WE ARE ALL XENOPHILES

We have to confront three constants in life. Time and gravity serve as silent but powerful forces that govern every aspect of life as we know it. But it is the third constant, change, which imbues the human hand with the power to affect its course. Maybe it is the rigidity and relentless monotony of time and gravity that engender the constant of change.

One consistent thing humans have been occupied with is changing their physical being; in particular, the fascination with changing the body through perception and separating the mind from the body. Experimentation with drugs and mind-altering substances is a testament to this. Humans are always searching for the next method of advancing their evolution in an effort to get a glimpse into the meaning of life. There is a need to search for existence beyond the physical. Maybe to catch a glimpse of what lies ahead in the afterlife. Virtual space is, in essence, another experimental drug: a way of divorcing consciousness from the physical body.

The consequences of prolonged immersion into virtual environments have yet to be defined. One fairly common viewpoint argues negative symptoms: a certain autism or ennui towards reality. Extricating the senses from human experience essentially fades life. Sensory input, by its very nature, stimulates bio-electrical impulses in the human body, thus waking it up. To remove this essential ingredient removes the immediacy of life.

Moreover, the user interface of virtual worlds further “softens” the user. The human condition is equalized by using a mouse, dataglove, or head visor. The body is no longer receiving unique stimuli, but rather stimuli from a prosthesis that is the same for all users. Something is immediately lost. In short, experience without danger is Disneyland.

A more auspicious outlook on cyberspace is one of euphoric xenophilia, or the attraction to that which is strange or foreign. The information and experiences brought to us in cyberspace accelerate the already abbreviated attention span of the human mind. Immersion into virtuality fosters a hunger for more knowledge because access to all knowledge is ultimately attainable through the Internet. This causes us to look past the familiar to embrace the foreign. In cyberspace this results in natural experimentation of re-embodiment such as avatars and fantastic spatial constructs. But more importantly, this condition resonates into the real world. Xenophilia is a vehicle for carrying change into the physical world; change as corporeal re-embodiment. The energy generated in virtual space empowers us to look to our own lives. People are looking past their comfortable physical existence to embrace a new expression of themselves and the architecture they inhabit.

CONTAGION

“There is a theory that the way we are neurologically wired causes us to filter out much of our experience. Our brain only allows us access to a minute amount of data constantly flowing through our various senses. Those who are conscious of more data, and are able to interpret it in a way that is understandable to others, are considered geniuses. Those who access too much are considered insane.”
								
This project is a manifestation of a cross-disciplinary working methodology, born out of the confluence of many disciplines sitting next to each other for long hours under one roof.

[textual storytelling]    [communication vehicle]   [graphic storytelling] 	  [spatial storytelling]
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[alien accounts]          [alien alphabet]                 [2d website] 	  [3d experience]

a collaborative project with Andy Slopsema and George Larou
 view the Flash site at http://www.combine.org

SYSTEM VISUALIZATION 5

“The building…is just that given ingredient which is somewhat useful and is obedient, but is really just the beginning of speculations about what could be.   So that’s the way I see them…as something which exists and is passionately beautiful in itself, but also demands or excites a certain kind of extension.”
Gordon Matta-Clark

The mystical energy of buildings and computer networks are no longer invisible diagrams. Cyberspace can now illuminate the underpinnings of physical space. Physical space will now be viewed as merely the skin which masks the vibrant realm of virtual extensions coexisting within it. Computer networks will be navigable 3D experiences where problems can be effortlessly diagnosed. Residential electrical systems will become immersive virtual roadmaps for the average home owner to utilize for routine maintenance.

HYPERCUBE

“One component of his work was the notion of ‘mental projectiles’, a kind of continual linkage of idea to idea, line to plane to volume, to an eventual ‘dynamic volume’. Matta-Clark’s progressions are conceptual, geometric, and instrumental; never seamless, they are all activated by his preoccupation with an ‘animated geometry’, a kinetic internal dynamism.”
Gordon Matta-Clark

Advancements in processing power and rendering engines create more realistic virtual environments, but the real potential in these spaces cannot be found in the imitation of reality. Rather, this medium should offer new horizons in spatial articulation. Potential lies within a space rich with a kaleidoscope of collapsed perspectives, allowing the user to experience enhanced perception through simultaneous front , back, and peripheral views.

 

 BIO

Mark Lawton uses his formal architectural training at Cornell University as a foundation to explore design in virtual environments, graphic design, and interdisciplinary installations. His work as Creative Director at Construct Internet Design, San Francisco searches for a new paradigm in immersive online experiences through emerging technologies. He views advancements in cyberspace as agents of change for the physical world. His work on the Difference Engine 3, an advanced Internet art installation utilizing real time telepresent technologies in Karlsruhe, Germany, won the Golden Nica at the 1999 ARS Electronica Competition, the highest award for interactive art, 

http://www.construct.net
email: kronos@construct.net
448 Bryant St.
San Francisco, CA 94107