Art104 New Media Foundation
Saint Olaf College Spring 2010
VIRTUAL PUPPETRY IN CYBERSPACE / Conceptual Framework
Fifty years ago a person, any person, could verify his or her legal identity by the identification cards kept in wallets or purses, in the pockets of pants or coats. To present oneself to the public was rather easy since the possibilities were reduced to a few: A personal physical, real, presentation. A hand-shake or through a photograph. Business cards were a higher level of abstraction that was not universal but reserved primarily to white-collar workers. Another decisive expression of identity was the person's home address, a phone number, and for a few more well-off ones a P.O.Box.
On the other hand, to be somebody implied to have a body, a position in society, an education, a salary, and though useful but not indispensable a family history. Nobody needed to carry their phones around or be sharing the current status of their mundane daily activities all the time.
That time and space are part of the fabric of history now. Identity in cyberspace is no longer dependent upon physical objects fixed in a place. Identity is fluid and morphing all the time. We are now defined not by one but by many electronic addresses with no counterpart in real life. At least not at the personal level. Our "P.O.Boxes" are virtual now and exist in the form of a computer server somewhere in the world. We have split our identities in innumerable forms of representation namely: facebook, twitter, linkedin, myspace, delicious, yahoo, google, etc. etc. Every time we create a new electronic account to access a virtual space our identities must be reiterated silently splitting our consciousness into an ever expanding number of "I's," or "eyes" that cannot not see but can only be seen.
As a result, New Media technology and its aggressive invasion of all available spaces, challenges the notion of what is perceived as real. This is particularly true in identity construction in social networks where we trust what we see while in reality nobody could be 100% experienced as real.
VIRTUAL PUPPETRY IN CYBERSPACE / RUBRIC
Project Goals:
No Body 2.0, or Virtual Puppets in cyberspace, is a conceptual academic project designed to provide:
a) An adequate set of skills and techniques to achieve a fair command in image digital manipulation using Abode® Photoshop® CS4®.
b) A theoretical framework to analyze the role of New Media technology in the construction of what is perceived as "truth" in a media-driven contemporary society.
c) The space to apply these concepts as first-hand experience in the real world of cyberspace.
d) To explore what could arguably be,
according to contemporary theorist on virtual reality, web 3.0 found in
the virtual platform of Second Life®.
e) To learn through Scholarly Play by constructing an imaginary space theorized as a Virtual Puppet Theater.
f) To challenge preconceptions about the construction of identity in cyberspace and more importantly to question the definition of Reality in Hyper Media.
g) To document the entire process of construction while providing critical commentary every step of the way until the realization of the project.
h) To explore the intersections between media. Particularly the use of text and image, and text as image.
i) to become aware of the role of interpretation as a fundamental tool for effective art-making
Process and Methodology:
PHASE ONE
STEP ONE
This academic exercise is about playing with New Media tools to construct a virtual character based in the the digital amalgamation of all the students attending this course. This will be achieved by merging parts of portraits taken during class time to digitally generate a character that has no body but is defined initially by a mugshot. The resulting character must be an individual and he/she must not resemble its creators. The constructed character must be accompanied by the construction of a short fiction narrative that describes the character's life in a inventive and convincing way. This short fiction narrative will provide the required information to characterize this digital construct and to propel it into Cyberspace.
Create an EMAIL account for your character followed by a FACEBOOK page for him/her. As you construct this digital puppet/virtual character by entering the information on the interface's profile page make sure it relates to your previously written short fiction in someway.
STEP TWO
Please hit "compose" and select "New Page". This New page will be the documentation of the construction of your character. You have to begin by creating a description of the construction of your character so far. Please include ( in this order)
1. At least three images showing the process of construction of your character. with a brief description of the reasons that pushed you into selecting a gender and the foundation photograph.
2. A rationale that explains the origin of the name and the intention behind it.
3. A photograph of your final "visual puppet" with its original background followed by the same photograph with a chosen (meaningful) background to create a particular context to support his/her narrative; and a third final photograph of the previous photo but in black and white.
4. A short fiction that constructs your character followed by the facebook photo of his/her current page (screen capture.) Include some initial commentaries about the first reactions of people as you being to use your puppet while considering (for the time being) Facebook as a puppet theater, and your facebook friends as your audience.
STEP THREE.
1) Keep a continuous feeding of content and information in your Facebook page. Whenever you think something worth of documenting takes place visit your personal page -within the blog- and write about it on your page by editing it (you won't be able to create a new entry in your personal page but only to edit the existing one)
2) Go to Second Life, register -NOT UNDER YOUR NAME- your character and create a body, a virtual body- that provides virtual flesh and bone to your imaginary construct.
3) THIS TRANSITION IS CRUCIAL. At this point regardless of your previous construct, your character WILL DECIDE to become an artist. A cyber-artist for the lack of a better description. This sudden transformation will help us move the "fantasy/fiction/show" in Facebook from a potential lie to an academic exercise once disclosed. Your character will become an artist inspired by/or based on the story we've been listening over and over during the semester: Robert Munsch's Purple Green and Yellow story and also by RENT, the musical.
4) Go to www.yola.com and create a website for your character. The Website should present some of the work that your character has created as a new media artist. His/her pieces (as many as you think necessary) must be re-appropriations of Imagery available under the realm of PUBLIC DOMAIN. Another possibility is to search for images available under the Creative Commons license (discussed during class time)
5) Once your yola website is ready, please post it in your character's facebook's wall requesting feedback on it (Additionally, email me the link to it) and add the link to your documentation of the corresponding project blog.
DUE DATE FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE: WEDNESDAY MAY THE 12TH MIDNIGHT.
STEP FOUR.
1) During Thursday MAY 13th, post an announcement in your Facebook's wall about your character not being a real person. Include a link to
http://olaf-new-media.typepad.com/no_body_spring_2010/
2) By May 17th midnight, you MUST ERASE YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE. Your character will cease to be part of this social network UNLESS you send me an email requesting to continue with its research/development
PHASE TWO
1) Compose a new or choose an already constructed digital image that best describes your character.
Load it to your digital frame.
2) REFLECT UPON THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: How did the experience of completing this academic exercise change your perception about cyberspace? Facebook? Second Life? The construction of reality in Media? The influence of technology in art making as you experienced it?
Write a short paper to answer them and convert your responding text into an audio by reading your answer. The resulting audio file must be uploaded on your digital frame. Be as concise as you choose to be or expand to the infinite and beyond; your call. Your voice should reflect on the questions including commentary on how you felt, what your thoughts more information came into the picture. Perhaps talking about your feelings, emotions, reservations, in relationship with the project itself, on cyberspace, on the fragility of the construction of our digital personae.
3) Transform your written statement into an mp3 audio file using suite A inside DC100, or use your own space, computer, technology.
4) Uploaded it into your digital frame.
5) Deliver your digital frame on Exam day. They will be returned to you sometime in the first weeks of the Fall term after a public display somewhere in campus.
VIRTUAL PUPPETRY IN CYBERSPACE / TIMETABLE
Wednesday, May 5th.Class-Experience in Second Life environment.
1) Look for and befriend Ole Giordano, our New Media class liaison.
2) Expect an email at about 8:15 with indications on where to meet.
3) You may or may not show up to DC100 (body-wise) for that part of the class but your character's avatar must be available in Second Life. The advantage of DC100 is a faster network/computer.
4) If you choose to show up to DC100, please turn up the volume of your computer speakers and activate the chat with voice feature.
5) We'll hang around for about an hour. Right after that you are expected to email me fresh feedback about your thoughts involving this short experience and a brief idea on how you plan to integrate Second Life in the construction of your character/virtual puppet (research component).
Friday, May the 7thDC100. We'll talk about the concept of Avatars and how they had been constructed in several films. We'll watch excerpts of those films and talk about the intersections between the virtual world and the real one and the role of Art and New Media in those intersections.
Monday May the 10thMovie day: RENT
Please indicate your choice of date by filling out this form CLICK HERE
This is the very last piece of the puzzle to construct your audio-answer-file later on.
Wednesday, May the 12thDC100. Project development. Second Life Research.
Friday, May the 14thDC100. Project development. Facebook Research.
Monday, May the 17thDC100. Project development. BY MIDNIGHT ERASE YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE (unless you email me a request not to do it)
Saturday, May the 22ndExamination day: From 9am to 1pm (with a break if need be)
Deliver YOUR DIGITAL FRAME WITH IMAGE(S) AND AUDIO FILE. Please make sure it works and somehow identify your digital frame by writing your name on the back of it.
There will be an exam. The exam will consist of an in-class exercise of digital imaging using Photoshop and digital cameras; to generate the content necessary to construct your personal website using Yola.com. BRING YOUR DIGITAL CAMERAS and transferring cables. A more detailed explanation of this exam will be delivered that day. There's nothing to worry about, there will only be application of techniques and knowledge acquired during the semester.
Please do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions or suggestions that you think may enhance this last section of our semester.
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