[-empyre-] Virtual Embodiment: end of July

[Simon Biggs]

Virtual Embodiment

Thanks to our invited discussants during week 4, Sally Jane Norman and Daniel Tercio, as well as those who contributed to the week's discussion. During the fourth week of discussion the topics engaged have included entrainment, extended mind, the scaffolded self, hauntology, 'grappling', how different languages contextualise discussion on embodiment and even how processes of translation lead to interesting conceptual collisions, such as the mashing up of chairs and bodies (echoing Alan Sondheim's mashed up Second Life cyborg selves). Kirk Woolford also contributed with a discussion around his work with augmented reality projects engaging Tim Ingold's concept of 'place-binding', a concept as relevant in virtual space as in any other place. Other artists' discussed, directly and indirectly, included Wesley Goatley, Michael Takeo Magruder and el Greco. Even the classic Hollywood film Casablanca was referenced.

Over the course of this month's discussion the concepts of the 'virtual' and 'embodiment' have shown themselves to be, as Susan Kozel noted, polysemic, demanding definition and redefinition. It seemed that, unlike Bill Gaver, discussants were not 'so over embodiment'. The discussion (in English, but at times Assyrian, Icelandic, Portuguese and Greek - perhaps a future empyre discussion might engage pluriliteracy?), touched on somatic materialism, affect, potential, flow, resonances; it climbed through a framework of porosity, perception and presence; looked at window-weather, bodyweather, gabbu, the possibility of swallowing systems and carne asada. There was a good degree of suspicion and critique of the corporate, of consuming/being consumed by socio-technical systems and protocols, counterbalanced by some yoga, a reminder to breathe and Sally Jane swimming in the sea.

We would like to close our July 2014 discussion on  –empyre–  soft-skinned space about Virtual Embodiment by thanking our guest discussants Susan Kozel (SE), Johannes Birringer (UK), Samantha Gorman (USA), Sophia Lycouris (UK), Tamara Ashley (UK), Garth Paine (USA), Hellen Sky (AUS), Daniel Tercio (PT), Sally Jane Norman (NZ/FR) and Sarah Whatley (UK). We would also like to thanks all those who contributed to or followed the discussion. Lurking is a very important part of list participation, just as reading is an integral aspect of writing and publishing.

We wish those of you in the Northern Hemisphere a relaxing and pleasant August whilst here in the Southern hemisphere we wish empyre members a cooler and rapid transition to Spring. The first signs of Spring are evident here in the Adelaide Hills, with nesting birds, early flowerings and new lambs.

empyre will take a break during August and will return in September.

Sue and Simon


SUE HAWKSLEY
independent dance artist
sue at articulateanimal.org.uk
http://www.articulateanimal.org.uk


Simon Biggs
simon at littlepig.org.uk  |  @_simonbiggs_ 
http://www.littlepig.org.uk  |  http://amazon.com/author/simonbiggs

simon.biggs at unisa.edu.au  |  Professor of Art, University of South Australia
http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/staff/homepage.asp?name=simon.biggs

s.biggs at ed.ac.uk  |  Honorary Professor, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/edinburgh-college-art/school-of-art/staff/staff?person_id=182&cw_xml=profile.php

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au/pipermail/empyre/attachments/20140729/63019e72/attachment.htm>