 words
- Specificity of object
- What is it interfacing/mediating
- Why you pick the object
- How does it relate to self directed work/research
REFERENCES
Scholarly Communication Lecture Series- Johanna Drucker
Personal > Specificity
Paul Mason : Post Capitalism
Medium Specificity
- Writing machines
- How we became posthuman
- My Mother was a Computer
Patchwork Girl
Text on Method 2
Abstract : Bibliography : Citations : More on selfreflection please says Steve James Galloway : The Interface Effect Flusser (complexities) Henri Bergson : Instinct, Intelligence and Intuition Felix Guattari : The Three Ecologies
ANT FARM: Living Archive 7 Francis McKee : The Third Eye Centre (video archive) Director of CCA Glasgow
Stephen Willats Control Magazine
Previous Project
Tetra Gamma Circulaire 3 was a collaborative work between De Player and the Experimental Publishing unit at the Piet Zwart Institute.
The core theme of the publication was the investigation on the idea of "score". What is a score's function, historically, and how it could be interpreted today.
I drew on previous experience with music performance, theory and composition, and decided to continue to explore themes that I had previously been investigating - primarily improvisation.
My piece, Euclid, is an improvisational instrument that aimed to explore musical improvisational exploration. It is designed to have no obvious technological interface so as to allow the player to explore the musical possibilities, and not be influenced by any mechanics of its operation. The music produced by this instrument are based upon Euclidian rhythms, a mathematical system that generate traditional musical patterns. Rather than a noise instrument, the musicality encourages continuous compositional exploration and creates a dialogue between performer and instrument.
The instrument is controlled via a series of touch conductive points. These points work very differently depending on the environmental, and individual conductivity of the player. The instrument therefore has been designed to adjust and learn from the player as the performance progresses. In turn the performer must learn the unique situationally affected intricacies of the instrument, as well as their own affects, allowing for very different performances of the instrument each time.
The end result was an interactive, improvisational, chaotic music machine. Its score, a mash of software and numbers, humanly unintelligible, and musically irreproducible.
Interfacing the Law
In preparation for the third special issue, I have wanted to find a relevant topic that interests me. After our preliminary meeting with Femke Snelting, previous topics of interest have resurfaced.
At the core of our project we are discussing freedom of knowledge, and it as a basic human right. Despite this being seemingly obvious, it becomes more apparent that the complexity of systems have abstracted this right away from individuals. Law and capitalism has convoluted the pathway to knowledge and designated it a luxury for the select.
In this project I plan to explore open-source non-centralised systems of knowledge sharing, and curation that liberate these objects not only in their access, but from their original contexts and forms. My colleague Giulia and I will be working with a pre-existing archive situated at the Poortgebouw, which in itself is an anthology of free-thought, collaboration and resistance. Our challenge is to digitise the collection, and create a non-linear interface into this resource. Extending from this, the project hopes to expand into a collaborative knowledge archiving, and generation tool.
Inter-Project Similarities
Overcoming technical or systematic constraints when creating interfaces is a challenge no matter the medium or context. In both projects the exercise in creating functionally complex interface that expand a user/creator's access to a subject is often impeded by one of the two aforementioned problems.
It seems that in both projects, the task of circumnavigating this issue is important to me. Using methodologies and ideologies encouraged in our day to day learning, the possibility of this seems attainable if not without its challenges. The artificial distance created through complex legal and economic systems from knowledge, or the distance created by "user friendly" services like google, that dis-empower us through convenience are one in the same battle.
In challenging these interfaces allow us evermore agency when engaging with them, and in my work, allows me to understand and communicate my projects in interesting ways.
Inter-Projects Differences
Music has always had, for me, a difficulty to allow for critical reflection on the world it exists in. More often than not it is solely emotional expression as expressed by an individual or group. In the case of my chaotic musical machine for De Player, this is also true. Until starting our latest project (Interfacing the Law), the challenge of interface seemed only a technical hurdle to overcome. It is obvious to me now, that the question of interface is much more complex, and that Euclid was my first encounter with this.
It is now interesting to look back and realise that it was not simply a challenge of building a technically, and conceptually functional object within limited constraints, but the introduction into how interfaces influence intent, are affected themselves by context and can be a feedback as well as an input.
To continue with notions of improvisation, play, and exploration will be an interesting challenge that I hope to investigate during our next project. Building an interface that allows for chance discovery and creation within the knowledge base of the Porte Gebouw's archive, will speak to the re-contextualising, and re-formatting of this predefined data set. Although it will not be a preformative act, the improvisational motivations can still be applied here.
Help
Difficulty to understand and apply conceptual ideas into my work is something that I frequently experience. I want to make it my goal to enhance my critical reading, writing and research methods. I want to do this more, and seek critical responses to this. Steve and Florian are both primary resources to further this. Expanded from this, Giulia has suggested (and I agree) that this difficulty may exist because i do not have specific topics that I am interested in. Honing my "hobbies" into tangible research will be my immediate project.
As part of this I investigate further methodologies and ideologies employed by OSP and Constant, as their method and conceptual motivations seem inherently intertwined. As much as I have been aware of the conceptual framework they situate themselves in (i.e. Open-Source tools and philosophies), up until my knowledge of their organisation, its application has been difficult to imagine. This inspires me to start employing their tools and get to know their work better.
>>> FUTURE >>>
The future holds research much reading, writing, research which I hope will lead to projects. I plan to continue my work on improvisation, and try and expand this to games, play and learning. I want to try and make more musical/preformative projects as well as printed works around this theme. I would also like to research ways that it has or can be used as a creative methodology for production, learning and teaching.
The other topic I wish to investigate more thoroughly is environmental philosophy, and seek to read some works of Timothy Morton about Post Human Ecology. Environmental issues are a core part of my life, but I have never taken the time to apply any creative or conceptual thought. Philosophical texts on the Environment have piqued my academic interest in this area but feel that often they are far separated from the practicalities of life, and are not always pragmatic motivators for change. I would like to start openly asking questions on these topics and generate some works in this area.
Text on Method 1
Previous Project
An improvised generative musical instrument.
For trimester 2 project with dePlayer, we investigated the idea of a "score". What a score has been; and how it could be interpreted today.
As the project was with a well established experimental music institution many of us took to making musical representations of this idea. [what do you mean, which idea? the re-interpretation of the score?]
From having previous experience with music performance, theory and composition, I decided to continue to explore themes that I had previously been investigating. This primarily being improvisation.
My challenge was to somehow combine technology and musical creativity without there being an apparent interface. I also wanted to there to be "traditional" musical qualities to the instrument, rather than it being a noise instrument. [what do you mean with musical creativity? creativity means improvisation?]
My project was successful in some areas but my fundamental goals of avoiding an explicit mechanical interface did not totally succeed. While the instrument did generate relatively musical sounds; it was either not apparent whether my interaction was making intentional changes. [don't think that you should underline the non-successful work on the interface. Other people perceived this effort that you're describing. no worries :) ]
The end result was a problematic, generative, chaotic improvisation machine. Its score, a mash of software and numbers, humanly unintelligible, and musically irreproducible. [like it!!!]
Interfacing the Law
In preparation for the third special issue, I have wanted to find a relevant topic that interests me. After our preliminary meeting with Femke Snelting, previous topics of interest have resurfaced.
The freedom of knowledge, and it as a basic human right seems an obvious thing. But the complexity of systems have abstracted this right away from individuals. Law and economy/capitalism has convoluted the pathway to knowledge and designated it as a luxury for the select. [I think you should expand this point.. as it is the sort of core of our project]
It is a theme that the ideas of structural complexity vs functional complexity reappears. [explain further... where is the structural vs functional complexity within the topic of interfacing the law?]
Inter-Project Similarities
Creating interfaces to creativity is a difficult thing to attain. Whether this be due to technical or systematic constraints. [what do you mean by interfacing creativity?]
Creating functionally complex systems that expand a user/creator's view on the world is often impeded by one of the two aforementioned problems.
[I get this now a bit better, but till think you should explain it in a more simple way...]
It seems that in both projects, the task of circumnavigating this issue is important to me. Using methodologies and ideologies encouraged in our day to day learning, the possibility of this seems attainable if not without its challenges.
It is these challenges however that allow us evermore agency when engaging with, or pushing back against these systems.
[expaaand!!! it is very interesting but i think you're over-complicating your self. I think you should redefine the meaning of creativity (you mean, creative-agency in a sense of subjectivity or interpretation? you should definitely read "Six Memos for The Next Millenium book of Calvino", my favourite book yes, chapter "Visibility"]
Inter-Projects Differences
Music has always had, for me, a difficulty to allow for critical reflection on the world it exists in. [why? expand this point]
More often than not it is pure emotional expression as expressed by an individual or group. [isn't everything a combination between individual expression/wonder and context. I don't agree on this point. Nothing is "pure"]
In the case of my chaotic musical machine for dePlayer, it is this fact that placed it apart from the rest of our work and research at Piet Zwart. [I don't understand why you're placing your work outside the research and works (of who??) at the piet zwart. Of course it is related!! other thing: stop being over-critical to your self]
The excitement was not as intense for me in the production due to its lack of relevant conceptual relationships to the outside world. This current project of interfacing the law is a welcome return to more challenging conceptual ideas.
What was interesting during the dePlayer project, was the challenge of building a technically, and conceptually functional object within limited constraints. These skills will be applicable to future projects.
[I like it, you see, you just described which was the core of the DePlayer work, which was of course based on a concept!]
Help
Difficulty to understand and apply conceptual ideas into my work is something that I frequently experience. I want to make it my goal to enhance my critical reading, writing and research methods. I want to do this more, and seek critical responses to this. Steve and Florian are both primary resources to further this.
[fair enough, but so which are the things you want to research? start to think about this and stop repeating you have difficulties in that]
Further I want to know more about the methodologies and ideologies employed by OSP and Constant, as their method and conceptual motivations seem inherently intertwined. As much as I have been aware of the conceptual framework they situate themselves in (i.e. Open-Source tools and philosophies), its application has been difficult to imagine. [what do you mean? that you like their conceptual basis but the works are a bit difficult to understand?]
>>> FUTURE >>>
In the future I hope to make more physical work with strong conceptual foundations. U hope to be able to do this collaboratively with differently skilled, but equally motivated peers. furthermore I would like to make work that neither depends upon closed, proprietary systems and in turn critique their existence and affect they have on different parts of our society. [i think it is a bit too abstract, i like it, but you should close up your interests on a more defined subject]
I hope that these qualities will be applicable to my Passports Project. [cool!!! try to talk about the similarities between the research on this object and the urge you seem to have to critique existent states of things]
It will an exciting experiment to see how my skills develop, technically, conceptually and ideologically. [yess it is!]
Passports Essay
Passport Research Notes
Suggestions from peers : Czech Republic : Velvet Revolution - When the Czech republic separated from Slovakia. Side notes read "Progressive" and "Manacle"
Whare are general passport application processes. The case where it was easier and cheaper to change your name by depol, get a new passport than to purchase a new ticket with Ryanair.
Suggestion to create a subjective archive of my family movement. Look at my family's history in relationship to world history specifically in regards to mobility and national diplomacies.
Infinite Citizenship : Giuditta Vendrame
Identity and Control : Harrison C. White
Extended Border Control Privileges
eff.org article on the loophole, an example of the overextension affected on a NASA scientist who was part of the Global Entry programme.
Nation Exclusivity
Alien's Act
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/01/slovenia-amendments-to-aliens-act-denies-protection-to-refugees/ http://www.refworld.org/docid/4c407cbd2.html
Migration
Essay Research Suggestions 2
Max: I have been reading a short introduction to Foucault. It is relevant because we talk about control and disciplinary society in this class. Thought it would be handy to look at these in terms of passports. His life is very interesting he didn’t want to be tied down to one definition; opens up to reading F’s life from different perspectives. Archeologist of knowledge. Rather than looking at what a work says and placing it in its context you situate it in its time in order to understand the concepts. [discourse] The technology of language, interpreting it in our time in terms of just the words of that are written […unpack]. This is interesting in relation to the mobility and passport project; identity, classification; Historical thing:
What have you done since last time?
Text: reading F Book, also had a follow up group meeting. Would like to finish the book, re-read it; go back to the history of passports and visas. Take it from a personal place, where I am allowed passage within the work; for my family down 3 generations; to map out their journey. At the time; my gp’s movement during the war; and my greatgarnadp’s escaped the Russian revolution. Seeing what it would have been like for my grandfather to change his nationality. [Karina] You could update this […] in Holland… Where will you be: writing something down: questions I want to address.
Outside:
coding and playing music: both with varying degrees of success. Hopefully with the sound project. Euclidian time – translated into 1 & 0s [explains]. Then you play it like . Euclidian rhythms are currently popular and from these patterns you get polyrhythms, which come from human culture. One can generate African rhythms, for instance. This could be (possibly) performed for DePlayer project. Like the idea of improvising music, to make the score in parallel or after the fact.
CONTROL and DISCIPLINE SOCIETY : https://libcom.org/library/postscript-on-the-societies-of-control-gilles-deleuze
Essay Research Suggestions 1
https://pad.bleu255.com/p/rwrm_notes_06-01-17
started of with passports and identity evolved into idea of national identity, mobility institutionalised
Passports, indentity which evolved into the idea of national identity, mobility,
need to find history of passports phylosophy of identity. movement through World of the family. Political environment.
need to look at a personal point of view look at family and their movement
what information is needed case study on 'nationally diverse' family
where do you come from? is it relevant to make that destinction?
Trump Tolling http://everysecondcounts.eu/
Taiye Selasi: Don't ask where I'm from, ask where I'm a local https://www.ted.com/talks/taiye_selasi_don_t_ask_where_i_m_from_ask_where_i_m_a_local?utm_source=tedcomshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=tedspread
dna test momondo https://www.momondo.nl/letsopenourworld/ Is your DNA a more genuine distinction of your "nationalities". Is ethnicity related to nationality. Is culture related to nationality?
Ethnocentrism
Overview Effect - seeing the world from outer space https://vimeo.com/55073825
The Space Between Us http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3922818/
Why a passport identity exists? which are the reasons they exists? do they identify us?
Can you look at yourself / your personality and find something 'typically' Australian, South African, Belgian? How family culture can get into your identity?
Italian travelled to Argentina. He felt at home there because of similar culture (many Italians there)
What defines a culture?
Language How does language shape cultural identity? It's also a specific tool. In some countries it's easier to explain food, weather, nature, technology
What was the reason we started having passports? History of passports
History of the visa - started in 1958
Costs of visas Compare difficulties / process of getting a visa Look into reasons why you do / do not need a visa Poland doesn't need a visa to China because they think Poland is still communistic
Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) https://ind.nl
Facebook Tracking
2016
Essay
Reading Notes
Collection of notes on things I'm reading/read.
Vilém FLUSSER
Talking at the Osnabrück, European Media Art Festival, 1988
POST-HISTORICAL STRUCTURAL TRADITION
Our current form of literacy is no longer sufficient to communicate current concepts concerning our world. To more precisely reflect on our world we are not solely able to explain it with language, neither written or spoken. To understand the world, we are no longer able to rely solely on words, it is necessary to calculate the world.
Vilém Flusser suggests that the only way we are able to reflect on our current existence is through synthetic images. He describes the language of science and mathematics is a visual language of thought through numbers, giving the example of the number two as the representation of a couple or pair. From this he goes on to suggest that the most appropriate tool to facilitate this realisation of synthetic images is through computing. At the time of this interview Flusser claimed that he had not yet seen any examples of this and suggests that we do not know how to yet manipulate the technology.
Flusser explains that before the alphabet images were used to represent the world. Images served to represent non linear mythical thought, a projection of understanding upon the world tied into past present and future. At the invention of the alphabet this non-linear representation of the world gave way to a linear, historically causal and critical method. Now linear, historical thought has been disrupted by a calculative method of thinking, which Flusser likes to call a systemic or structural way of thinking.
Our current revolution can be likened to the revolution that gave us the origin to history. One that returns to a non-linear, image based narrative, that likens to a pre-historical way of thinking. We are now in the process of developing a post-historical structural way of thinking.
Historically the philosophy of image cast a mostly negative opinion of 'the image'. Greek and Jewish (Christian) philosophy and thought considered images either only a copy or simulation of thought and so we have been conditioned to distrust images. However now images should be considered articulations of thought, not mere copies by projection or models. Flusser calls for a new conversation around images.
STRUCTURAL v FUNCTIONAL COMPLEXITY
Systems can be considered complex in 2 ways. Systems with structural complexity and systems with functional complexity. Structurally complex systems are ones that are complex in their construction, or operation but not in their interaction or output. Functionally complex systems are systems can be used in many different ways or has a functional nuance without necessarily being structurally complex.
Flusser gives the comparison between TV (structurally complex) and Chess (functionally complex). The television a technologically complex electronic device that decodes data into visual moving image and sound that is broadcast live to the viewer, is very simple to interact with or manipulate within its set parameters. Chess, a game made up of solely physical objects can be played 100 different ways and have many different outcomes.
As things are being designed more structurally complex without being necessarily functionally complex leads us to become intellectually, aesthetically and ethical less active or even able. It is Flussers analysis that it is not the fault of the systems themselves, but rather the responsibility on the users of the systems to find functional complexity in structurally complex systems.
The importance in doing this is because functionally complex systems encourage creative thought (arguably a calculative way to look at our world) whereas structurally complex systems currently allow us to stagnate in thought.