Monday, April 6, 2009

Re: [Yasmin_discussions] NEW MEDIA: USER'S BEHAVIOUR, SOCIAL SYSTEMS, AND THE BODY POLITIC

Dear Yasminers,

I try to elaborate a reflection through an example from my experience in
Studio Azzurro.

Studio Azzurro has explored the poetical and expressive possibilities of the
new technological cultures since 1982 with the creation of video –
environments first and with the introduction of interactivity in 1995. With
"sensitive environments", based on the naturalness of the dialogue, achieved
thanks to so called natural interfaces, many people can be involved at the
same time around the installation. An important reflexion was done around
the social repercussions triggered by interactive technology rather than
it's exploitation. In the last years, Studio Azzurro has focused his
attention to the partecipative role of the visitor and to works viewed as
projects that are connected to the social fabric and address territorial
issues.

"The forth leader", presented for Santa Fe Biennale last year, is a good
example of how the use of technologies can help "a global audience" to
investigate, to discover and to be involved in the exploration of an
"invisible geography of a territory".

Focused on an anthropological analisis of a community, a first investigation
was done in Santa Fe (New Mexico) inviting single people through a video
interview to tell about a place connecting it to a remember.

Then, into the exhibition, many projections create one whole screening,
passed through many full size characters . The audience, looking at this
parade, longs for discovering their destination. Whenever the visitor draw
up his hand to any of the characters, he stops and turns around looking
towards his interlocutor and starts talking. This contact defines a first
way of communication, the intent of holding the image shows the desire of
exchange, the observer is involved in the character'story. In the meanwhile
an animated map appears on the screen. Each case describes a way to get a
specific place. The story teller descibe his feelings, his experiences, his
memories which concern to that particular place.


With this interaction modality, a strong relastionship is developed with the
visitor because to learn about the person, he has to interrupt it, to
interpler him with a gesture, to create a relationship with him in order to
know about the story.

The new medias become in this case an incredible instrument to transmit a
territorial culture, a create a dialogue and an unique opportunity to
transmit knowledge from local to global scale.


Best,

Delphine
_______________________________________________
Yasmin_discussions mailing list
Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions

Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE: click on the link to the list you wish to subscribe to. In the page that will appear ("info page"), enter e-mail address, name, and password in the fields found further down the page.

HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE: on the info page, scroll all the way down and enter your e-mail address in the last field. Enter password if asked. Click on the unsubscribe button on the page that will appear ("options page").

HOW TO ENABLE / DISABLE DIGEST MODE: in the options page, find the "Set Digest Mode" option and set it to either on or off.