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Leonardo Think about the People Now/Think about the Media Now Author(s): Paul Sermon Source: Leonardo, Vol. 26, No. 3 (1993), p. 260 Published by: The MIT Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1575828 . Accessed: 14/06/2014 16:15 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . The MIT Press and Leonardo are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Leonardo. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 195.34.78.61 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 16:15:28 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Think about the People Now/Think about the Media Now

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Page 1: Think about the People Now/Think about the Media Now

Leonardo

Think about the People Now/Think about the Media NowAuthor(s): Paul SermonSource: Leonardo, Vol. 26, No. 3 (1993), p. 260Published by: The MIT PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1575828 .

Accessed: 14/06/2014 16:15

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

The MIT Press and Leonardo are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access toLeonardo.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 195.34.78.61 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 16:15:28 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 2: Think about the People Now/Think about the Media Now

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breath engine framed u a direct peronal laughter bum drilling its grip fable at the point of maximum lift so the moan street didactic haphazardness keeners braid escape ambivalence ail will counterbrace the tooled fresh seduction gauge umbilical sameness network droning into militant certainty the clothed lass heart is indestructible

breath engine framed u a direct peronal laughter bum drilling its grip fable at the point of maximum lift so the moan street didactic haphazardness keeners braid escape ambivalence ail will counterbrace the tooled fresh seduction gauge umbilical sameness network droning into militant certainty the clothed lass heart is indestructible

breath engine framed u a direct peronal laughter bum drilling its grip fable at the point of maximum lift so the moan street didactic haphazardness keeners braid escape ambivalence ail will counterbrace the tooled fresh seduction gauge umbilical sameness network droning into militant certainty the clothed lass heart is indestructible

Fig. 3. Jim Rosenberg, screen dump from Intergram 9, poetry (for Macintosh computers), 1992. The Intergrams are dense poems with an altered linguistic structure that are built up in layers with bit-mapped graphics.

Fig. 3. Jim Rosenberg, screen dump from Intergram 9, poetry (for Macintosh computers), 1992. The Intergrams are dense poems with an altered linguistic structure that are built up in layers with bit-mapped graphics.

Fig. 3. Jim Rosenberg, screen dump from Intergram 9, poetry (for Macintosh computers), 1992. The Intergrams are dense poems with an altered linguistic structure that are built up in layers with bit-mapped graphics.

ment during the incident represents conflicting perceptions of the event.

The hypermedia environment, pro- jected onto a screen by a video projec- tor, forms one half of this installation. On the reverse side of this screen, another video projection is being made. A text-scrolling program picks up text messages delivered to my electronic mailbox and sends them to the video projector. The telematic aspect of this installation allows network users from around the world to voice their opin- ions about the incident that took place and address the ambiguity of the whole event. This side of the screen/installa- tion is titled Think About The Media Now.

Note 1. Hardware: Hyper-Media Programme for the Amiga 2000, Electronic Mail Terminal; Software: Deluxe Paint III, Video III.

ment during the incident represents conflicting perceptions of the event.

The hypermedia environment, pro- jected onto a screen by a video projec- tor, forms one half of this installation. On the reverse side of this screen, another video projection is being made. A text-scrolling program picks up text messages delivered to my electronic mailbox and sends them to the video projector. The telematic aspect of this installation allows network users from around the world to voice their opin- ions about the incident that took place and address the ambiguity of the whole event. This side of the screen/installa- tion is titled Think About The Media Now.

Note 1. Hardware: Hyper-Media Programme for the Amiga 2000, Electronic Mail Terminal; Software: Deluxe Paint III, Video III.

ment during the incident represents conflicting perceptions of the event.

The hypermedia environment, pro- jected onto a screen by a video projec- tor, forms one half of this installation. On the reverse side of this screen, another video projection is being made. A text-scrolling program picks up text messages delivered to my electronic mailbox and sends them to the video projector. The telematic aspect of this installation allows network users from around the world to voice their opin- ions about the incident that took place and address the ambiguity of the whole event. This side of the screen/installa- tion is titled Think About The Media Now.

Note 1. Hardware: Hyper-Media Programme for the Amiga 2000, Electronic Mail Terminal; Software: Deluxe Paint III, Video III.

recent electronic works include Diagrams Series 4, available online on the Well, and Intergrams 1-11 (Fig. 3), forthcoming from Eastgate Systems. This note describes his feeling toward his "semantic method," developed over many years and now carried out entirely on a computer.

THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE NOW/THINK ABOUT THE MEDIA NOW Paul Sermon, Department of Fine Art, University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom. E-mail: <[email protected]>

The Monday after the Remembrance Day Ceremony in Whitehall, London (Sunday, 11 November 1990), I was faced by the media announcement of a man's "protest" which took him into Whitehall where he covered himself in petrol and set light to himself while running toward the Cenotaph:

This was the horrifying moment when a young demonstrator turned himself into a human torch in London's Whitehall yesterday. He doused himself in petrol and set himself ablaze as the Queen led the Remembrance Day Ceremony at the nearby Cenotaph. Shocked crowds saw a sheet of flame flare from the barefoot protester. He was seriously ill in hospital last night.

-Daily Mirror 12 November 1990

They had come to remember the vic- tims of war. But as they stood in silence the horror of human pain shattered their peace. Women screamed, wept and collapsed in terror as a young man engulfed in 10 ft of flames ran through

recent electronic works include Diagrams Series 4, available online on the Well, and Intergrams 1-11 (Fig. 3), forthcoming from Eastgate Systems. This note describes his feeling toward his "semantic method," developed over many years and now carried out entirely on a computer.

THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE NOW/THINK ABOUT THE MEDIA NOW Paul Sermon, Department of Fine Art, University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom. E-mail: <[email protected]>

The Monday after the Remembrance Day Ceremony in Whitehall, London (Sunday, 11 November 1990), I was faced by the media announcement of a man's "protest" which took him into Whitehall where he covered himself in petrol and set light to himself while running toward the Cenotaph:

This was the horrifying moment when a young demonstrator turned himself into a human torch in London's Whitehall yesterday. He doused himself in petrol and set himself ablaze as the Queen led the Remembrance Day Ceremony at the nearby Cenotaph. Shocked crowds saw a sheet of flame flare from the barefoot protester. He was seriously ill in hospital last night.

-Daily Mirror 12 November 1990

They had come to remember the vic- tims of war. But as they stood in silence the horror of human pain shattered their peace. Women screamed, wept and collapsed in terror as a young man engulfed in 10 ft of flames ran through

recent electronic works include Diagrams Series 4, available online on the Well, and Intergrams 1-11 (Fig. 3), forthcoming from Eastgate Systems. This note describes his feeling toward his "semantic method," developed over many years and now carried out entirely on a computer.

THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE NOW/THINK ABOUT THE MEDIA NOW Paul Sermon, Department of Fine Art, University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom. E-mail: <[email protected]>

The Monday after the Remembrance Day Ceremony in Whitehall, London (Sunday, 11 November 1990), I was faced by the media announcement of a man's "protest" which took him into Whitehall where he covered himself in petrol and set light to himself while running toward the Cenotaph:

This was the horrifying moment when a young demonstrator turned himself into a human torch in London's Whitehall yesterday. He doused himself in petrol and set himself ablaze as the Queen led the Remembrance Day Ceremony at the nearby Cenotaph. Shocked crowds saw a sheet of flame flare from the barefoot protester. He was seriously ill in hospital last night.

-Daily Mirror 12 November 1990

They had come to remember the vic- tims of war. But as they stood in silence the horror of human pain shattered their peace. Women screamed, wept and collapsed in terror as a young man engulfed in 10 ft of flames ran through

the crowd and jumped a barrier - run- ning toward the Queen and other roy- als. He had doused his head and body in petrol and with a flick of a cigarette lighter turned himself into a fireball shouting: Think about people now.

-Today 12 November 1990

At the time I had no idea that this event could filter its way into my work. My initial interest was with the extreme media blackout which followed. Only the tabloid newspapers covered the event, with the exception of small men- tions in the more formal papers. Nothing was reported the following day in the newspapers or on the television.

Soon after the event, I started devel- oping hypermedia. The hypermedia remembrance Think About The People Now [1] is essentially about being in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time. The user starts at Westminster Tube Station. By moving the joystick in desired directions, the user can travel around Whitehall through animated scenes of video footage. Paths often cross over, allowing the user to swap paths and enter other referential analogies to this dimension of reality. Diagrammatic information and newspaper coverage are always at hand. The user may never discover the event that takes place at 11 A.M. during the two-minute silence. However, he or she may hear an ambulance go past, or hear someone else mutter horrified words.

Through decision-making processes, users end up in any one of 64 positions around Whitehall-including the choice of setting fire to themselves. The user's position within the Whitehall environ-

the crowd and jumped a barrier - run- ning toward the Queen and other roy- als. He had doused his head and body in petrol and with a flick of a cigarette lighter turned himself into a fireball shouting: Think about people now.

-Today 12 November 1990

At the time I had no idea that this event could filter its way into my work. My initial interest was with the extreme media blackout which followed. Only the tabloid newspapers covered the event, with the exception of small men- tions in the more formal papers. Nothing was reported the following day in the newspapers or on the television.

Soon after the event, I started devel- oping hypermedia. The hypermedia remembrance Think About The People Now [1] is essentially about being in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time. The user starts at Westminster Tube Station. By moving the joystick in desired directions, the user can travel around Whitehall through animated scenes of video footage. Paths often cross over, allowing the user to swap paths and enter other referential analogies to this dimension of reality. Diagrammatic information and newspaper coverage are always at hand. The user may never discover the event that takes place at 11 A.M. during the two-minute silence. However, he or she may hear an ambulance go past, or hear someone else mutter horrified words.

Through decision-making processes, users end up in any one of 64 positions around Whitehall-including the choice of setting fire to themselves. The user's position within the Whitehall environ-

the crowd and jumped a barrier - run- ning toward the Queen and other roy- als. He had doused his head and body in petrol and with a flick of a cigarette lighter turned himself into a fireball shouting: Think about people now.

-Today 12 November 1990

At the time I had no idea that this event could filter its way into my work. My initial interest was with the extreme media blackout which followed. Only the tabloid newspapers covered the event, with the exception of small men- tions in the more formal papers. Nothing was reported the following day in the newspapers or on the television.

Soon after the event, I started devel- oping hypermedia. The hypermedia remembrance Think About The People Now [1] is essentially about being in the right or wrong place at the right or wrong time. The user starts at Westminster Tube Station. By moving the joystick in desired directions, the user can travel around Whitehall through animated scenes of video footage. Paths often cross over, allowing the user to swap paths and enter other referential analogies to this dimension of reality. Diagrammatic information and newspaper coverage are always at hand. The user may never discover the event that takes place at 11 A.M. during the two-minute silence. However, he or she may hear an ambulance go past, or hear someone else mutter horrified words.

Through decision-making processes, users end up in any one of 64 positions around Whitehall-including the choice of setting fire to themselves. The user's position within the Whitehall environ-

SOUND TRACKS TO REALITY Walter Siegfried, Faustlestr. 8, D-8000 Munich 2, Germany.

The Max Mueller Bhavan in Bombay, India, organized a congress on Space in 1991. I was invited to participate and proposed a guided tour through the congress area within the National Center of Performing Arts (NCPA).

During the 10 days that I was strolling around in the NCPA area, I allowed myself to be guided by the numerous sounds around me. They provided me with an acoustical topography of the area. I collected them during the whole time span. Out of this collection, I pro- duced a tape with various acoustical atmospheres related to certain zones of the area. In this polyphonically struc- tured tape, sounds of horses in the evening coexisted with motor launches, fast cars, alarms, exhaust fans, cattle, crickets and birds at dawn.

This tape was the soundtrack to a walk that I guided. In groups of a dozen visitors, we went towards different spots in the area. During these walks each vis- itor had his or her own portable-radio headphones on and listened to the soundscapes that had been composed entirely using recorded elements from the same spatial situation.

Thus, the visitors walked in a con- crete space-listening to an artificial sound track. This opposition between the concrete space and the acoustical dimension (which is at a remove from the concrete situation) invited the visi- tors to look for the source of what they

SOUND TRACKS TO REALITY Walter Siegfried, Faustlestr. 8, D-8000 Munich 2, Germany.

The Max Mueller Bhavan in Bombay, India, organized a congress on Space in 1991. I was invited to participate and proposed a guided tour through the congress area within the National Center of Performing Arts (NCPA).

During the 10 days that I was strolling around in the NCPA area, I allowed myself to be guided by the numerous sounds around me. They provided me with an acoustical topography of the area. I collected them during the whole time span. Out of this collection, I pro- duced a tape with various acoustical atmospheres related to certain zones of the area. In this polyphonically struc- tured tape, sounds of horses in the evening coexisted with motor launches, fast cars, alarms, exhaust fans, cattle, crickets and birds at dawn.

This tape was the soundtrack to a walk that I guided. In groups of a dozen visitors, we went towards different spots in the area. During these walks each vis- itor had his or her own portable-radio headphones on and listened to the soundscapes that had been composed entirely using recorded elements from the same spatial situation.

Thus, the visitors walked in a con- crete space-listening to an artificial sound track. This opposition between the concrete space and the acoustical dimension (which is at a remove from the concrete situation) invited the visi- tors to look for the source of what they

SOUND TRACKS TO REALITY Walter Siegfried, Faustlestr. 8, D-8000 Munich 2, Germany.

The Max Mueller Bhavan in Bombay, India, organized a congress on Space in 1991. I was invited to participate and proposed a guided tour through the congress area within the National Center of Performing Arts (NCPA).

During the 10 days that I was strolling around in the NCPA area, I allowed myself to be guided by the numerous sounds around me. They provided me with an acoustical topography of the area. I collected them during the whole time span. Out of this collection, I pro- duced a tape with various acoustical atmospheres related to certain zones of the area. In this polyphonically struc- tured tape, sounds of horses in the evening coexisted with motor launches, fast cars, alarms, exhaust fans, cattle, crickets and birds at dawn.

This tape was the soundtrack to a walk that I guided. In groups of a dozen visitors, we went towards different spots in the area. During these walks each vis- itor had his or her own portable-radio headphones on and listened to the soundscapes that had been composed entirely using recorded elements from the same spatial situation.

Thus, the visitors walked in a con- crete space-listening to an artificial sound track. This opposition between the concrete space and the acoustical dimension (which is at a remove from the concrete situation) invited the visi- tors to look for the source of what they

260 Words on Works 260 Words on Works 260 Words on Works

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This content downloaded from 195.34.78.61 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 16:15:28 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions