one question kept spiraling in my mind -- it had to do with Gordana's speculation on audience participation/audience time and experience in interactional art works or interactive architectures that aspire to being ritual..?
>> [Gordana writes] I think that it is a necessary element that can help in overcoming the dependence on perceptual habits and mechanical clock, and bring a potential to open up body and mind for the natural, biological perception of time, speed and space that Olu beautifully elaborated. ‘Be like water, my friend’ ...... >> the active participation of the audience is the conditio sine qua non, either in ritual or in interactive installation. >. The emblematic sonic and visual language of interactive installation and the specific radiant energy generated by its body, the reversible stream between the participants and environment through interaction amalgamates participants' bodies with installation parallel to the unity of body and space in ritual. Repetitiveness of the visual and the aural elements within a changeable flow of audiovisual modules as the common structure of interactive works operates as a classical mantric, trance-inducing ritual instrument.... >> ... the impact of the installation's environment on participants' personal bio-electric system is still enigmatic....>> yes, indeed, and that was my concern about the different somatechnics; and I'd love to hear Dee comment on these issues of empathy, and also hear from the musicians and sonic artists who are joining us this week how they think about the ritual or trancing aspect of sonic immersion? Then Gordana argues: >> ... the big question is that we do not automatically empathise with others. We need to be emotionally stimulated, fully engaged. How to deal with that? Do we need some kind of initiation? And if so – what would that be? >> This is what I had asked Claudia Robles about, and Claudia has given us some good insight into how biofeedback systems might work (as self-installations // but not as performances? // as "mapping" that seems to imply "coherent" correspondences that I also often see in the research on emotion design - which, however, for me are too simplistic; (quiet sound, calm state of mind?)* regards Johannes * I experienced calm state of mind in quasi cre-leisure lying on thick carpet inside Hayward Gallery (London) last weekend, listening to / watching the triptych video installation (immersive and spectacular) of Pipilotti Rist (the piece "Lobe of the Lung," 2009, in the large exhibition PIPILOTTI RIST: EYEBALL MASSAGE. for video see: [http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk/rist]. It would take some time to evaluate the experience; the images after a while did not emotionally or affectively engage me at all, perhaps the colors of the hyper-lush rotting fruits did. What annoyed me was the repetitive chord structure of the sound, high C, A Flat, F (downward progression and then repeat), a strangely creamy minor chord that seemed to lull everyone into a stupor. _______________________________________________ empyre forum empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au http://www.subtle.net/empyre
