COFA 1002

The core intention of our group publication was to provide a snapshot of another cultural context, an alternate future with its own traditions and systems. With this intention we hoped to construct a sense of confusion when viewing the work from our own context, warping familiar elements as well as creating completely new ones. This was done through the lens of an increased or differing globalization experience, creating a new cultural homogony, as well as increases in technological systems in aiding the human sensory experience, integrated to the point that could be seen as a beginning of the Post-Human. Although many of the intentions in this work seek to be free of our current context, we also recognised that its influence was irremovable, and as a resulted, responded to current social and political issues surrounding digital freedoms within our work such as copyright and censorship.

Much of the progression of this work coincided with group research and collaborative information sharing. Starting from a very wide pool of information and artworks, we undertook a process of convergent and divergent information gathering. From basic concepts and works around Futurism, Punk Zine culture, Internet imagery, Post-humanism, Afro-futurism and non-liner approaches, we were able to discover a sense of cohesion and proceed with developing the publication. Any problems we experienced in terms of technical (GIFS not working) or theoretical (linking our theme to a certain design) production were overcome in a similar way, with additional advice from Anna and and internet forums. Although we worked together on the majority of the publication we allocated separate areas of work specific to our group members experience and interests. Jacob and Ryley dealt with the majority of the digital aspects of the work, Jacob dealt with the creation of much of 3D objects and layout. Conversely Harrison and Ryley focused on much of the theoretical development and research. The majority of our experimentation occurred around a few specific mediums. We developed phony legislation as a political backdrop for the cultural works presented in our publication. This required lengthy experimentation with layout and word choice. The interactive elements (a very necessary aspect so as to communicate the technologically enriched communication experience) although relatively simple in their theoretical basis, required a large amount of technical experimentation and iterations. Furthermore, the globalized sound and visual works present within the publication underwent quite a few iterations to most clearly communicate our intention. Examples of all of these can be viewed on our respective Tumblr’s.

Our group approach to the work was to treat it as a collective publication of our works but also as an artwork in itself, both reflecting the overarching theme of the work. The overall ‘Vaporware’ aesthetic was chosen for this reason. It provided an engaging way with which we could engage an audience with retro-futuristic ideas and provided a level of abstraction with which we could present our intentionally confusing and alienating work. Furthermore, it provided a direct link to current themes such as copyright issues (we presented found works along with our own, an inherent aspect of internet age aesthetics and culture) as well as provided a platform for the more futuristic media. The heaviest influences on our publication were Stelarc’s body of work, particularly ‘Muscle Machine’, the ‘Declaration Of The Independence Of Cyberspace’ by John Perry Barlow and the website ‘my body is browser friendly’ at <http://cagoleapaillettes.com/~bbgirl18.html>. The Afrofuturist movement as a whole, particular the works of musicians such as Sun Ra, as well as inspirations in visual culture such as Blade Runner and Cowboy Bebop were also hugely influential in our publications construction.

Bibliography 

http://stelarc.org/?catID=20231 

http://cagoleapaillettes.com/~bbgirl18.html

John Perry Barlow. A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, February 8, 1996. Retrieved October 20, from Electronic Frontiers Foundation, <https://projects.eff.org/~barlow/Declaration-Final.html> 

Formatting Experiments 1,2 and 3

Layout and Artwork Experiment 

Afrofuturism

- investigations into the history and culture of Afrofuturism and it’s development in pop culture. Sun Ra’s acid jazz to the modern future funky Hip Hop of Outkast. A movement with a solid conceptual base and a wide range of writings and works exploring alternative futures through different cultures and contexts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dokLwszdUgY

Stelarc and the Post Human

- Stelarc’s Muscle Machine is a six legged robot that receives directions via a human controllers movements. The machine uses rubber muscles to contract and extend, unifying the machines movement with that of the human inside it. Much of Stelarc’s work revolves around these mechanical additions to the human form, described in this instance as a process that “extends the body” and creates a situation in which “it is no longer applicable to ask whether the human or machine is in control”. 

Razorcake’s Punk Zine Archive

- Rising to prominence in the early 1970′s, Punk Zines provide an interesting aesthetic for distributing information and ideas in a pdf format. Associated with DIY and rock subcultures, Punk Zines provided a format for forward thinking socio political art and culture, and as a result could be easily incorporated into our PDF work. A digital recontextualisation of this format could provide some interesting new ideas or art pieces for our final COFA work.

Resource List

Yaszek, L 2006, 'Afrofuturism, science fiction, and the history of the future',

Socialism & Democracy

, 20, 3, pp. 41-60, International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center, EBSCO

host

, viewed 22 October 2015.

http://stelarc.org/?catID=20231

As a basis for exploring all the world’s futures we began by gathering a large database of ideas and works. 

The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism - F.T. Marinetti 

- our initial ideas revolved around using futurist materials and usurping their original intentions. ie. creating an un-Futurist manifesto and utilising its form to debase key fascist and misogynistic tendencies. 

My Body is Browser Friendly - unknown

- experiments with the idea of posthuman and digital identity. Using the webpage and html as a creative form, both visually and intellectually.

Usage of interactive programming to communicate meaning. Early 2000′s and modern computer graphics. Retro futuristic visualisation, vaporwave and internet visual phenomenon. 

Code Academy - Html Basics

HTML code as the basis for the design of webpages, a modern form of manifesto and the medium through which most people intake information. It is viable that in a futuristic context the use of HTML will become even more widespread. Through the digitisation or technological transformation of the human it could become the only way in which we interpret text.

Resources

http://www.italianfuturism.org/manifestos/foundingmanifesto/

http://cagoleapaillettes.com/~bbgirl18.html