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L Ji V 13 .a w Of Ave rag es My work is informed by the politics of technology, sex, and society. In \^TUPQ~MES DUESING La Law of Averages, two lovers meet and begin a relationship that is complicated AMES DUESING by lack of exact compatibility, daily compromises, and occasional sensuousrideo /computer animation ness. Law of Averages takes place in a lush garden in which temptation is pro996 vided by an interactive theater called The Big Ghost. Vynola, an exotic birdlike creature, is the bawdy tour guide to this alluring cyberworld. . :; ................... . Destitute people addicted to the theater's entertainment frequent the vicinity. ' i ..a . . Although The Big Ghost is the only actual building in the garden, all the H i | ;J?Kii. - people have a place to live, and they all have a couch and TV because they believe it helps them think. The Big Ghost, a monolithic structure among the trees, takes its name _ _ - _:"":ljf K : from the word used to describe television by Chief Kanhonk of the Kaiapo _ f '* * ~ ^ f Indians, a tribe indigenous to the Brazilian rain forest. The Kaiapo Indians have no written language, so their history has been handed down through storytelling. Television became a substitute for that storytelling, so recent ...._:ir" : i-:...... . :~ generations have grown up with no interest in their own history. The Big Ghost is not just an exciting entertainment; it is an addictive substitute for ,lli|ei~l . .all interpersonal relationships. Throughout the animation, the narrator speaks in the first and second person; no names are given as the lovers' relationship unfolds. The narrator says things like "I meet you at a party where you are dancing so wildly you are politely escorted out." "I want to call a friend and talk to them about you, but everyone in my phone book is dead." Several layers of control are being exercised in the garden of Law of Aerages. In addition to the Big Ghost, stone slabs used as scene dividers are carved with exacting and restrictive guidelines on how to live your life: Trust Your Government. Aspire to Wallto -Wall Carpeting. Buy Life Insurance. Be Caller Number 7 and Win the Free Dinner. Sampling Space consists of interactive presentations based on sound and image loops. As Web-specific art, Sampling Space is an exercise in bandwidth economy. In the Web environment, the most effective way-and, for users with slow connections, the only way-to have events happen over a period of time on the screen is to use loops. And the smallest element from which a loop can be created is a sample. Sampling Space is about delays and correspondences. The player is invited to explore the relationship between the sounds and animated images presented on each page. The visual part of each page is usually made up of several elements that can be started and stopped at will. j Sampling Space ANIMAL WITH NO NAME World Wide Web 1996 The meaning of these visual elements shifts with the sound, and vice X | i versa. In addition, the meaning of any loop shifts after awhile because of the effect of repetition. As an almost infinite combination of image and sound loops can be generated, every player adapts Sampling Space to her own mood. It is a game in which the player determines the rules. Sampling Space is made with looped QuickTime movies. Due to the relatively early stage of development of QuickTime technology for the Web and to the multiplicity of platforms running different Web browsers, the speed at which the samples loop varies. Although it is not possible for the player to keep track of all the variations, she can readily tell when the sequences are looping synchronously and when they are asynchronous. This threshold between synchronicity and asynchronicity becomes a point of reference on which actions can be based. The inspiration for Sampling Space comes in part from techno music, and the result is a strongly ambient quality to the sound. Some players think of Sampling Space as a tool for meditation. Others compare it to a techno Etch-A-Sketch. Digital Salon, Artists' Statements 397 A ...

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