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Getting In Touch: Marshall McLuhan, Augmenting the Human, and the Haptic
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t1B
PRIMAYERA"VERANO 2OtO

PUBLICACI6N DEI- POSGRADO EN COMUNICACI6N

UNIVERSIDAD IBEROAMERICANA

Prcgentad6n

Semi6ti(a de la histofia. Historia de lo5 sktemasremidti(ot

ljna (onrtru(d6n remi6tica de la hkto a: el lugar de lor maqinadot

en lo5 festgor del @ntenado de la indapendenda

(onmem0laddn e imagen: una renexi6n del (entenario de la independencia

[xporidonery desfilesi reprerentacioner neo azte(ar y rercadoner hist6dcas

de lo mexi(.noen 1389 y l9l9

Retlexioneg te6d(a9 pah la fomulacidn de una rerridtiro de lo aultwo en to''|to

a la obra de l. M, lotman

G.fting in lo!t.h: MoRholl Mcluhon, Augnenting the Hunon 0nd the ltoptk khte

ZA\
UNIVERSIDAD
ilililtI
IBEROAMERICANA
Getting In Touch:
M ars h all M c Luh an, Augmenting
the Human and TIte Haptic Sense

Carolvn Cuertin

97
Cadi !-nris las iorerlises de las computadorls nos permiren Lrn
acccso directo r ftx darx dc la nisnrc mauera qut nucstroscucrpos
lurciomn corb iftcrfNses con el nundo. Los "modcs v,n pm lr
conpuLr<lora io que los senri,losson ! nucstrccuerpos. Firis inter
fices rransprren$ implicar una tomr dc corcicocia sol,re nnesro
senrido "hipLi.o" eD h m.dida qk enrpczrmos i inrcacd'rlr or cl
trdo sobr objenx y io y. ml,re prntallas nnicamenrc. Ll r/%azr y
.l ,/r/son 16 rntis rbi.uc de esta ruea gr-a tlc tecr"l.'girs, pero
iftdlicesdc realklid aunrcntida nrreficesquc m€?'clin sLr c{tdigo
cob nu$r. pcrepci6tr del nrndo rol- sc rpeta aconr<rrircen la
grun rovcdid. Usrndo trcs inrc#:.cs cLe esLC tipo (.titlr.t,J4 S)ltqsl
y h /-/rea) .omo.jemplc. csrcarticulo explor:rci elpen$miento
de Marhrll Mcl.rhan paLa errender las implicacioncs de uso dcl
knrido ijcrilrn nustis roles com,lo consuntiJorcs;; ffodorcs
de nrc.lios d. .onuicicl6! y coft) ac$res dc y er cl €spicio dc

l'a hbtu! tu,. 1 c.nokig;t tictil, irr€rft scs, SixtbSensc, McLuhin

ln, our .ornpu,cr inr('fr.(' r'c wirhcrr'r' r\vrv gi\c

'ci\inely 'o ',,
di,ec( r.ers to d.ti lvay thar our bodi$ in(crfJc rith
nr d1c sde dt
world. Modcsare ro thecompurcrwharsctrsc a( to ourl,odics,.nd
dnsc Lrunsplrenr interticcs arerwrkcnilg ur to a new awrrr:oess ol
ourhrpricscdk is k
begio !' inrcrface wnh druon . u.tilc planc.
The i|ho.e ird
c iPrd arc dre mst ubiqunous ofthis new rungc
of tec[nologies, but augrncntcd mlirr ir*erfrccs-nrterhccs thrt
interweave code inro oufperceptions ofthe rerlworlcl-:rc poised
 Rrv6r l3!to,Lv,rdlN^,)r (bM,JN(r.(tN

!o tre.o!k' rhe ncrr bjg dr irg. Ll ing drkc strch if rerPrccs t5-^t J.,ja
Sli"ttilna k! Lib,'r).s exihplcs. this pifei sill cxfldc rhe
tltinking ofNlrrshall Mcluhan b undesmnd rhe nrUicrtiorN of
Lrctile engrgencrt on ru roles rs comrners and crertors olncdja,
rrrd l p.rformcn olrnJ rv l',nitrfo,mJriorsp.rc.
lG_r, iaor* TacLllc recllnology, lnr. ;ces, Sixrhseosc, Nl.Luh.n

98

arshall McL han mainrained rhat the contenr of one nl€dium \\,as
always anorh€r mcdium. lhe meclia themselves rhcrcb)' bccame
the mcssagc or, as hc later quippcd, rhe mcdiurn also became the zar,
rrgc, an imnlcrsive cnvironmcnt or cataloguc of ellicts on drc human
body. As extenshns ofthe human sensorium, the'nrcdia rvork us over
colnplercl/' .lnd imm€rsc us in thc acousric space ofrhe globalvillagc, a
spacc ofsinultaneous h.ippcnings (1967,63). As a rcsuh. rouch becomc's
otll irtcrl:cc for the scnses in Mcluhan's electric ege. He says,

Outle,yword gLrsp' or 'rpprehc nsjon' poin $ tu (he p.occss ofgr ingirone

thnrg through anorhea ofhandlirg and scDsing trr.nl facers ar a rime dnn$h
mrLc tban onc sense at r time. L tregins ro be evidcrr rhrr'touch is not rhe

lRIc/ No. r8 / I)rnnav{ryera.. rorol

 (l('MriN,c\(:(',\

rhcinr.rph),oltbescnsd,,Dd keepirrg in rouch or'gerring in ru'cL

skiD, L'trr
isr rrtlcr ofthc firLirfirl nreeilrg of rhc sen$, of5igl,r i,.nsl:rcd iDro nnrD.t
ind n nd ino Drovem.dt, ind usc i d sncll (19('4: 89)

Any rcchnolop5ies thar cxtenrl tlre hand Mcluhan secs as bcing syo-
onynous with touch (1964: 158)1 and rhc new insrrntancous clcclric
technoloeics rhar are born of thc fragmcnratio[ that came wirh rhe
priDring press and i$ clesccndNn$ specd up tire worlcl so nruch rhat
thcy l>lul the boundaries bccween the rcnses. Mcl,uharr argued drat " B;.
irnposing onvisualizablc r€larionships..., clccric technology dethLoncs
the visualsclse and resrorqs r$ ro rhc dominion ofsynaesrhcsi:r, and rhc
close inrcrinvolvemcnt ofrhc othcL senscs" (1964r I52). lr is in rhis vcry
interplay that the visual ir unssrrcd and a comningling ofthe scnses can
once again inlornr our interaction with our cnvirl)nment. Thc clectrooic
*al
tredia provoke what Mcluhan r:rlls ourering" an<l "an urtering of
our senscs in our embodicd engagerncrr with Lhc wo d. ftcquently
and enoncously routed as a rncdiunr rh.rt fbsters disenrbodiment, rhe
d:giml s,'rld\ r.:rl unirlre r*: i.' in rlrr wri ,r irtro,Fo,Jrrs s. ,n.rlrt
senscs, othcr mcdir and rnodalitics within itself. This is shy Alan Kry,
thc designer of the Gr.rph;c User lnterfice, dubtred thc conryrrter thc
fir*'metanulinm."Kty sccs rhc fluidiry oftligiral medir as nn)rc cl{,scly
resembling a language than a machinc. Thc cornputer is a mcdirLm that
crn dynamically simulate thc details of any othcr mcdiurn, including
mcdia that cannot cxist ph1'sicallv. It is not a tool, although it can act
like rrany rrrcls. L...l lllt has dcgrees olftecdon t''or reprcsentarion arrcl
exprcssion ner.er bcforc cncorrrrrerc<|..." (Kar., 1984). I)crhaps thc Iirsr
to scc thc firll potcutialofthis new rcchnologyr, when Kay dcsigncd thc

'In thh oiien quoted tx$ngc, Mcl-!hrn irnrouslrsiid:

\!'.r\inkol'ncdii p.in(if, lyas n,edir ofommrriotnlr: prd(, ndio, r(lcnid,.
Mcl-uhrn rl,oushr ola nrediun is in ex(cnsiDn olrl,( hudrn bodv or Lhr miid:
doihi.sext..d5skin. housi,,gextends thc,r,odlli hcrt regulrting me.hirisd. nr
stir.up, tl'. hi.v(le, rnd tlt cr. lrc rll exr.nsnms ol dr hunuo r-@r (Godon,
Criti.rl l,trhdf(ri{n, ro U,1c Nd ndil4 Mdtu tiv).
I If w( di{otrni l,iblioghphcr l l ()rlcri proph(ric }ision n, rhe l9l0s wh.G hc
Rlvrsa^ IRHoaL'ENcaNn DE CoMrJNrcAcroN

desktop inrerhcc rvith its revolurionary concept oflayered windo*s hc

actively soughr to cnlist the senses rhrough the click of r mouse rhar
collapses modaliries in this case metaphor, acrion and mcaning-into
a deceprivcly simple state ofmodclessness.
More reccnt app liances like the iPhone a nd especi.rlly the iPad iircral-
gesture as an irtujtivc modewithin rheir inrcrficcs. Augmented realiry
i7.c

thc laycring ofvisible dara ovcr our perl3prion of rhc rtal world, is the
ncyr srcp oward maki[g thc computer interface disappcar altogether-
Erasing modalities privileges altcrcd subjective experienc€ and fos
ters an increased scnsory engagement on our part, for this mera-srar€
ofmode-lessness is what wc call synaesthesia. "Litcrally, the word svn-
esthesis mcans 'joined sensariorii.... Synesthesia is a condirion where
the perception olan external object ol cxpelience, triggers a perceptual
cxperienceinadditional scnsorymoddiries." (Parcrson). Ourperception
is dcpendent on our scrrscs and we engage wirh rhc wollcl through our
own multimodal interface: our bodics. Touch is our inrerhcc drh rhe
world, orrvhat Mcluhan called tommon se"se'and the 'meerilg-placc
ofthe senses" (1964, 89). The arrival ofnerv intcrhccs, like mobile aug'
nrcnted reality rpplicatio ns, andvirtLLJ mobile inrerfaccs likc Patti Maes
and Planav Mistrv'.s SicllSrnsaand Chris Flarrisol's Slllzpar rctuln us to
embodicd space in profbund ways. Firsr rhough, an explorarior ofhow
digital technologics havc altered our conceprion and use ofpublic and
pdvatc space will help clarifr how our senses ofborh nrcctirrg place and
rouch havc been irremediably alcc'cd.

l)uBLlc vERsus PruvATr,,

MaLshall Mcluhan died rycar bcfoic thc invention ofrhe 6rsr perconal
computer,1-et rnuch ofwhat he hLrd ro sav is as rclevant to electronic cul-

mrclind and a vrt di8ital library in in cm when the indd

| .isrhesis = to p.rccil.d.
 CoMUNrc^cro\

ture as it was tu d1e elcctric (rnd people likcAlan Kav have wrirren:rbout
how inffucntial Mcluhan rvrs on rlreir $inking). One of Mcl.uhurt
carrlinallaws is ftara'hcw mcdiurn docs not displace orreplacc anothcr
so nruch::s corrplicrtcs its opcrarion" and obscLLres I mcdiLrm's efrict
(Gorlon xv). J.rv BolrcL and Richard Gllin call this proccss rcnrediation-
V/ithout a doubr thcrvolld has changed dramarically in rire irrtervcning
decades since N4cl.uh.rn's deadr, but his larvs holl:rnd mrny ofhir predic
tions have come rrue. Ve cannor k,row wlrat h( would make ofrhings
as divcLse as re.rliry telcvision and real rimc, but he did sce telcvision as
a cool, par.riciparory mcdiur rhrt cxtended orLr sclse of touch (1964:
443). Tclcvision has now heated up and ir is Intcrnet, compuring and
mobilc technoiogies in oLLr lives rh.rr are cool.
Some ofthc ne*, media for insnnce erodilg rhe vcry norions of
arc
publicand privare in our rcchnological agc. In "Blogging lhoughrs" lbrill
Molrenscn rnd Jill Valkcr idcrti! rhe l8rh cenrLrry saloD as somcrhing
thar "cxisted ol dre borderline betwcen rhc privatc and dre public; ir was
situarcd in privarc hornes. but part ofrhe pLrblic sphcre bcing rhe sirc of
rhe pcrformance that was thc salon-expcLience" (257). Similarly, rhey
sa1-, rhe popular firrm ofneb rrotation, blogs, which unire corTversation

with thc clarity ofprint,

nxnd whffe thc st on did bctwe.n privxi€ rnd publjc. A bl(s is w.irrcn ry rn
indiridud and cxp,esscs rhc afti[de and couvi.rion ofib wrireri ir h sfficrlr
sLrbje(ivc though nor rec.ssarily intim.rre. lhi\docsoisrop ir iroh bciigin the
prblic donatu, rnd bcing coi cched .bour quesrionr which ik in rhe dontai!
olpublic authorio. Eech ildn idml cl, us. weblogs is h€ or slk iecls fit, drse
is !o tvriDnr of ic\"s lahes io d€cidc whaL is {orth writins rborr o., as rhe
tcrm ls: what is worth blogglng (258).

'lhe implications ofthe ncrv uscr-gcneratcd mcdia are cnormous, nor

ju$ for our consumprjon h.tbirs, llur in rcrms of everyrhing from po,
etry to politics to pcdato61,. lhis pcrsonal rcvolLrtion inclLLdcs rhe likes
ofblogs, podcrsdng, wcarable computing, sociai rnedia likc facebook,
googlc rn.rps, alld wikis, and augmentcd-re:rliry,capablc nrobiie interlaccs
llE\rsri lBrRo^M rr( rE (irNfli\r(i,\cro\
^NA

as the hxrbingers ofrhc larcst wave ofchaDgc callcd V'eb 2.0. Renrixes,
nrash ups, and data visrraliaet io n arc sorne of rhe mosr rcll ing hallnarks
ofho*'wc arr now rnediated ir cvcry aspecr ofour lives. Thc \(cb and
the Internet havc consistentlv eroded rhc gap bcrween publicand plivatc
space, lor rherc is no notion of'public and priv,rrc crn the net.rt all. lt is
all simultaneously public and plivate. It is a rew kind ofglobal vilhge
rhar gocs bcyonrl Mcllfian's conccprion ofthat space.
The conccpr and pracricc ofprivare spacc was born with rhe prinrcd
book. Prior to public cducariuu ancl widesprercl lircracl,, all reeding was
not simplv visil>le as an ixrcnsiorr ofthe eye. as Mcluhar argrrcs, but
it was also crrllcctively visible: donc in public and.rloud. As rhc book
became m aliordablc comrnoditv, ho*evcr, rcaclinlr*,as trarslared inro
x private, silellt Acr.
ln rhc sanrc way drat noise was born ofthe rechno-
logical age, so silence and privatc space bloomec{ Lrehind thc innovarion
ofglass rvindows. R. Mrrrrav Schafil says:

Thc glud windo* ws an nNaDtioo of grar i'nFrbn.c fi)r rhceundscapc.

&xdnrgcxtchilcven$ in rn un nrr unl phen ro*likr 'silen.e- Thednninurion
ofsound uinsmksion, while not innredhtc and oL:curring onlv g.r.Luilly wi(h
dre thickcrirg ofglazing,,mr only crexted rhc rorio| of a herc'aDd0 d)ed
ora brlord. bur also inr.oduced a tission ofrhc sciscs (212).

Vhcn thcre were no windows to close, rhe conlntrnir) $?s invired in

ro lisrcl; irwas private s€nsory spxccwirh irs glass l;arriers rhat cteatcd a
neecl lorsilcncc and privacy lhis is ofcoursc a Mcl.uhanesque mec{iated
environrnent. Dcl jck dc Kcrckhove argres rhar books crcarcd rhc sense
of public and private spacc in tcrms of d)nsrrucrs of rhe self' as well
(1995,206). lhe interior wolld houscd our 'private' self and our'in
nermosr droughrs aod privileget{ subjective and inrrospective rhotLghts,
slicing orLr senscs up inro scpararc units. The eJ<elnalized orpublic nrec{ia,
horvever radio and relevision, lilm, the Inrernet and rhe Vorld Vidc
Vcb allow us to participare io a kind of"collcctive imaginarion and
collecrivc thinking" (20(r) while simulraneorrsly mcrging our senses il
private sprce. Vc har-c a ncw awlrr€oess now in thc llbrmation Age of
 (hn(rNrc^cr6N

how the privatc inforrrrs rhcpublic and vice vcrsai (hev do nor overwrirc
,,.h orl-.'. hl lnnn,r di;le. r i..rl rj. r ion.l-rp.
An is the 6rst h,rrbinger ofrhis massive charrge and, as Susan Sontag
noted, "'Ite basic unir ofconrcnporaru arr is not rhc idea, but the ex,
tension ofsensations." Thc nature ofarrhas cle y changed in dramatic
rvays-nruch we hrrvc wiLh drc aclrent ofdigitizdtion. ArL And $-c
as
ourselvcs have tlcen Lcmediated by technology. Thc ficr that infbrma-
tion lus also been rcvolutionizrd jusras<lramaric:rllv issornething drar is
hrrclcr ro see or grasp rhc implicetions of Vhcrc irr has seciriD€lly losr
irs rrrterialityir rxnsirion, bccoming sur{icc-based (image fixatcd)
dris
and nrcrc and morc infbrrlarion:rl, illormarion hrs acquired rrcarring,
shapc, depth, oricntarion and aesthsricizcd forrn, bc.comine morc and
motc.rr'li\( lrr rhnrr, inlbnnrti,rn hisberomc.rn errvi urrrncnt.

Mrr^PrroR & SYNAnsrHrsr^

Mccaphor is profoundlv significant in rhis mix. Our computcl desktop

is a nreraphorwhere wc work with 'files,' 'dc,cumcnrs,' and a irash can.'
1he irrrcrface is a nrcraphorical lcairrr rhat cloes rnore than pertirnr our
gesturcs.Ii also rransla.es us so thet wecllbrdessly cnrcrinro.r synacsthe-
sicpcrceptual srare. 'All mcdia', says Mcl-uhar. "arc active mcraphors in
dre powcrto tr rslxrc cxperience inronewforns" (19(>4:57), trLrt notall
nedia arc createrJ cc1u.rl. Ilcompurcrs are pclcepu:,rl systcms, rhcrr thcy
r. riv.ly enli' m.r:rphnr ro.rg.rge,'.r . crrivc rr r(. or ro rJ'iv.rr( ou,
crcarive response. Metaphor,like synacsdresia, is a milgling ofrnodali-
ties. Likcqise, rr ultimcdia in parricular with its inherent pcrfornrative
gesturc, sceks to join rnetaphor', action and meaning inro a perft)rmcr
or intcractor'.s subjccrive expcri€nce, rhcrcby tr.rnstilming drem in the
process. As a multimedia pcrfornrer, wc are lewly aware ofourcnrbodied
sel,es inhabiring a simr:lation. Vhcn our senscs are rotall]' cDgaged like
never bcfore, we hnvc not just rn imrnersivc experiencc, bur a mcta
synacsthetic onc as well. rvc bcconrc sensitized to our senses'inrcrac-
rions and horv they functiont w€ arc rransported bac.k nrro a rcalm of
RLg6rn lrri<t^MEUcrNl oE CoM!\!c^cr{i\

roral inrnrcrsion wherc augnlerrcd rcalides, toLrch intcr'fices and virtunl

spaccs trrruble our sensory bounda.i.s ard hcighten orrr awarencxs of
the world rround us.
Jean Ilaudrillard sees drcsc changcs a.r evidcnce o[ drc 'hyperrcal',
a loss of thc distinction benvccn the virtu:rl (or ardlicial) and the real
crearcrl by rhc cncroachmcnts of rhc media orr our daily lives. Vc also
rnight scc thern as cvidencc of rhe rncdiations ofthe irctropolis'-the
inlomrirriorral envclope that surrounds us and mcdiates our pcrceptions
ofthe real and the virtual wodds-.riternrg rcaliq likc art allaround us.
Baudrillard savs:

Al:smctnn todav ir no longer thrL ofrhe n,ap. the &,ubLc, thc nriror or dre
@nccpr. Snnolarion is no longcr thar of a tcrrho.!', a r€lircnrirl b€idg or .
s bsr.n.c. ft is rhe gencnrion hy nodck ofa rcrl*itbout otigin or rerlny: r
hypcrcal.lhe rcrrirrLy ro longer preccdcs thc n:rp, nor survivcs it. Hencefonh,
iris rhc nap d rpreced€s rhc re nory pnE(:rssroN or srvur-,rcRA-n is rlrc
map rh:rr engendcrs the terrirory ()riginal emphrsis; 198:], 2).

Thc mec{i.r arts do not crcxte or commuricatc the rerl, I'laudrillard rr-
gres, brrt instead give us only simulacrar, simularions wirhout origirals-
The;,revcl in rhe crc:rtion ofspcctade and re.rlisric cffects for Hollywootl
blockbustcrs, at onc cnd ofthc scale, and at the odrcr scek to docurnent
evcn$ in'rcal rime', o, to creatc'rcaliryTV', or rendcr the real-as in
rhe ulrimate spccracle of rhc bom bir.g and collapse of rhc twin to\rcrs of
the Vorld Tiade Ccnter-into dre apparent arriliciality ofsimularion.
'lhis is a sign ofour times in a new rnedia age whcn nediated reality
secms morc rcal rhan the irnperfictions ofrhc real playcd live.
Baudrillardt hypereal is a visuAlcvenr connccringour visual perccp-
tions to rhe public and privare wa1's in which wc shape and rcmembcr
rcalitv. 'lhis sense ofthe h1'pcrrcal is a statc of mediatcd Lrrtificc, realer
than re. , frrsine simulation and rcality into r nerv dimension drat is
iccornpanied by the loss of marerial objects as rhey arc mcdiated into
dataobjccts in acsihcriciz€d inf;r adon oetworks. Hyperrealiw is lnedi
ated realiry: it is rhc m.rtrl,r ofclcctronic spaces as much as othcr media
 CoMU\..'c^c,oN

(Badrillard, I983: I25). Thcse networks further crodc thc real, rcsultnrg
in a loss ofputrlic and prirate space. lhc public and privrre disappear
in vilrual spacc lusr as rhc shifting ofrhe arris! aod (hr browsc!
'oles
and rhe workofarr and its irrteractor call into quesdon "the site of!rt"
nself(Virilio, 2000: I30).l cluhan said that cnviron menrs rerc always
elusivc: (hey "xrc invisible. drcir ground rulcs, pcrvasivc structure and
overall pattcrns elude casy perceprion' (Massagc, 84-85).

Movrvr^_-t

No mattcr how hard a brows€r rries, she cmnot reduce this new digiral
medium to the three-dimcnsionality of prinr-lor should shc want to.
Thc infbrmational conrent has been trxnsformcd ilto anew crpcriencc.
McLuhan nrairrmirrct thxr '€nvironmcn$ arc not passivc wrappinss bur
acrivc processesr (1964: 12). \7hat we rake away from rhe browsing of
alr onlin€ work in rhc ncw clecrronic cnvironmcnt rhet is rhe \{orld
Vide Veb is notprimarily information, Frct ol sory; what wc t.rke rw.ry
from the texrually unfolding event is our embodied pcrfonnance and
emotional rcsponsc. It is dynamic subtext and context dr pm?liocePtiw
etpqiences tl:;.. ernctgclt properties ofou r b rowsirr g. Proprioccption
^re
is rhe abiliry to fecl our body boundarics, and to sense the movemcnt,
location. and orienrarion ofall our l:ody p.rns.
The now familiar hypcrlinked, online tcxt is not so much anrlin-
lbrmarion as it is oursidc of this classificarion altogethcr Mthout a
hicrarchy, we as readers must bodily explore rexrual spaces in ordcr to
decidc what is imporrant. Howevcr, rhe rcal information in rhe web-na-
dve tcxr-as in rhe glow from rhc ligh$ulb-is thc performance of the
structural cxperience thar our movcmcnr drrough these r.irtual spaces
entails. The link makes the parh ofour reading visible through orir im-
mcrcion ilr the experien tial herc -.rnd now Linking is xlways a subjccrive
movcment and a visual (Lrn)foldingofour dynamic statc ofcmbodirnent.
Embodied, marerial, infbrmatiolal and cmcrgent, clectronic spaces
fbrm:r "distributcd cognitivc systern' (Ha/es, I999: 290). As a browser
Rrv6r^ IBER|^MERTCAN^ DE CoMUN,.ic(tN

movcs rhrouth virtualiv (both onlinc ald in reLrl, augmentcd space),

her pcrspcctivc ald point ofview .lre consranrly in flux as shc trics on
and discards new posirions, all ofwhich are infoLrled by hcr past public
and private histories, brckground,life expericnce and previous rcadings
ofthis sire and orhers. 'Ihis nervcxpcielce can arise out ofa browser's
navigadon because "technologies [are] beginlnnrgl to perform the firnc-
don ofart in making us awrrre ofrhe psychic and social c-onscqucnces of
tech nology" (Mc l-uhan, I 964: I 4) ald bccausc, to r efel back to So ntag,
rheir p-im.rry , on.err i' rh. .rrcrr.ion oftn'.r'iorr.
The hyperlink, like all locadvc mcdia (that is, mcdia tied to a real
location in real spacc), is irn acti a gesture, a subjcctivity, and an evcnt
sirunted in space-timc. Thc hypcrlink is always a|cady a pcrform,rncc.
tu Pcggv Phalcn says, "perf;rrnance keeps onc anchor on rhe side of
the corporcal (the body ll.eAi) and orc oir rhe side ofthe psychic Rcal.
Pcrlormancc boldly and precariously dcclarcs rhat Bcing is performcd
(and made rcmporarily visible) in rhat suspendcd in-bet*,een" (Phalen,
167), Perfrrrmancc Qrr her is a tighuope walk be$vcen the tllo twists
oftransformarive embodiment. This concept of the gap in arricuhriois
ofperforrnance and gcndcr is one raken up by rrany fcminist thcorists.
For feminist rheorisr Donua Ha raway we m ust struggle across the dir,id-
ing line bct*'ccn thc illicit couplings of bodies and rnechines. Al<in to
Mcluhan's belicfin the infixrnatior age as adiscursive revolrrtion, Sandy
Srone roo sees thc cybcrsparial citizen as a phl.sical, culrural body yokcd
rvirh aviltual, discursivc hody (40). For pcrt'irmancc rheorist Sue-Ellen
Casc, the body is thc pelformcrt interface with the social dimcnsion of
social spacc. Live pcrformancr creates a communir,v and connccrions
in social space (Ca-se,1i l), bur the perfonnance of thc subject in the
spaccs of the hyperlinkcd rextcarrses a cxcade ofspiraling subjectivities
as a social nerwork that we gcnerate and inhabit by and fix ourselves.
'I1re body is thercby lrighlightcd once again as thc sensory interface for

our indmrrc conversarions wirh public and private space in thc new
media.
ENyIRoN M ENTs

;\s active processcs, locAtive mcdir, c-vlxrspacc and rhe vinual spaccs
of nov nrcdia environmL'rrts invcft dre rclatiorrship of thc browser ro
infirrmarion bv irrrncLsing rhe brorvscr bodr in auglreored. infnrma-
iitrrr sprcc (Novrk, 226). Ihe fluid body of dre browscr il circrLlariou
is palt ofa social matrix or a global viil.rgc. Meclia attisrs arc &equendy
intcrcsted in geognphic spccificit_r'. Thc ethercd narure of cybcrspacc
demands nerv sofovalc appLorchcs: locarive media, augmenrcd reality
and situated software. t'!y 2012, thcre lvill 197,000,000 a B'nenr€d
rcalio' caprble snrartphones in Lrsc worldwide', flre ncxt big thing rvill
be hvbrnl-media and hyirrid-intcrfaccs rhat inreract wirh rcal space
in real rime. l,ocative mcclia enaLrle the tagging oftbings, spaces and
phces; geographically-infbrmcd gamesr rcal tinre social nerrvorking;
opportunirics ro shape, organize and aurhor physical cnvilonmcnrs; thc
crearion o f (psycho) gcogra phies; and rhc gencrxtior o f locario n-.r!var.e,
rnash.rblc d:rra.'Ilcsc new mobile tcchnologies are altcring rnorc than
ar.j thcy arc alt€r ing how we pc|ceivc dre world, Likewise, in rhc cligir:rl
re.rlm web-nat'r,c qtrks takc a social. cmbodied and proprioceptivc
linrr. Thc lomadic iinh fir bodics thnr can torch between rrromcnrs
inscns imnr((lia(y, irrsrrnr rrrr:Js. Jirerrion, rrrrns|orr,rrion. rrnmer-
sion and associational cohesion into $c navigarion of thc fonu, and
so brorvsing actrrally sparializes any cvbcrspatial text we surf, tndorving
it with dyn.rmic texmre. Ir invitcs thc browser in as an ncrivc clemcnr,
blurring drc assumcd boundarics knreen inrer:rcror and .lurhor, rv.herc
she (rc)consrructs rhe tcxt !hroLrgh rhe choices rrade in her navigational
gesures and choices. 'lhe ncw mcdia arc roored in a continuous prescnt
ofrhe irmnediacy oiour visual ard navigrrionrl choiccs and doublings
bac[, p rivilcgnrg s Lr bjectivi ties, pol)Toc.rli!y an(l nLptures in spacc timc.
It is rhe privileging ofa matrix ofassociarional leaps betwren words or.

-nrc
'Du lt. GxuD((, Jofin. vb.ld js lhc Desklop: Mobile r\lgo,otrcd Rcaliry"
(iisronrpro. (l)cc ?009): p?
REvNrr IB*onN!,R.,\NA Dr Co!,,Nx:AcroN

imases or orher scnsory srimuli. As a sparial .rnd rcmpord srnrcrure,

rhc clccrronjc rea[u cnbodies scnnxrus lluidity in spacc and time as a
dvrr.rnri. rnedi,rr r[.rr i.1rr.'e..r.rll1 r' -n"r'or.
Tivo neu embodied inrcrirce protorypes SixtbSense ard Skin-
pzr crn actullv allorv rsl rimc inreracrion rvith infirmation in real
spacc. P.rtri Macs .rnd I'ranav Misrrv's .9lxrl Jrrrz seeks to crele a ncw
svnrax frrr dre body. This opens rhc door to irrvcstigaLe in a oewborn
coltexrwhat it rnqrns to bea prlt ofdre inforlrarion cDvironnlcnta.\ rhe
screen disappean anclanvsurlacc c.rn become.r siteforthe pmjecrion of
drc aLrgmentcd human. lhis is accomplished tlrrrLrgh a snrall. portablc
projcctclr. interacrive metadata and a mobile phone-drivcn interlace.
Familial gcstures likc crearnrg:r picture frame or draw'ing a circle on
rhc wrhr rcsult in lcal time phoro captue and :r clocl< nrtcrface for rcal
timc tclling respcctive\r lnrerrcting with rhe dat:r cloucl of information
accesiLrlc through the \0odd VideVeb allows foL lcal time cngagernent
*,ith dara in real spacc rs nr prrduct infbrnration *'hile shopping or
rcal rime input abour a pcnon, a phce or a thing. \fith rhc advenr Chris
HaLrixrn's S*lnpur, a bio inprLt inrcrfice woln arouncl thc ann thar
projecrs interactivc nlenus on thc sldD, nc are rranslated into the inlor-
maion space and drc machinc itr;clf: *,e arc r disperscd, disassembled,
and rcassemblcd sul>jcct outside ofall the expccred culrural paradigms.
'We h"rvc hecomc infirnnation in .rn embodiec{ lbrmj. 'Ihis frcsh state of
mode-lcssness .rllows us ro rediscover our bodies in s,vnaesthesic space.
'l1ris ulcimately transforms drc acstheric space ofour brow'sings into

a spa.u'tilme architc tft rvhere a narrative or tracc ofour journey is an

emergcnt properry of navigatiorr. Sincc archirecnrral environnrents arc
comprised of unlolding space irnrnersed h rcal time, opcning spacc lor
bodies, rnovemenr.rnd idcas, it is imponrnr to rrn<lersnnd thcdistinctive
narurc of rlrrzal alchirecturc as opposcd to im rcal counterpart. Marcos

'\'rrious scien.€ljdidl fian.hi$ firlt plnycd sirh drir oncept Jrcrd;r In the uit
chor*ki Rrorh€A zr M/,tA htrnitr br(crici powu, tl,.vorld olthr nr:ch;ncs. ln
leftiry Rcineis Cql,", i ln ifg rvxrir ii (r..rcd rion Zoc (lr:vsorcl, drta cLoud.
.sirl.|i.,f. ,tuo 0 r',anrr M , I IMe(i, rL,. !r^

.\;0t,1,i. rho(i ii (:l,rr rhtri!r'. C.trtrcere M(il Lir \rn o: rs

R,,vis,^ IBERo^:,fl (loMUNr!^crd:.
'Rrc^N^,)L

Norak h:rs ol;served rhat "rybcrspace ri uchitccrurc; cyberspace lai an

architecturc; and cvl>esprce ronnins trchiLecrure" (original rnplrasis,
226). Virturl cnvironmenrs havc, as a rcsult, emerged as acsthcricized
rcnditions oftlre archirccnrrc o[our crextivc and dreinl states this is
imaginatiorrll space, the spacc olrhe drerm, oL thc sprcc oi the crearivc
.rct grorvl |ugc cnough ftr us to insclt ourselves into wirh ,\'zrrl.Vzsr
"rs
and Virpm. 'Ihc htcracrive digitLrl cnvironment is also such a sr uctlrre
thar r:nt'ilds to allorv thc passrge ol'bodies duough it in re tirnc, just
rs the body t(x) .?rrki'r, ftr and ri dre archirecnrrc ofrhc senses and of
rhe very srrfi oflifa itself.
Novclist Victor llugo once observcd rhat, in dre writing proccss,
"fflorm is the l;ase that riscs tc, the surface" (qtd in Virilio. 199Ib, 67).
h our tirnc, thc interll,rce is a litcral rendition ofrhis kinrl ofaesrheti-
cized hepric fbrn as suLrc€, nd, in clcctrnic spaces, firlrr drrs not
mcan simply a surlicc tension. I( is vhar w'c must touch and irrnrcrsc
ourselvcs in (l'ke in our mcmories) in order ro navigarc the {luid spaccs
and tines ofrhe virtual *orld.

Tun xr.w tttpte: tto'r vtlrl v!:Rsus AUGMTNTTD riNvlltoNMENTs

Inlonnarion ovcrload is a by-prodr:ct ofthe meering oftcxtual and sen-

sory renlnrs. lr is rhc plaoe rvhere words and imases lose drcir meanins
and bccome in/comprehcnsible and un/recogn;z:rble. l)eta glut dctcr
ritorializcs us in sp:rce, giving us a sense ofdislocarion xnd disorienra-
tion ard mnking ir difficult to lavigatc bv totLch or ro rcad o.rr senses.
'lhis is dre crux ofovcrload. ft is.rlways a|cady about navigation: the
navigarion of .r mulripliciry ofscnsory srimuli. llccausc boclies navigatc
in space, drcy:rrc always already in a state offlux.
Sight is no longcr privileged in rhc infirrmarion age; nrorion instead
bccomcr a sensory form ofrvr;tnrgor signing like the 6rst rime wc inhatr
ited acousric space. Acousric sprcc was as€ninalconccpt f'or McLLrhan.
He believcd rhat print technologics had lostered:r lincar birs, whereas
acoustic space is morc closelv Jdn to thc inmersive nattrlc olthc natural
 CoMLJ\r AodN

{rorld. 'Ihe acomric is immcrsive, envelopnrg us in irs unblokcn 360

degrces. Conposed ofcentcrs antl no rnarqins. rhe linear bi.rs ofwestern
socicrywas colrpiinrcnted bv mo acoustic technologics: caslr morreyand
the comprss. Currencv is a metaphor, astand'in tbrour matcrials,orth,
and rhe compass rcnders the world:rs navigrble informarion space.
Vhile surfirgin cybersl)ace, thebody wri(es i6clfinto the imneLsive
enlironurcnt m a di'nanic cvenL in process,like the compLrs in thc rvorld-
lhis istlre bodv in virru:rlspacc pcrlbrming in rc:rldrne, andemcring. not
nrovemenr as theauc, bur nrovement as performnnce. Ihar is ro say, dris
is nor movcmcnt firr au rudience, bur a dynamic and pelsonal act drat a
browserpcrforms lor a-nd byhcrseli Pcrforrnance is a lbrrn that has been
favourcd by many artists, In part at lcrsr no doubr be.causc physicatiry
and gcnd€r are so rcadily fb'cgro'rndcd and probleuratizcd in drc body
ofthc pcrformer: As a dynamic and tr:rDsitory alt fbarr, perfi-rrmLurce is
edrereal, exisring both inside and ousidc of time and space, insidc and
oursidc ofreprcsentation and thc rc:l. Constmcting a 'second rinre, thc
dme ofrc-rurn or re visiradon to the samc marerial thrt is nor a repeti'
rnlr. According to PcgX I'halen, '[1:Jerfbrmaucc...carr be defined as
represen ratio n with our rcprodrrcrion" (3) because it rLva;s cxists virtually
in rhe present nromenr on thc vcrgc ofbccomirg. I'h-llen s.r1's,

I)c,fo.mancc.sonly liG n in thc prcsnt. l'.'fo.nnnc. c.ind t c Mvcd, kco,ded,

drrurncrtc,l, or orhcnvise participate nr dre circtrlirioo ol rcprcsnernns a/
refberrilnnNr oncc irdocs so, ir bci,trres soDedring other thar peLliLrnaucc.
lb rlcdegrec tfirt pcrformrnce aaen:pLs to cnteL drc economy ofreproducLion
it bcmys and lcssens the prorrrisc ofia own ontology (I'h.len, 146).

Like our expcriencc of navigaring an inrmcrsive environmcnt, the cx-

pericoce ofrhe pcrformence €.rnnor be xrchived eirhcr. lr is rhe actr.ral
movement of rhc body in space-rime that is dre narrativc of impo.t
here. Wc must be danccLs ro understand the dance. Ve must dance
to tLndeLstand the languagc, ln the computerizecl metli:r, the brorvser
is both pcrlirrmer and audience, surface md cleprh, body:rnd subjcct.
ln the s:rme lrarner. in this mcdirrm rhe velue ofthc work ofart is in
Rllru lBlRod!iiarGNr DE(i ru\'c^()6\

this ethcreal, cxperienrial dinension. lhe c(nnpurcr as rool aho has

a powcrfLrl rveapon nr its arscnal: when it acts as a nedirrm for art, it
acqrrires drc powcr to critique hsclfas bofi rool and medirrm. In th:rt
mectirg ofminds, rrc cnn see the birth ofnew mediu and technologics
xs they happcn. More solitary rharr th*rtle, rvc srill rneintain rhe scnsc
ofcommuniw in rhe layers ofour mind wirh disparrrc rea,Jings ofnew
rnetJ i.r works. OuL expcriencc lemxins oLLr own rhough becruse absolutc
repcrition oi rh c evenr is impossible ( llh:Jen , I 27) . Evcry jou rney through
thc iext is A rc secing of irs evcnrs in rnulriplc prcscn$, is i rc'rurniDq
ro and oI interioriries rrncl exrerioriries. Auy kir:d of pcLformance by is
very naturc is sir(latd in rhc irn mediate su rface ofdrc prescnr momenr.
As browscrs in thc new rnedia, we writc oursclves in thc surfices arrd
touch rhe dcprhs ofthc rcadi ng surf.:rce ofrhe rcxt as perfornrati.r,e cvcnts
in drc gap of the prescnt mcrurenr.
Vhen we pelfbrm ourinreracrion wirh orherkinds ofmcdiainsranti
Lrted m art fotms-wirh a book or.r tclevision, fbrexanrl)lc-wc are vcrv
arvare ofthc ficr that wc inselr oursclves into it Lrs irs iudiencc. and drlr
we choosr ro inrcr:r.r wirh i(. \v;rh thc ncw b(xn-digiral firrms ofart,
howcver, there is lo such coosciorLs seprrariou benvcen us ancl then.
It is hardcr to say where we end and rhey begin, and whcre *'c are and
wlr.rri,orrrlr. *rcrr .Wlrerr.rrneJiLrrrbcrorne"rcrpL,rr.ivc..r.irrr,r.r.-
rive complrr€r prograDrs and environments c:rn be, we arr no lolrgcr
obscLvers. Lxtcad, wc bcconre perllrners on the stage of irs intertice
evcn Lrs we arc rhar \drich is bcing pcrlorrled through irs machinarions.
I want to underscore hcre thar, rvhile rvc ue the inpur, withour its r.tr
aftonuersation thueis no work of.rrt. I s is rvhcLe responsive environ-
mens likc virnral reality or inrcractive game spaces deparr from rhcir
paler cousins rhat scr our ro entertain rLs. 'lhesc disclLrsive spaccs xnd
"rre
cxpericnces rh:rt rcquirc tr-s to r.rlk back. lie cnvir onrnent itsclfbecomes
r exrellsiorl ofus in morc intirnate rvavs rhan wc evcl irnaqined, com-
ing ro mr simukxncously as or:r audicncc and as a "third skiri' (Prince
13) dratprivilcges our sensorr cngagcmen t. Multirncdia "clvironmcnts"
McLuhan has obscrved, "irc not passivc wrrppings bur activc proccsses"
 (l('!flrNrc^cr6N

(McLLrhan, l2). Multimedir pert-ormaucc rhereby uses rhc byproducrs

ofthis rechnological nreta-rncdiurr ro take pleasurc in the conmingling
ofrhe senses ro produce an ahelcd scnsc ofselfor I ncw sLrbjcctiviry
Imme'iivc environmenrs, like rhe painrcd c.rvc, the sweat lodge, $c
nredieval catlredral, arci Snr Trck\ holodcck, are bv <JcLnirion pyhokgi
tl thftshol^. Absrract spaces arc sircs of transf-ormedorr and transccn,
dence whcre thesLrbjcct rcturns alrercd bl the syrnbolic expericncc.l his
rype of'shift nr conscnrusncss' is gcnerally rhe rcalnr olrcligious rituLrl,
but it is also thc realm ofart (Hovagilryan). 1}c porvcr ofirnurersivc
spaces in modcrn cxpcrience-be rhey conraincd wirhin thc cinema,
6ction or virtual reality-pcLsists in thcir symbolic valuc ol:revciatory
power Mcluhan ltlt thrr thc nc$ ituncrsive mediaevokc rhcse kinds of
crpcriences and phces, givirrg the medir magical properries md recon
[ectiDg us ro our bodics. lnrmersion is r pr)cess, a boond]ry srarc, and
an cxpcrierrr- ofan art fonrr, so its absrract nature is rhereforc dilficulr
ro uticulare. Mulimeclia pcrformanc embodier irs owr poerics roo:
"n spccrarol .,. cntcrs:r drargec{ spacc iu between, taking on an itiner
ary, a role in a ser in which imegcs novc through diilelcnt ontoic,gical
levcls wirh each shifr in dinrcnsion, il a l<inacsdctic an, e body rrr,
.rn image art rhar is radrcr rn enbodiecl corrccprLral an" {MoLse, 167).
Sceing "the bo,-ly as a clossroads wherc rhc psychological, marerial ard
virrual irkrsecr' (Haylcs, 2J), rhc ir)rffrcrivc infbrmation spacc mahes
rhc parricipanr lrcome the unique arrd particr,rla L subjcct ofhcr art. As a
rcsLrlt, e.rch inrerac()r: experience ofLhcse new technologics is inccnscly
pcrsonrrl and porertially ransfolnativc.
Veenter d:e nrcraphorical realm in vilru;rlspace, acrLratll becoming
p:rrt ofir, but bec"r$c it is a[vavs alrcady a <liscrrrsive media as well, we
maiomin an awnrercss ofour alicn-rress to tlre cnvironrnenr- []rr meta-
phor is rcalitr ir is rhe rral in rhc vinLLal. li as [{cluhan sLryr, this is thc
ability ofthcmcdia to trarslxtc expcricnce into ncwfur'ns thcn this is rhc
raison .l cbv fot n\lu]litntd ia. I r tra nsh rcs us irr to a new s ubjecrivc posiriul
and *'c bccome *'har tralian media theorist Paul Virilio c:rlls a rr,rjcctive
subjcct. ln our mediatcl agc where tirnc has bccome fbreshortencd and
IlAasr \ Iurto{trrEftk:iNA DE G^rfNIcr(.rdN

corq)lcsscd inro geogr"phic sprce by cchnologicll :rdvanccs likc rhe

tclcphonc rncl $c airplanc, Virilio cJls firr Lr ncir stLrte ofbcing. a srirrc
rhrr he cllls trajccrivit_v: "llorecn the subjcctivc aud thc objcctive," hc
s,r1 s, rh cre shoulcl bc
'\he t r:ricctivc, th:rr bci ng rhc movemcn t liom h ere
tcr dreLc, fiorn one to the othcf. wi$out rvhich rvc rvill ncvcr echicvc
:r pnrfbuncl undcrstanding ol drc v.rriorr rcgimc* ol perception of thc
world thar hare sur:ceedcd cach other drcughour rhe agcs (24). flresc
,rre thc:rftershochs ofglobalizllrion to lx sLrrc. ConsmLcts oltlre sclfrre
crcated in the process of"storytclling- rvhich isa nexLrsofch;rngein rhc
lelationship betrvccn" subjccthootl, racc, 'gendcr rnd tcchnologlr' ((i.rs-
sell, 3l 1). t:ch poinr in phce on oLrr ioulncv rhrough immcrsivc spaces
is .r spccific cml,oclicd position that is nlwrys ir rhc pr.,ress olbecoming
sorrething elsc. Antl it is our journcl'thlough our orun collaborarivc
act ofconvcrsation rvith :r cligital lxcc tillorv interacrors rs a
ancl with
nleans ol rrtisric (ne.rgerr cnr th:u cugendcrs dyn:rnric emboc{imcnt for

In rhc 19'hccntury comgrscr Richrrrcl \\,hgneL r,-carned ro crearc

q.hat he crlled thc Ge:runtLunsrn,o'lt or 'lirLal,Arnvork (now iinally sct
ro bc realizcd in dcvices like Si:rrLSrz,r ancl .5*r.r4rrr). V/agner drcrntt
o1-clevising a sc.rmlcss environment rvherc irrr could irhabit the Lcal: a
place whcre'ihcrc.rrc rrc molc arts and no rnore boundarics, but onll'
rrr, rhe u n iversal , undiviclcd ' (qtcl in Savrc l i) 8) . Vagncr'.s to t:rlizing' or'
imncr sive cllicr ofrrusic dram.r rvas ore ofthe 6rst nrodeln rnemprs ro
<levisc a schemaric or motlclfor dre inrcgration oldiliirent ans. Brnrging
t0rethcr art, rbclrtre, opcrrr, song, claDcc. poetic recirnrjon. n,u|rtive, ind
rhc visualarrs ("Orrrturc: lntegrarion ofthc Arrs') firr thc lirrt tirlc siucc
Classicrl Grccce, hc rctivdy rinkcrcd rvith the technobgy ofsragccr:rft
("tuchr<1 \i'agner:'Ibr,rl tunvork"). lLe tlrcatrical innovarions he wrrs
lcsponsib[ for includc rhe orchcsrra pir, a darkened house, surround
sou nd .lcousrics, in(l .r renrrrr to thc (ireek:rrnphithcatre-sqle searing that
focuscd all atention ol dre sragc ("Richar<l Vhgncr: Torrl Artwork ).
W gr.-.lor g:rglor.rr Arnr,'rl<ol rhr FLrrr,re ,(r'rJ,{. nr u' in.ra
agc ofpcrx,n:rlizcd medi:r and dynrmic inlbrmatioo envir{'nmcnts, l)ut
 (i,vcN!:$rt!

ir is in facr ar rncient inrprrlsc rh,rt can be firrrd in nany metlir rnd

genrcs fiorn sxcfcd cuvcs to Creck thcrtre to nrcclicval crrlrcdrals- Il
simihr riays. mult;me(li.r irnrrrersi<ll) (lihc rhe nctesr mrrnili*.rtnrn <rl
3D cincrrn seen in Jrnres C.rurcron.s ,4r,,t/r.lrnd 'i i'r Buront ,l/rs ll
Wonllknt[ tttctnltts ro cngagc all ofoLu senscs in viLtLLal sprrce, <lrawing
us into rhc sftries ofits rrorkl rhrough opulcnr uraphics and inrcritcrive

T:lkc, lirr ex:rmple, Nrncy I'aterson.s imr)cr-sivc cnvircnmenr, 7rr

Libft\, \2004). It rrics ro trlic tiris one srep firnhcr: k is,r r.irnral en-
vironnrenr llur uscs rvl it Tt: Ml1!ti-Uo Lt\$ nble lnnrJitt, :Ln online
rlultincdia sanrc sprcc, to dnrv thc inreracror inro hngrrage plav
rhrough synresthcsic Ialsposirions ol colour, rcund, shrpc, Lcxrurc,
.rnd collalxrr:rtivc gesturcr benveen playcrs. A 3D vircual rvorkl gamc
drar seels t<r lc educatc oru scnses drrough associaLional prirings rhar
consisrentlv Iink r colorrr', asound,.r sbape rnd u chalrcrerrvjrh a nrouse
clicL lhe interfice is irunr€rsivc rnd collabor.rrive, rllowing uscrs to
physicallv nnnipuhtc objccrs $'irll :r l:rscr. A solirvarc tool allows lor
rurusic.rl, rlrrrcric, alphabctic. sonicond colour-bascd composirions rhat
will ulrimaLclv be pLojc$ed on l.rrlrc scrcens. frnure irrcarnLrtions ofthe
proiecrrvill take it to drc ncxt gcncr.rrion ofgr.rphic uscrinrcrhce rvherc
rhe ir)rcractors cfln move objects lrom Lhc screcn onrc I txblctop dispht
il rcal space. "{Dlngging, <lLoppirg. cxchangine,rnd rrunsfiming
urcdir objects" (I'rtterson) rvillell be rvidrin the purv;cw of thc pLoic.ct.
.lhe
rolc ofpersonalizcd sLrbjective space in 7/r /,ibntys rctworl<.ed sitc
ofcolhborative pla1. m.r[c apparent rhe scnsorv el]icrs rhar arisc for a
nerv audicncc .ur rLrclicnce trLrnstirrnrcd bv a ncw hind of meili.r hto
a sinerrlar pcrfornrer in a mcr.rphorical envin,nmerrr. Irs mulrinrr al
lrngurge scd<s to link meaning ni$ moLiorr, anclgesmr.rl languagc with
stmcrural rexr to create l nerv rnultimodrl llphekr rhlt will low LLs to
crente synaesrh€sicalh: /he Librury bkntls two kinds oivisLrallangtr.rgc:
an cnrboclied laneLr.gc, po-idine c'rnphnsis. rcnsion and mood, ancl
:r strnctunl langlage, thar is s;nractical and multimodal lix the pur-
poscs o1-composirirn. thc ncdia objects .rre also dvnurnic:rnd rnobilc.
 Rw,sD{ hneoavEtuc^N^ Di CoNluNrcAcr(iN

The,v sing, change colour, shape, and c-body their orvn syntat their
animatcd naturc-nrorc liLe lifc than sinpLe enrcrtxinment-€ngagcs
us, immcrsing us in their meaning ind invit;ng tts to resPond rc them.
The [,ibtary incnrporates us into its discuffivc $prces. Ve are co opted
arrd interpellatul prccisely bccause irs Projec! ultimarely is semiotic,
n,'rqlslqrgic.rl rnJ musi.a'. Lrsing rhe cre.rrivc pro..* {o invirc us inro
a new way of secing anC. heing. 'lhe Librar;y ttchievcs the intcnctiviry
rhat mosr cnvlronmcns onll'twitch and shoot rt b1' rccluiring us to
underrake the act ofcre:rtion in synaesthetic larrguage- Vc cannot help
but be transformed by the naturc ofthis ncw vistLal alphaber as we alrer
our perspcctive to lind ways to color, write, play, dLrncc and sing it. This
II6
environment uses thc expericnct ofsynaesdresia that is fanriliar from our
childhoods and from ourengagcment in the creative process to enlistall
ofour scnses and to inrmerse us totally in rhe media. Howevcr, becausc
rhis is alr imposcd state rather dran an or€tanic one, we r€tain a sense
ofwonder a"d awarcness ofour own presence irr these simulterions. As
the cnvironments aspire to modelessncss, collapsing modalities, and
being disorienting by dcsign. we are made more And more tware ofolrr
scnses! not less. bccduse wc are always mulrirrod.rl evcn in a nrodeless
environmcnt- Paticlson links the changing dcpths ofsubjecthood and
body ro language through virrual space and actual navigation, andmake
these lluid boundaries rcal. Thesc virtualirics imptess themselvcs on our
bodies in our subjcctive expcrierce olthe rrr. ln the electronic sPaces of
her work, the inscribing motion of navigrtion produces agency for irs
intemctors as does thc act ofcrcative collabora(ion with the cnvironment
itself.
Wberc 1tu Librarl seeks to plug us in, bodily, on the level of lan-
gulgc. JnctlJrzr and Jfrzpr,r .rre rnorc r'.,nsparerr, rnrerrciing as on(
does with rhem in real space. All of thesc engagements are meta-
"cw
synresthesic-synaesthesia with an ironic gap-orwhat Arthur Kroker
calls "spasm," a noir mera-vcrsiflr ofVR thnt sceks to critique its own
sim €xperiencerr it is happening by giving Lrs irorric disrancr frorn both
digital data and the informarion ecor.orr,y (Spasrn 6). Synacsthesia is
 CoMUNrc^cr6N

to dre body what meraphor is ro the mind_rhat much is

clear_and
this in part is why these new augmented data spaces are so integral
to
lotions ofbeing in the world. pe.ception roo is prccisely this nrterplay
ofthe senses. Ve cannot malc rneaning rvithout this interconnection.
Paterson argues thar as a specific lolm ofinteraction
in a <ligir:1 media
environrnent, s),naesrhcsia is rhe norm. Likewise, ..Computers
are to
computing as insrrumenrs are to music. Software is the score.',
Alan
Kay says 'whose interpretation arnplifies our reach and lifts our
spirit.
Leonardo da Vinci called music ,the shaping of rhe invisible,,
and his
phrase is even more apt as a disoiption ofsoftware" (Kay
1984). These
invisible cnvironrnents are not wirhout substance, like our
dreams and
crcarive imagination, and are physically tangible through embodied
interfaces and oul bodics as inrerfaces as we navigate their
virrual mate,
riJity. As acrs ol immcrsion, rhey compose a melody upol our senses.
New interfaces as acrs of performancc, orchestrate our cognition
and
our bodies in tandern in real space. Mcluhan argues forsynaesthesia
as a
revisitarion and reconcep tualizatio n ofaesthetjcs for a new
age, andsince
rhe ilterlace is aiways already a mcraphorical realm,
it telepJrts us inro a
state ofsynaesthesia rvhere our senses are engaged mLrltidimensiona.llv
\ h,re pcr,eo ion <nlr,rs rhe .cn,e, bur rcm"irr. <lscmbodied,
ri\'EJblFr(.Ilrulogie. like r.7h\ rp sd rbtnpl./1 r,e \r 1rc.rh(\ic
-nd
.ngrge L. ph),icJlJ uirh,rr rhe \orizorn nt rt .i, in,,g,",,i*.p,...
t,
is the acr oftraversilg the world! modalides thar draws th€
bodv in
\X irnour rcrr.e. J\ rn i1,e,rr.e *e lirerally.annor
mrke,crr.,,t o,,,
world. Is this catharsis? A stace ofembodicd harmonics where experience
meers thoryht? Catharsis is rhe emotionJ experierce or resolurion of
a lived cvent-a kind of knowing-felt by an audience. In mulrimedia
perfonnance, this plays out a little differently, becoming the expedence
ofthe performer at the interface ofthe world. pat..ror, th",.h"
computer 'transcodes" data by leveling and renderJng all ".g.r.,
sensory informa-
tion digitallywhere it cat be spoken algorithmically (2). This is rhe
state
I have been calIlng modeJessnessi however, our metapho.ical engage,
menr allows us to extract synaesthesic experien.. f.orll ou. .r,g"g.-*,
 l{! !rs lni r.AM ftr( L)F (-()tr r\r.^(r,i\
^ ^N^

d! d l(4)nu.. A'lost inrporrunrll'. it is rhe interacdviq. rhar rcinscrrs us

back inro narrarivc antlrhercforc track into scnsorv engagernent rvitharr
rrrgmenrcd rvrxltl. Tlc stage or inrcrfice then ir whet hes been recoded
inro r motlelcss stLrte, brLt synlcsLhctic nredia is rcsponsivc:visual, .rucli-
rory, rrclilc, phrsical, kinctic. !ts rcceptor: tr.rnslarc rhat motlelcssncss
inro a kind ol m.rchinc bascd scnsorv cxpcriencc. if litcracv lracturcd
the scnscs as Mcl.uharr argucd, and this is hc1'ro my thinking, thcn Lhc
conpurer ald augnrented reality crrvironmcnts arc truly rcvolutionary
For this xL)ility, vi.r inierrcrivc infirrnation sprces, to give us thc porerrrial
to rcunire xnd rcconrbinc the scnscs ir) new ways, rhar is ir intcrrscly
individu,rlizc<l an<l pcrsorr.ri nlrdcs of engrgcrlenr-
r18

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