A shiny, transparent exoskeleton waits quietly, resting on a table, perhaps a remote activation. Fragile fingers of quick touch remain immovable in a retracted and uncertain position. A voice resounds from an intercom loudspeaker: – Imagine that you have never seen a human being before.
“The writing ball is a thing like me: made of iron Yet easily twisted on journeys. Patience and tact are required in abundance, As wel as fine fingers, to use us.”
Imagine humanity through the eyes of aliens. Wouldn’t we look magical from space? From afar, humans seems to generate light. On closer inspection you would see that they actually have frail bodies, and they dominate their habitat through the use of tools. Over time perhaps you could see the shift. The dawn of an industrialised civilisation. For a time humankind flourished in their mass-produced utopia. Great tools were built, of a scale easily visible from…
Verbeek sees technology as a part of us, in every historical timeline. “Technology shapes how we are human, and how we see the world. It has always done that, from the fist ax to the iPhone.”
The plotter knife replaced by pens and markers draws intricate designs and patterns with machine precision. The loud mechanic sounds generated by the plotter were picked up by a microphone and fed into a complex audiovisual feedback loop where sound was converted into image using hacked VGA cables and a signal stabilizer.
This is an overview of ongoing research and visual exploration on imagination and beauty surrounding technology. As my artistic practice develops so will my research and this research page. [click to read more]