Augmented Space Response
I had many thoughts while reading through this very intriguing essay. Many to which made me think outside the box and think of information as we perceive it and data as its own entity of space in the physical world we live in. It’s no surprise that in the era we live in technology is moving at a rapid pace that we can hardly keep up with. Daily there are new innovations that change the way we think, interactive, and quite basically live. I am reminded of this with my recent purchase of an Iphone. The fact that a device now used by the masses literally has changed the way I live. The instant access to any and all information has taken my daily routine and molded it into a wealth of knowledge and then additionally has “improved” my life for the most part. I now can wirelessly accomplish most of any tasks through a GUI that is smaller than my hand with a couple touches on a screen. Through the over abundance of applications I can find any answer to any question I may seek and solve any problem that I face. However this is not a new idea as Manovich so eloquently stated. The general dynamic between spatial form and how information functions has been a problem faced throughout generations. The difference now is this concept of overlaying digital data space over an already existing physical space in through which we interact in a daily basis. Artists of past have tried to enhance this physical space through numerous means and attempts via 2d art and architecture basically trying to improve on or “augment’ the already living world. Thus far these artists of past have been successful in there attempts but with the information age quickly and at an exponential rate embracing us and passing us in our era, artists are now posed with a new phenomenon with the idea of how far can we stretch the boundaries of this new dimension. Well before reading this article I started to realize that the space through which I interacted was rapidly changing. From the simple concept that I used to own a collection of encyclopedias that took up a significant amount of physical space and to some extent were limited, to now being able to access any and all of that information plus an infinite amount surpassing that on a device smaller than my hand and with more efficiency. It is a phenomena that I never had to think twice about, I just naturally adapted to the culture that was being created around me. I could go on for great lengths about these revelations I have had. But the real question and proposed quandary of today’s day and age is does the culture drive the augmented space or vice versa, and how can we as artists begin to combine the new functioning of these spaces to augment the already existing physical. This is a difficult problem to assess and then eventually resolve. Because of the fact that information is personalized for each individual, and the fact that this can change dynamically over time poses a complex task at hand. Although I have never considered Data as its own space or dimension, even though I am immersed in it on a daily basis, mainly due to natural cultural adaptation, I am realizing that this data precisely takes on an identity of its own. Because of this revelation it is only fitting to begin to think of the augmented space in a new light and not only be immersed and adapt accordingly, but to begin to process how this information and space can be improved upon. Thinking outside the box is most assuredly the way to begin to think when contemplating augmented space. We can learn from artists past and more importantly the experimental aspect of the arts. It is through this experimental process and hypothesis that these great artists breached many gaps of the past. Through removing oneself from the information and culture presented and “consider the invisible space of electronic data flow as substance rather than a void,” we can begin to expound upon not only the architectural and aesthetic aspects of our informational lives, but we can begin to change the way the world works. We as artists can continue, like many past, to give this ever changing phenomena of augmented space, “a structure, a politics, and a poetics,” and continue to move through this information age with the intent on making an impact on culture in the physical and non-physical dimensions and alter or “improve” reality as we know it.
JJerik