Stahl Stenslie’s The First Generation Inter_Skin Suit (1994)
Recently, many artists choose the digital ways to present the concept of body and identity, which is a concept that interest to human. It is because the advance of technology of the world, human are more realize their body in biological way, it also led more and more people start to chase the inner meaning of body and themselves, that lead them try to find out the distinguish their identity and body. In the following, Kazuhiko Hachiya’s Inter Discommunication Machine (1993) and Stahl Stenslie’s The First Generation Inter_Skin Suit (1994) will be as the examples used to comment the manner in which they present body and identity.
The method both of Kazuhiko Hachiya and Stahl Stenslie are using the interactive art to present their concept which can be regard as the art system,[1] artists designed the system that introducing interactive between 2 persons to present the relation of body and identity between 2 persons. Such as Kazuhiko Hachiya’s Inter Discommunication Machine, the system of the art work is using the head mounted display with monitor and a video camera, and with a backpack transmitter[2]. Artist design a system that help visitors exchange their view, in purpose to stand on other’s view and help them to understand each other. On the other hand, Stahl Stenslie’s The First Generation Inter_Skin Suit as similar to the Inter Discommunication Machine, but the work is exchange the tactile between the 2 persons[3]. Both digital art works can help people to feel and see what their partners see and feel. “Identity is biological or spiritual in origin”.[4] People always just have the self state in their identity, they never can really feel other people’ feeling and point of view, people just can through the imagination to do it, but they can through the machines and exchange the identity to see what their partner.
Both artists are using interactive art as the manner to present their art work, which is a good method to present the idea of identity. It is because the interactive art is a manner of presenting which must including human sources. The process of the art work must include the participate of people, the advantage of it not only because it is an active way to present the idea, but because interactive art can lead people to experience the process to get more than the artist want to say, “The artwork becomes effective only through the experience of participants.”[5]Which make the art more efficient. In the art work of Inter Discommunication Machine, two person exchanged their view by the machine, they not only can simple to see what other see, which is a different way to see the world, through the technology can expand the limitation and perception[6]. During the process of the experience, people can see their own image by their ‘eyes’. When two participants have a hug, it will bring a strange feeling to them, they can see themselves image but they are hugging other people, which led them to think deep on their own identity. The First Generation Inter_Skin Suit help participants to focus on the tactile between their own body and other’s body, the process of the art that help participants create an virtual body[7], when they touch themselves, the other one can feel it, that just like they are sharing the same body, which make the feel confusion on their body. Because the confusion, people will have more interest and think more about their body.
Although interactive art is the good manners to present on the idea of body and identity, it is still have the limitation to present what the artist really want to present. Such as the Inter Discommunication Machine, Artist hope to make the machine let people can more understand their partner by standing on their point of view. But the machine just can help people to see what their partners see; it doesn’t mean they can fully understand what their partner’s perception and thinking. Moreover, The First Generation Inter_Skin Suit is good to help people to feel the touch of their partner, but the touch feeling is stimulated by the machine, which is through calculated and mechanical. The machine can only bring the touch to people, but it can not bring the warm of body to the receiver, which is the most important feeling element when a hand touching a body.
In conclusion, using interactive art is a good manner to present the topic on body and identity. Participants can through the machine to get the first personal experience on their own body and identity, which can help them more deeply to think on it. But there are some limitation on machine brings the concept to us, it is because machine cannot fully bring our mind and real body to us, such as the human’s mind and the warm of human body. Human mind and body are complicated, and it is actually that simple technology cannot fully present it.
The method both of Kazuhiko Hachiya and Stahl Stenslie are using the interactive art to present their concept which can be regard as the art system,[1] artists designed the system that introducing interactive between 2 persons to present the relation of body and identity between 2 persons. Such as Kazuhiko Hachiya’s Inter Discommunication Machine, the system of the art work is using the head mounted display with monitor and a video camera, and with a backpack transmitter[2]. Artist design a system that help visitors exchange their view, in purpose to stand on other’s view and help them to understand each other. On the other hand, Stahl Stenslie’s The First Generation Inter_Skin Suit as similar to the Inter Discommunication Machine, but the work is exchange the tactile between the 2 persons[3]. Both digital art works can help people to feel and see what their partners see and feel. “Identity is biological or spiritual in origin”.[4] People always just have the self state in their identity, they never can really feel other people’ feeling and point of view, people just can through the imagination to do it, but they can through the machines and exchange the identity to see what their partner.
Both artists are using interactive art as the manner to present their art work, which is a good method to present the idea of identity. It is because the interactive art is a manner of presenting which must including human sources. The process of the art work must include the participate of people, the advantage of it not only because it is an active way to present the idea, but because interactive art can lead people to experience the process to get more than the artist want to say, “The artwork becomes effective only through the experience of participants.”[5]Which make the art more efficient. In the art work of Inter Discommunication Machine, two person exchanged their view by the machine, they not only can simple to see what other see, which is a different way to see the world, through the technology can expand the limitation and perception[6]. During the process of the experience, people can see their own image by their ‘eyes’. When two participants have a hug, it will bring a strange feeling to them, they can see themselves image but they are hugging other people, which led them to think deep on their own identity. The First Generation Inter_Skin Suit help participants to focus on the tactile between their own body and other’s body, the process of the art that help participants create an virtual body[7], when they touch themselves, the other one can feel it, that just like they are sharing the same body, which make the feel confusion on their body. Because the confusion, people will have more interest and think more about their body.
Although interactive art is the good manners to present on the idea of body and identity, it is still have the limitation to present what the artist really want to present. Such as the Inter Discommunication Machine, Artist hope to make the machine let people can more understand their partner by standing on their point of view. But the machine just can help people to see what their partners see; it doesn’t mean they can fully understand what their partner’s perception and thinking. Moreover, The First Generation Inter_Skin Suit is good to help people to feel the touch of their partner, but the touch feeling is stimulated by the machine, which is through calculated and mechanical. The machine can only bring the touch to people, but it can not bring the warm of body to the receiver, which is the most important feeling element when a hand touching a body.
In conclusion, using interactive art is a good manner to present the topic on body and identity. Participants can through the machine to get the first personal experience on their own body and identity, which can help them more deeply to think on it. But there are some limitation on machine brings the concept to us, it is because machine cannot fully bring our mind and real body to us, such as the human’s mind and the warm of human body. Human mind and body are complicated, and it is actually that simple technology cannot fully present it.
Footnotes
[1] Machiko Kusahara, System vs. Field: Emergence and Interpretation of Interactive Art Experiences, Context Providers :Conditions of meaning in Interactive Art,
http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/archive/publications_old/contextproviders/MachikoKasuhara.htm (accessed November 5, 2008)
[2] N. Examples: Inter Discommunication Machine, I´m born into a house with no computer http://www.prntscreen.net/itpblog/rest_of_you/ (accessed November 5, 2008)
[3] N. The first generation Inter_Skin Suit, stahl stenslie, http://www.stenslie.net/stahl/projects/interskin/ise.html (accessed November 5, 2008)
[4] Robertson, Jean and Craig Mc Daniel (2005), Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004),.110
[5] Machiko Kusahara, System vs. Field: Emergence and Interpretation of Interactive Art Experiences, Context Providers :Conditions of meaning in Interactive Art,
http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/archive/publications_old/contextproviders/MachikoKasuhara.htm (accessed November 5, 2008)
[6] Christiane Paul, Digital Art, (London: Thames and Hudson, 2003), 173
[7] N. The first generation Inter_Skin Suit, stahl stenslie, http://www.stenslie.net/stahl/projects/interskin/ise.html (accessed November 5, 2008)
Bibliography
Book:
1. Robertson, Jean and Craig Mc Daniel (2005), Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004) - reliable
2. Christiane Paul, Digital Art, (London: Thames and Hudson, 2003) - reliable
3. Mike Featherstone and Roger Burrows, Cyberspace/ Cyberbodies/Cyberpunk, (London : Sage publications, 1995) - little useful
4. Cynthia Macdonald, Mind-Body Identity Theories, (The Problems of Philosophy: Their Past and Present, 1992) - not too relevant
5. Harold Noonan, Personal Identity, (The Problems of Philosophy: Their Past and Present, 1991) - not too relevant
6. Shilling, Chris, The body in culture, technology and society, (London : Sage publications, 2005) - not too relevant
[1] Machiko Kusahara, System vs. Field: Emergence and Interpretation of Interactive Art Experiences, Context Providers :Conditions of meaning in Interactive Art,
http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/archive/publications_old/contextproviders/MachikoKasuhara.htm (accessed November 5, 2008)
[2] N. Examples: Inter Discommunication Machine, I´m born into a house with no computer http://www.prntscreen.net/itpblog/rest_of_you/ (accessed November 5, 2008)
[3] N. The first generation Inter_Skin Suit, stahl stenslie, http://www.stenslie.net/stahl/projects/interskin/ise.html (accessed November 5, 2008)
[4] Robertson, Jean and Craig Mc Daniel (2005), Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004),.110
[5] Machiko Kusahara, System vs. Field: Emergence and Interpretation of Interactive Art Experiences, Context Providers :Conditions of meaning in Interactive Art,
http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/archive/publications_old/contextproviders/MachikoKasuhara.htm (accessed November 5, 2008)
[6] Christiane Paul, Digital Art, (London: Thames and Hudson, 2003), 173
[7] N. The first generation Inter_Skin Suit, stahl stenslie, http://www.stenslie.net/stahl/projects/interskin/ise.html (accessed November 5, 2008)
Bibliography
Book:
1. Robertson, Jean and Craig Mc Daniel (2005), Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004) - reliable
2. Christiane Paul, Digital Art, (London: Thames and Hudson, 2003) - reliable
3. Mike Featherstone and Roger Burrows, Cyberspace/ Cyberbodies/Cyberpunk, (London : Sage publications, 1995) - little useful
4. Cynthia Macdonald, Mind-Body Identity Theories, (The Problems of Philosophy: Their Past and Present, 1992) - not too relevant
5. Harold Noonan, Personal Identity, (The Problems of Philosophy: Their Past and Present, 1991) - not too relevant
6. Shilling, Chris, The body in culture, technology and society, (London : Sage publications, 2005) - not too relevant
7. Philip A. Mellor and Chris Shilling, Re-forming the body : religion, community and modernity, (London : Sage Publication, 1997) - not too relevant
8. Justine Coupland and Richard Gwyn, Discourse, the body, and identity, (New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003) - not too relevant
Website
1. Machiko Kusahara, System vs. Field: Emergence and Interpretation of Interactive Art Experiences, Context Providers :Conditions of meaning in Interactive Art, http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/archive/publications_old/contextproviders/MachikoKasuhara.htm (accessed November 5, 2008) - useful
2. N., Inter Discommunication Machine, Petworks, http://www.petworks.co.jp/~hachiya/works/IDCM.html (accessed November 5, 2008) - useful
3. N., Examples: Inter Discommunication Machine, I´m born into a house with no computer, http://www.prntscreen.net/itpblog/rest_of_you/ (accessed November 5, 2008) - useful
4. N., The first generation Inter_Skin Suit, stahl stenslie, http://www.stenslie.net/stahl/projects/interskin/ise.html (accessed November 5, 2008) - useful
5. Grace, The First Generation_Inter_skin by Stahl Stenslie, Digital Art Presentation 08, http://digitalartpresentations08.blogspot.com/2008/09/10-nov-6-digital-art-and-identity-grace.html (accessed November 5, 2008) - useful
6. N., Hachiya Kazuhiko, Art and Culture, http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/artist?id=1009 (accessed November 5, 2008) - have some information
7. N., Hachiya Kazuhiko, Hara Museum Online Shop, http://www.haramuseum.or.jp/shop_en/showArtist.php?samid=40 (accessed November 5, 2008) - have some information
8. Kusahara Machiko, Externalizing Our Body: Device Art and Its Experimental Nature, MutaMorphosis: Challenging Arts and Sciences, http://mutamorphosis.org/index.php?lang=en&node=120&catid=108&id=79 (accessed November 5, 2008) -have some information
9. Judit Kawaguchi, Words to Live By Kazuhiko Hachiya, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20060110jk.html (accessed November 5, 2008) -have some information
8. Justine Coupland and Richard Gwyn, Discourse, the body, and identity, (New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2003) - not too relevant
Website
1. Machiko Kusahara, System vs. Field: Emergence and Interpretation of Interactive Art Experiences, Context Providers :Conditions of meaning in Interactive Art, http://vv.arts.ucla.edu/publications/archive/publications_old/contextproviders/MachikoKasuhara.htm (accessed November 5, 2008) - useful
2. N., Inter Discommunication Machine, Petworks, http://www.petworks.co.jp/~hachiya/works/IDCM.html (accessed November 5, 2008) - useful
3. N., Examples: Inter Discommunication Machine, I´m born into a house with no computer, http://www.prntscreen.net/itpblog/rest_of_you/ (accessed November 5, 2008) - useful
4. N., The first generation Inter_Skin Suit, stahl stenslie, http://www.stenslie.net/stahl/projects/interskin/ise.html (accessed November 5, 2008) - useful
5. Grace, The First Generation_Inter_skin by Stahl Stenslie, Digital Art Presentation 08, http://digitalartpresentations08.blogspot.com/2008/09/10-nov-6-digital-art-and-identity-grace.html (accessed November 5, 2008) - useful
6. N., Hachiya Kazuhiko, Art and Culture, http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/artist?id=1009 (accessed November 5, 2008) - have some information
7. N., Hachiya Kazuhiko, Hara Museum Online Shop, http://www.haramuseum.or.jp/shop_en/showArtist.php?samid=40 (accessed November 5, 2008) - have some information
8. Kusahara Machiko, Externalizing Our Body: Device Art and Its Experimental Nature, MutaMorphosis: Challenging Arts and Sciences, http://mutamorphosis.org/index.php?lang=en&node=120&catid=108&id=79 (accessed November 5, 2008) -have some information
9. Judit Kawaguchi, Words to Live By Kazuhiko Hachiya, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20060110jk.html (accessed November 5, 2008) -have some information
