Critical Background
Underlying Meaning and Intent
"I see electronic computer environments as irrevocably blurring the boundaries between body and machine and multiples of bodies and machines, thereby profoundly shifting any notion of the autonomous self." - Catherine RICHARDS
The purpose of The Thin Line is to explore the depth of the relationship between ourselves as human beings and the technology that we have created. Technology, it goes without saying, is becoming more and more integrated into our living self and the very fabric of our survival in an industrialized, digitized country.
The Thin Line looks to engage the user(s) with technology in a new way. To invite it to discover just how connected we are with it and how even are most effortless gestures can now have a great impact on ourselves and others.
"What would be of Van Gogh without the invention of the technology of paint?" - Kevin Kelly
In addition to this, the installation wants to help in creating new manifestations of human creativity. Up until now, people have traditionally been motivated to move to music (i.e. dance). Here we are asking for movement to create music. Although it is quite probable a project similar to The Thin Line has already been done, it has not been well documented. And regardless, the exploration of this technique not in the least been exhausted and therefore it is surely to expose people to a new experience.
I have looked into previous works and assembled a series of 10 pieces that I thought were relevant to what I was doing and I´ve put them in Appendix A. As Jane Prophet pointed out the artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer does do pieces very similar to what I´m trying to achieve. His piece Frequency and Volume (number 7 in the appendix) simultaneously creates a playful environment while also asking the user to question the concepts of radio-waves and corporate ownership:
"The question 'who has access to the public space that is the radio-electric spectrum' is one that deserves attention [...] where there is a remarkable asymmetry in the assignation of frequencies only to government or corporate interests to the detriment of community-building, experimental or artistic uses of the spectrum."
This type of mixture of engaging interaction and sociological commentary is typical of the works that I found. It was very intriguing reviewing projects that have been done in the past and I feel confident that The Thin Line is a worthy experiment very much in line with this mode of thinking.
