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10/10/07 Readings

Walter Benjamin: Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Espen Aarseth: We All Want to Change the World: The Ideology of Innovation in Digital Media

This is the 3rd time I am reading the essay and although I get different understanding every time I read the text but I keep falling back to the same issue. The question that bothers me the most is "How does this reading helps me to contextualize and understand whats happening back home (Malaysia) with my practice?" This became obvious to me when I came across this sentences in the passage

" We do not deny that in some cases today's films can also promote revolutionary criticism of social conditions, even of the distribution of property.However, our present study is no more specifically concerned with this than is the film production of Western Europe"

Indeed, Walter Benjamin himself realized his discussion in the essay is based on a specific time, culture and events thats happening around him. I am not denying the thought process invested by Benjamin in producing such critical writing but perhaps such "intense outlook of Benjamin" that made me to look critically at the media phenomena and ambitious projects of modernization thats taking place in Malaysia(Oct 10, 2007-Malaysia just send the very first Malaysian astronaut to space and this event was broadcast live in the National TV).Such intense and interesting events happening in Malaysia made me to compare his writing with what I interface in Malaysia.

Reading from a Film point, I basically grew up watching Bollywood and Kollywood movies(movies made from south and North India). We get those movie easily in the Malaysian Market and also my father is a great MGR fan (a film star turned into Chief Mninister of Tamil Nadu in the latter parts in his life). As much as I like to subscribe to the ways Benjamin reads film production but I sense contrast to what I have experienced and learned by watching Indian movies. Truly I could say, Film and cinema has caused enormous change within the Indian society, even perhaps on a global scale- influencing Indian living outside India. This might be parallel to "film production of Western Europe", something that Walter Benjamin dismissed in his writing.

In the end, all that I sense is a feeling of being an ornamental cultural producer from the Eastern part of the world, a "periphery" to the center stage of the West.

10/17/07 Readings

Michel Foucault: Panopticism, from Discipline to Punish

Victor Burgin: Jenny's room:Exhibitionism and Solitude

Slavoj Zizek: Big Brother, or, The triumph of the Gaze Over the eye

Victor Burgin's article highlights a very important issue that I have been thinking. The one most obvious thing that jumped at me when I first arrived in US in 2004 was the idea of being independent and its meaning within the Western context. As I started my graduate program, all my peers were living as how Victor puts it "in a public reality". Everyone had a real life outside, living with his or her partners and working on a part time basis. The most disturbing part for me in all this is the idea of being independent, or in relation to the text, the idea of a transitory stage of a person. From being in a parental care to becoming a real independent, unique individual in search for personal identity and success amidst the society, what the author defines as "outside world".

The idea of "transitory" is derived from separating oneself from the guardian, be it in a form of parents or care taker. This is problematic because within the Asian cultural context, the idea of independent is closely related to the idea of interdependent. Meaning when an individual is ready or capable to be independent, it is then the responsibility of the individual to take care of his or her caretaker. The dependency remains but it shifts from the caretaker to the individual. It is seen as a moral obligation and ethical duty. This is clearly explain by Monika Keller in her paper titled "Reasoning about Moral Obligations and Interpersonal Responsibilities in Different Cultural Contexts" She explains in her paper "The emphasis is on obedience, indebtedness to parents and on moral correctness, not on self-fulfillment or psychological sensitivity". Indeed, this makes an individual to critically examine and reconsider one's action as it affects not only the individual but also the depending caretaker, whom he or she is in debt.

Perhaps this is what made me look at Jennifer Ringley as a western, than an artist. It appears to me as she was waiting to turn 21, to be able to turn the camera and face the consequences herself- a true prove of freedom and individuality.

10/24/07 Readings

Jesper Juul:Rules and Fiction in Half-Real: Video Games Between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds

Henry Jenkins:Game Design as Narrative Architecture

In reading the essays by Jesper Juul and Henry Jenkins, what becomes apparent to me is the idea of "Paradox". As the title of Jesper Juul's essay "Half-Real" suggest, a game design is being perceived as a juncture between the real rules of the game that determines the results of the game-play versus the actually experience of gamer being immersed in the fictional story-line of the game structure. Indeed a very contradicting situation - the real,fact versus the fantasy,fictional and yet both having its own rights and logic in understanding the aesthetic of a game design.

Interesting, even the study of game design face similar issue of "paradox". The debate between ludology and narratology. These two opposite entities of game study are closely connected with Jesper Juul's explanation of fictional and real. The ludology approach of game study is build upon the rules of a game (the real), dictated by the interactivity of computer game itself. Meanwhile the narratology approach is hinged upon the story-line construction of the game (the fictional). Both authors successfully pointed out the very core problem faced by the academicians and scholars in trying to understand game aesthetics.

The paradoxical situation is perceived as somewhat problematic by the authors as well as the game study scholars. Indeed, the objectives of the essays are in response to the rising need to underpin the study of game design, thus providing a secure, stable ground for game aesthetic within the larger construction and meaning of aesthetic itself. The acts of validating game as another form of expression.

This is where I see the problem lies. The metaphysics of aesthetic reading within the western centric study of form is somewhat monotheism in nature. The idea of seeking "one and only" solution for a problem is strongly rooted within the religious and cultural context of the western world. As an alternative to this outlook, I would draw my solutions from Hinduism - the idea of polytheism. In another word, what I am saying is the idea of "paradox" is historically rooted within the religious beliefs and construction of Hinduism. The idea of multiple and single God coexisting within a single paradox, not as opposites of each other but interdependent in nature. Paradox is the key concept for Hinduism. Perhaps the idea of paradox, drawn from the Eastern philosophy might shed some light to the problems faced by the game scholars in understanding game as a form of art practice.

10/31/07 Reading

Donna Haraway:A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Socialist Feminism in the 1980s

Thinking about feminism, I am intrigued to relate to how Malaysian view the traditional role of a woman in a society, especially within the Malay culture where "adab" which means "politeness" is essential for both man and woman. This politeness must be the 1st nature in all manners of a woman engaging with the society. The hierarchy of a woman in is based on the level of politeness. But with the current overwhelming flow of information, with the introduction of internet, live-telecast media etc has somewhat caused a shift in this notion. This reminds me of a documentary made by a close friend of mine- a very successful film maker "Liew Seng Tat". In the Malay tradition, a woman is required to wear "tudung" or skarf to cover her head. In the contemporary society, the Malay females has been given the option to wear one. This is seen as a move towards giving an equal right for the female counter part, as equal as men- in another word trying to mark the significants of modernization. The society has mixed reaction towards this issue.

On the other hand, this was indeed caused by new media, constantly bombarding the society with the western portray of a modern, working class woman- a female ready to face the challenges of the future cyber society. By producing a video documentary and talking about "tudung saji"- a device used to cover food instead of "tudung" the skarf that covers the head, my friend Liew Seng Tat has cunningly portray the conscious decision of the society to avoid (intentionally decide to be ignorance) such phase of cyber feminism although it seems as something essential for the modern "2020" Malaysia.


11/7/07 Readings

Sarah Kember: Cyberfeminism and Artificial Life

Mark C. Taylor: Engineering Complexity" from The Moment of Complexity: Emerging Network Culture

Susanna Paasonen:Surfing the Waves of Feminism: Cyberfeminism and its Others

It seems to me like the issue of gender is a huge part of New Media discussion and debate. Although I do see its important and relevance to the critical study of New Media but it seems culture specific. Perhaps its because feminism is something strongly felt in the west and didn't reach the eastern part of the world. Although I do realize it could be a mistake making such statement without prior research, but feminism was surely not felt by me, growing up in Malaysia.

Maybe perhaps its a constant struggle that the country is facing- a struggle to maintain its roots of tradition while moving forward towards achieving the status of the 1st world country. One thing that comes to my mind is an artwork that I saw in 2004 during the "Malaysian Art Now" show at National Art gallery. Female artist Fariza Azlina Isahak made this beautiful piece called "Wanita bertudung" . She had a digital print image of a traditional Malay woman sitting on utility machines such as washing machines, ironing board and etc. I wasn't able to understand the piece when I was looking at it back then but after reading these articles, it seems like what the artist was trying to convey makes sense. Indeed by looking at the work, I am reminded about the statement in Susanna's article as how she defines feminism:

"Broadly speaking, cyberfeminism stands for feminist appropriation of information and computer technology (ICT) both on a practical and theoretical level, for critical analysis and rethinking of gendered power relations related to technology"

I do see the importance of the piece now and perhaps there should be a show particularly highlighting the issue of feminism in Malaysia. Meanwhile artist Niranjan Rajah, s piece "Failure of Marchel Duchamp, Japanese fetish even!" does address the issues being discussed in the articles to some extend. It talks about the cultural constitutions of the internet media-spefically addressing the issue within the Malaysian context. Perhaps not directly, but it does talk about the issues of the cultural boundaries (feminism included) being stretched by the information technology.

2004_msian_art_fariza_wanita_bertudung.jpg

11/14/07 Readings

N. Katherine Hayles: Virtual Bodies and Flickering Signifiers

Brian Massumi: Introduction from _Parables for the Virtual

I find the difference Katherine Hayles makes by using the type writer and computer keyboard as an example as an interesting approach. It was surely easier for me to see the difference when she talks about the significant of New Media by using these two examples. Although I do agree with the difference between the two, but I do think that there are certain things in the eastern philosophy and ancient knowledge that might be able to provide some clues to help us better understand the New Media phenomena, especially dealing with self, and by self in mean both as in physical and spiritual. This is where i see Katherine Hayles differs from my opinion as she completely immersed with the physical contact of the body and not the spiritual aspect of humans.

Within the eastern philosophy and tradition, spiritual state of self is crucial for self attainment and enlightenment. I am interested as how Katherine would be able to incorporate the idea of enlightenment with her argument. According to Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary on Seven aids to enlightenment, it is stated:

"The realm of cause-awakened ones is also viewed as a condition of life, in which one perceives the transience of life in the six paths and strives to free oneself from the six paths by seeking eternal truth through one's own effort."

It is the state of awakening that one sees the external world, embodiment. In this sense the external radiates from within, with the awakening of self within, one perceives the outside world. This state of awaken is the very core of the spiritual state within the asian society and how they see themselves embodied in the world. Perhaps spiritual realm is seen as a mystical matter that cannot be justified or rationalized within the Western theories, but certainly something that must be dealt by the eastern world.

11/19/07 Readings

Iba Ndiaye Djiadji: Artistic Aggression amd Globalization: What Will remain of Africa in Unplugged: Art as the Scene of Global Conflicts

Arjun Apadurai Here and Now from Modernity at Large

Olu OguibePart III: Brave 'New World from The Culture Game

This subject is surely something that is close to my heart. I can completely relate my practice, issues and concept that I think about, regarding my work and how I see myself within the Art world. I must say that some of the issues discussed in these articles are very present, felt by me-personally. A text by Niranjan Rajah, one that inspired me is very must similar to the topic of discussion here. I will quote an important statement from the passage (written for fine art forum in 2000):

"While I can not complain personally of exclusion, I have, nevertheless, come to the conclusion that this 'International' Electronic Art community is inherently US/Euro-centric. There are impediments to the aspirations of electronic artists from developing countries. There are also obstacles in the way of electronic artists from minority communities in the developed world. Having practiced in the London art scene in the early 1990's I am aware of the issues of representation and diversity within the mainstream of art practice in the West.

While these issues are important and are part of a common struggle for equitable representation, as I argued from the floor at the extremely heated plenary of ISEA 96, the problem of representation is very different for minority practitioners from the developed world and for those of us from Asia, Africa and the rest of the developing world. What I am addressing here are the particular problems of artists practicing in developing countries.

As I recall, it was argued at the ISEA 96 plenary that nothing must be allowed to get in the way of the quality of technological and artistic engagement in ISEA. I propose here, as I did in 1996, that this is a fallacious argument. In fact, even those with rudimentary technological prowess or access (the two are of course related) can make strong electronic art. More significantly, diversity is not simply a question of equity or opportunity. Indeed, it is in itself a point of quality.

Diverse representation will enrich the electronic art community with the different political, cultural and even metaphysical perspectives and experiences it will bring. It is, therefore, as important for the international electronic art community, as it is for artists in the developing world that the complex ethical, institutional, logistical and financial problems involved in achieving diversity are addressed."

Although it is true that things have improved since this article was written, especially since ISEA 2008 is happening in Singapore, but I still sense the absence of Asian New Media artists from these conference and symposiums!...why?

11/28/07 Readings

Henri Bergson: Of the Selection of Images for Conscious Presentation. What Our Body Does in Matter and Memory

Marc Hansen: Introduction and The Affective Topology of New Media Art in New Philosophy for New Media

Jean-Francois Lyotard: Can Thought Go On Without the Body in The Inhuman

First and foremost, the articles were difficult for me to understand. I wasn't able to understand the text completely but nevertheless, I will try to respond as mush as possible. From reading both text, what I understand is the necessity of body for the perception of the external world of the mind, in simple terms. This means the body is crucial for existence and it effects the way we encounter of world. This is proved by the "affect" as how Marc Hansen talks about it. One thing that I am interested to know is rather this affect is culture specific. Hansen uses works by robert lazzarini entitled skulls to talk about the "affect" experience and how our body react to these digital manipulated sculptures.

I was just curious if the "affect" is connected with the actual object that is being manipulated. As the obejct is embedded within a certain cultural context. For example the phone booth- the phone booth is a common object being seen by a person living within the urban culture but how would a person living in the jungles of Amazon would react to the distorted shape of the phone booth? I think this can only be proved through experiments and tests.


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