Meeting with Anastasois and Rain

Tutorial meeting with Anastasois and Rain yesterday at the Wellcome collection. Very fruitful in a way, I think. Especially Rain, who does interactive social wearables. I felt both of them finally understands what I am trying to say or going through. More thorough. As I don't feel my past tutors are 100% helpful, as they don't fully understand the subject.

A lot of things going through for the dissertation. I realised now I have to really focus and filter out. But to start, I shall be writing from inspiration which is from siri, human talking to smartone (or any electronic device i.e. robot) and a very religious friend who absolutely believes that it was God's voice that tell her to walk her path, so all decisions needed to be waited patiently until she hears God's voice. I question that is just her talking. So I question faith. Humans has been creating myth to sooth themselves of their own life existence. Humans created robots, and robots have said to be able to have higher precision and intelligence, by creating something like that, then robots are above human. And since the human is the creator of the robot, that the human is kind of a god to the robots. So human are acting as gods. I am toying with that idea, and in the performance I am the manipulator and act as a god for the troll king.

Similar to the segment of the Wizard of Oz the movie, when Dorothy and the gang finally found the king, and there was this head talking to them, he signifies the almighty, and then suddenly the cat decides to go behind the green curtain, only to reveal that a man is actually doing all the controller and he is speaking to the microphone.

Rain talks about we are in the era of transhumance, and we are going to post human. What does all this mean? People has been transforming their bodies now, whether because of disabilities or just simply an experiment to mutilate the body. Why we are so fantasticated with the heroes that Stan Lee in DC comics. A human desire to be a better human being, and when it goes further, to be god of some kind. A desire for power. Why do humans react that way is anyone guess. To prove that we are so flawed, so selfish and narcissistic in every way.

I would like to create a playground for all ages, I led you to a journey, and through that journey, I am hoping that you will rethink what you already know.

Here's his feedback and discussions during the meeting, and helping me to write my critical paper.

Proposed Project name: man vs god | robot vs man | robot vs god

Key concepts / inspirations: Neuroscience – Artificial intelligence – studio Ghibli animation creatures. Cyborgs. Trans-humanism (transfer stage of being human to a robot), post-humanism.

Feedback / discussion

Your project it is very ambitious and at this tage will need to focuse on one aspect. You will need to manage your expectations. Concentrate more on the ideas about the project as you can see below. Show only one aspect of the project and talk about your intentions and where you want to go with this project. Focus on the development aspect of the project as described on the brief (Task 1)

Starting with your practice you could easily look where your research fits in, what is going on currently in the field of art, theatre and digital performance, why your approach is unique, and what you achieved with your ideas and your experimentation of practice. By looking other people’s work, you can identify what kind of gap exist and how you trying to fill this gap or to explore it further. For example, if you are exploring the Transhuman through the robots that you are creating perhaps you could look some innovative /performativity based work. (Look Anna Dumitriu and some of her work for Future Fest 2015: http://myrobotcompanion.tumblr.com/ )

What you will need to discuss at this stage on your paper / dissertation too is what people thing or expect the future to be in relation to your work approach. It doesn't have to happen in the making process, but this it might be an idea of how to proceed with your work and show your creative aspect of your work.

In more detail info to help you structure your dradt

You have two robots named ‘Troll King’ & ‘Blip’

What Troll King’ does? Why? What is the inspiration to create it?

You did mentioned Mythological creatures, and a generic approach to what people have created throughout the time in relation to their needs. Is technology part of this creation? (you did mentioned the iPhone and your inspiration approach of the two screens that “talk” to each other).

Blip also is the immersion and merge of two creative cultures (Chinese and Portuguese). Instinctively blip becomes part of you and it is personal description of your self. Why, how? You will need to add it to your motivation part, and use it in your practice too.

However, you do not really need to expand on this as you previously discussed in depth, however there is some space (150 words) that you will need to open your dissertation with your overall conceptual approach.

Also

The whole idea of the practice derives from your two religious friends and their “faith” to God and therefore you translated this into “faith” in technology and transhuman approach.

(look: https://www.ted.com/talks/billy_graham_on_technology_faith_and_suffering?language=en

http://www.newidentitymagazine.com/connect/faith-technology/

Therefore in your practice you are looking into technology and more specifically the use of the the iphone Siri voice as inspiration and you make a connection with the example of the two computers discussion.

Do you need to clarify also what is faith? “What the hell is faith?”

The practice and your writing should relect the following

What is it that interests you about the robot talking to humans?

What this connection provoking?

That is what you trying to explore.

You started with siri , however you will need to focus down, to as you said to the robot and human communication , (an interesting idea : thinking that you are talking to God, but actually you are talking to yourself).

Your structure and inspiration

You started from siri

Then you come to the person interacting with the robot

(as one to one conversation)

The person interacting is actually looking to himself or herself,

as a “Narcistic approach”

Therefore you are associating this interaction with myth or god creation.

Practice

You are Building two robots

You are Interacting with audience. Do you have an audience in mind?

You are collecting information

What is your role? Observer? Facilitator? (you are god, you are controlling the responces and therefore their emotions, manipulation)