76
edits
Satellite Border Footprint/SnowKrash (view source)
Revision as of 10:39, 6 October 2010
, 6 October 2010no edit summary
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 50: | Line 50: | ||
Could we, with help from devices that “sniff out” and amplify electromagnetic fields and/or contact microphones that detect the slightest vibrations, make these “signifiers” into something that could give us an insight, an interpretation of the “signified”? Could we find some “satellite-specific” noise? | Could we, with help from devices that “sniff out” and amplify electromagnetic fields and/or contact microphones that detect the slightest vibrations, make these “signifiers” into something that could give us an insight, an interpretation of the “signified”? Could we find some “satellite-specific” noise? | ||
We thought it would be interesting to construct an acoustical map of the region in which the satellite sounds would be integrated. It is indeed possible to sonify satellite dishes, although the results of our experiments during and after the workshop failed to produce any satisfactory | We thought it would be interesting to construct an acoustical map of the region in which the satellite sounds would be integrated. It is indeed possible to sonify satellite dishes, although the results of our experiments during and after the workshop failed to produce any satisfactory findings. The sound collected on our excursion to the radio tower Florian in Dortmund was far more interesting. The tower also contains devices for the reception and processing of communication signals, only apparently not satellite signals. | ||
The electromagnetic sound collected from the satellite dish does not emerge out of the rest of the Hertzian ambiance of the city. It is not unique and therefore not specifically interesting in the context of the acoustical map. Without completely giving up on the idea of making satellites and their support devices audible, we looked for alternative ways of approaching the problem of finding some “specific” quality of satellite technology that would interest us artistically. | The electromagnetic sound collected from the satellite dish does not emerge out of the rest of the Hertzian ambiance of the city. It is not unique and therefore not specifically interesting in the context of the acoustical map. Without completely giving up on the idea of making satellites and their support devices audible, we looked for alternative ways of approaching the problem of finding some “specific” quality of satellite technology that would interest us artistically. | ||
Lisa's engaging and competent presentation of her research provided plenty of other aspects that served as stimulation for our own investigations. The “System (Luhmann) Satellite” is much more than simply the physical machinery in orbit and their support infrastructure on the ground. Satellites deployed as communication media have a significant political dimension, due to their vast transmission range they affect the relationship between the national and the international. They are an essential part of our information and media culture, as well as paramount to the influence of civil and military powers. The satellite dish is an object of interest in sociological and cultural studies, as is the the modus operandum of satellite placement in space (which remains one of the last frontiers that has not been divided into national territories.) | Lisa's engaging and competent presentation of her research provided plenty of other aspects that served as stimulation for our own investigations. The “System (Luhmann) Satellite” is much more than simply the physical machinery in orbit and their support infrastructure on the ground. Satellites deployed as communication media have a significant political dimension, due to their vast transmission range they affect the relationship between the national and the international. They are an essential part of our information and media culture, as well as paramount to the influence of civil and military powers. The satellite dish is an object of interest in sociological and cultural studies, as is the the ''modus operandum'' of satellite placement in space (which remains one of the last frontiers that has not been divided into national territories.) | ||
Our question about the | Our question about the artistic aspect of satellites is not easily answered. Research into the realm of “Satellite Art” reveals that the mass of work is impressing, but the object “Satellite” itself remains remarkably pale. It seems that in most installations the medium satellite could easily be replaced by other communication media without considerably changing the character of the work. “Satellite Art” is often simply “Space Art”, concerning itself with natural planetary objects or the music of the spheres, etc. | ||
The satellite dish, on the other hand, is an object that (in the context of Luhmann's System Theory) | The satellite dish, on the other hand, is an object that (in the context of Luhmann's System Theory) serves as a means of “Reduction of Complexity”, and therefore a defining factor in the system, the only object in our opinion that has a sensual context. With this realization we were able to view this object that we at first thought banal and pedestrian (at best a source of interesting noise) as the most important part of the system, the only object that is “satellite system specific”, and subsequently as object of interest to our artist endeavours. | ||
Our current video project about the Ruhr region, which plays with significant optical and acoustical impressions from the area, will be augmented by a section dealing with the representation of the region in space, or which satellites “leave” their footprints in this part of Germany. We will then reverse the relationship of the signifier and the signified, as it is at first apparent in the manifestation of the invisible satellites through their signifiers, the satellite dishes. We will examine and “document” how the Ruhr region is represented in space and which satellites are responsible for this representational work. Finally, we will explore the question of how it might look when we represent the “representers”. | Our current video project about the Ruhr region, which plays with significant optical and acoustical impressions from the area, will be augmented by a section dealing with the representation of the region in space, or which satellites “leave” their footprints in this part of Germany. We will then reverse the relationship of the signifier and the signified, as it is at first apparent in the manifestation of the invisible satellites through their signifiers, the satellite dishes. We will examine and “document” how the Ruhr region is represented in space and which satellites are responsible for this representational work. Finally, we will explore the question of how it might look when we represent the “representers”. | ||
We will use films and photos from an excursion through northern Dortmund made during the workshop. These images are a documentation of the density and position of satellite dishes found in the area. Since these dishes direct attention to their signified satellites in space, we will present them in our video project as agents of transcendence, contrasting the first two parts which deal with the past and present. In this context we will also include sights and sounds of satellite dishes from other cities in the region. | We will use films and photos from an excursion through northern Dortmund made during the workshop. These images are a documentation of the density and position of satellite dishes found in the area. Since these dishes direct attention to their signified satellites in space, we will present them in our video project as agents of transcendence, contrasting the first two parts which deal with the past and present. In this context we will also include sights and sounds of satellite dishes from other cities in the region. | ||