Homework...

I read Jim Campbell's Delusion in Dialog and he talked about how people don't understand computers. Then he gave me a confusing riddle about how we interact with ourselves by interacting with the computer. He also said programs like photoshop suck 'cause they don't let the user do anything. That it's better to use third party software but you don't want to get stuck on that either. I got no new way of understanding how to talk about art on computers other than saying computers can do math functions like; simulate randomness, get input and remember stuff. We are suppose to describe stuff as functions like; activating a hidden button to cause "seeming" intelligence or something.

So I looked at this guy Prix Ars and he made what he calls a Gambiocycle which is just a fancy name he gave to his rig that he built upon his bicycle, making it "portable." It pretty much consist of a bunch of input devices rigged to a computer with a projected output. This allow for real time interaction between viewers and the artwork.

So what I got out of the reading is that we need to input into a computer and get an output since the computer is just numbers and doesn't do any real thinking. I think Campbell's framework should be extended to analyze the way the art is being output. To me the most important piece of technology is not the computer but the projector. Sure the computer is running all these processes but the real draw to the work and what makes it interactive is that it is being projected onto a huge visual screen. The fact that its now apart of the environment means that anyone can enjoy it from their own unique perspective. It also allows the audience to feel connected in an experience without being constrained to the experience. Like when you go to a club you don't go to listen to music but the music is a necessity.