Rhizome Internet

the last 2 decades. He is a hacker at the core—rigging various technologies and musical instruments together in endless experiments. For example, die drums on his song She Blinded Me With Science were played through a disco-lighting console designed to turn mirror balls on and off. From a socio-cultural perspective, Dolby Robertson seems to mix various layers together, playing with the broader bio-rhythms of our mediadriven society. From pop-culture player to software entrepreneur, he is becom­ ing a master at transforming new media to his own musical ends. Perhaps the real intelligence of Dolby Robertson is not found in his hacker genes, but in his natural ability as an art­ ist to read changing winds. As he said during his talk, "The fact is, nothing re­ ally important happens until an artist or teacher comes along and shows us what to do with [a technology]." VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES AND VIRTUAL WORLDS: LINDA STONE, CHAR DAVIES, MARK PESCE, SANDY STONE, GAIL WILLIAMS, BRUCE DAMER 22 October 1997 This New Media Minds panel discussion looked at issues of identity, power and access in relation to our new media. Rather than offering clear answers, the forum offered a series of samples that reflect the level of complexity involved in our search for understanding. Much like what we find in VR itself, an unmis­ takable multiplicity arises as we explore new spaces, revealing conscious and un­ conscious aspects of our search for meaning. These ideas surfaced repeatMark Tribe Rhizome Internet is an organization dedicated to fostering communication and community in the field of new me­ dia art. Mark Tribe, 368 Broadway #403, New York, NY 1001S, U.SA E-mail: . Web site: . edly as die evening progressed, witfi par­ ticular emphasis on the distinction be­ tween self and nature. The screening of the documentation tape of a VR installation called Osmose, created by Char Davies and Softimage, became a focal point of the discussion. In Osmose, a head-mounted display pro­ vides a window into many translucent worlds. A chest-mounted device measur­ ing the participant's breath allows up­ ward and downward movement in diese worlds. The experience is a solitary one, almost meditative, and often generates deep feelings of connection to the self. It inspires a profoundly different per­ ception of the physical world. While Mark Pesce noted that "the self in cyberspace presents itself with a dis­ arming lack of illusion," Davies re­ minded us that "we will never, ever, re­ construct the myriad of levels of complexity that you find right here." Again, an unmistakable multiplicity that is perhaps unresolvable arises the more we explore these new spaces. Sandy Stone clarified the distinction best by saying, "There is a difference between a technology which changes us and a hu­ man experience which uses technology as a means of expression, as a means to­ ward changing us in odier ways." The physical environment, human na­ ture and die virtual world are converging. While many are qualifying and quantify­ ing such changes in an attempt to make them understandable, definitive answers are unlikely. Rather, a more refined inner sense of perception might be necessary to deal with change. Putting things in the present context, Sandy concluded: I think the things that will be remem­ bered about what's happening now are in fact things like Osmose, things that move us in ways we don't quite underRhizome Internet Rhizome Internet's Web site (http:// www.rhizome.org) and E-mail lists con­ stitute a comprehensive resource for information and critical writing about the intersection of emerging technol­ ogy and contemporary art. A forum for the exchange of ideas is crucial if new Fig. 1. NTT New Media Minds logo, 1997. The New Media Minds forum is an annual series of events—panel discussions, lec­ tures and performances—on topics related to new media and culture. stand, that we can't parse, that we can't deduce to some sort of explanation, that reach us through our back doors, if you will. In Fall 1998, New Media Minds re­ turns in October and November to the Center for the Arts, Yerba Buena Gar­ dens, San Francisco. For more informa...