Contents

Part One                                                                                           

Entering in dialogue                                                                                   Pages 1 – 2

Part Two

Convincing an audience its art !                                                   Pages 2- 4

Part Three

Silence                                                                                              Pages 4 – 6

Part Four

Noticing change – Becoming reproductions                              Pages 6 – 7

Part Five

Request                                                                                             Pages 7 – 10

Part Six

Vox-Pops                                                                                           Pages 7 – 8

Part Seven                                                                                      

Public Event                                                                                     Pages 10 - 12
 

Even though I said, that I would not enter into dialogue with anyone through this, I felt it necessary to sum up a response to the rest of your 'team', for the merging of both practical and theory together. This seems to now be more successful through this type of media, as a posed to the table scenario.

But I could still see this becoming something larger. Perhaps if on a more personal level, participants where invited into some sort of photo-booth, where they become challenged by there own identity, and how this could be transformed into art. Opening up the question into 'what is art' and does it really exist think that opening this up to a larger audience, it is making the public more aware of what different types of art in the market place and how they are developing as art forms.

Anonymous

Name:            Anonymous (nony-mous@hotmail.co.uk)

Date:   27/02/2008 21:32:57

Subject:          Becoming one

After spending sometime reading through this, I now understand where this has moved on from. Where as before it was only for consumption on the table, and now it is really out there for all to see. Not realising how big this actually is,I can see why you need a team to be able to cariagraph all these separate sections into work as a whole. Even though it could be seen that as individuals become merged so does the team with which you work in.

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion, there are participatory events coming up in April (soon to be announced on the web site). Although educating the public about art is not really necessary. Andrew Brighton would say that you don't have to educated to enjoy the arts...some of the Nazis loved Schubert! What is important is that people get to enjoy something, leaving the question as to what art is to those who propagate such critical musings...

Reproductions.

I performed last night, and my task was to convince the audience that what I was doing was art!

This was very difficult as I was not able to speak, use eye contact, or even see what I was doing. In actual fact I was in complete total darkness and all I could see was the floor beneath me, Well what I thought was on the floor, in actual fact was a wet viscous solution on my bare feet. What I was trying to do was convince this audience that what they see in front of them was not really darkness, but something inner with in them emerging. From their experience of being in a dark intimate space with me. This was intimidating enough for them, so they did not question the art behind the performance.

From this they take home this experience and realize that it does not have to be complicated for them to understand and appreciate it as a piece of art, but just through their experience of this it has happened beneath their eyes.

So my question is was it the silence within this space that convinced them or was it the fact of it being seen in an art institute that they believed that they were experience art.

I leave the answer up to you to decide perhaps you were there yourself and experienced it first hand or perhaps you have experienced something similar?

Anonymous

Hi,

Firstly, I would ask 'can you actually be silent, be in a silent environment?'...’What is silence?'...Is it the absence of sound? John Cage amongst many others has wrestled with this question. Perhaps you could conduct your own research on this question. As for the physical environment, again what is site? Is it a geographical or topographical location? Maybe consider how people respond to context as well. Also consider the relationship between sensory experience and cognition (thinking and feeling), when I walk into my room at night, before I switch on the light, I can think the space before seeing it but I don't recognize this experience as art. There is a phenomenological aspect to your description, which is interesting, and I wish you luck...

Reproductions

'Can you actually be silent, be in a silent environment?'...’What is silence?'...Is it the absence of sound? (Wed, 12 Mar 2008, sasway@aol.com)

As we know there is not one definition for silence and I think that from the performance these two forms of silence best depicted the issues around there actually being silence.

In the form of physiological silence which is identified through momentary silences in communicative interaction and mental processing of ideas which was the case in this environment I see that silence of this form can take place, and was very similar to that of what I was experiencing in this environment. Even though it is seen as being short and combining internal or mental (psychological) factors in to a physical form of external expression.

The other type of silence which took place in the environment linked more closely to that of interactive silence which was present though the interpersonal context-that is interpersonal relationships within this performance. This category of silence is evident through interactive roles and performance.

Site can be anything thing it could be the space in which we stand to the body in which where in. So the site within in this performance was that of the space around ones body and how it was occupied with other bodies taking up the free space around them and how they were in actual fact becoming the new site within the space.

Because none of us where familiar with the space as you are with yours "when I walk into my room at night"(ibid) it was harder to control ones movement around it, as people were more comfortable to stand still than moving and touching others that they did not know.

Do you think your participants would rather have control over which they get merged with, so they can experience for them selves this transformation of physicality? Or do you think that the "relationship between sensory experience and cognition (thinking and feeling)"(ibid) would perhaps then involve an aesthetic experience rather than just a merging of faces?

Anonymous

Hi anonymous,

I agree with you inasmuch as ‘…there is not one definition for silence…’ (nony-mous@hotmail.co.uk, 2008,03,12). Similarly, one may consider any ‘…depiction’ (ibid) to be one interpretation of an experience. In your case, it is your subjective interpretation, which led you to your ‘…definition’ (ibid). To date, there is no concrete evidence that it is in anyway possible to access the consciousness of another; therefore, your experience and definition is only particular to you.

For me, I still hold with the notion that silence is an absence of sound, to perform, describe or experience silence is impossible to convey as an absolute truth or essence.

Your association of silence is allied to that of absence (absence of sound, of objects, time lapses). Such phenomenological experience whether psychological or somatic or both are interesting concepts, Martin Heidegger’s ‘Being and Time’ is a good one to read if you have the patience.

Your question about an aesthetic experience in relation to the images (ibid) is equally dependent upon the above factors in the first paragraph (in principle). Whether that actually effects any ameliorative consequence is relativistic.

 However, we are currently in the process of developing a recursive algorithmic database to randomize the production of images linked to value tags on social utility sites. This will remove bias from the part of the producer without enabling too much control from the user (to reiterate a much earlier point about pro-sumers).

Reproductions

Hi Wayne,

That's if you are still their, I have noticed this change that my e-mails are now being replied to by reproductions, rather than an individual as before.

I suppose its a bit like when the 'Daily Telegraph' was taking over a few years ago now, that the attitudes of the writers changed as they stopped directing there paper to just a specific audience. Especially the cryptic clues in the cryptic crosswords they became much simpler and lost the traditional values behind words.

Anyway we must all experience change, as we can't live in the past. But if you are still their and won't to correspond in future I will be open for discussion.

Hi anonymous,

If you look at the bottom of the website pages you will notice it reads (Not all views expressed in this article directly reflect the views of individuals within the team). In this sense, I have not been usurped by a collective intelligence or homogenous group! The internet affords anonymity as you have demonstrated. It is therefore rather irrelevant which name is given to the correspondent, as nobody really knows who is actually writing these emails. As a reversal to your comment about the ‘…Daily Telegraph’, perhaps with a greater degree of ambiguity, the ‘cryptic clues’ become more complex.

As for ‘…traditional values behind words’, post- structuralist thinking has pointed out the skepticism towards fixing such values where the etymology is ancillary at best!

Reproductions

Hi anonymous, a colleague of mine has paid some interest in you and would like to meet and have a chat, how do you feel about that? (no idea why or for what purpose).

Its sounds interesting, perhaps if your colleague could e-mail me about what it is their intending to do, I may be happy to help! But of course no face to my name!

Anonymous

I was on my way to the post-office on Wednesday at about 12.30, when I noticed this man stood opposite the big issue seller, and I thought that perhaps he was one of those men that stood outside the shop why the other half brought something which did not interest them. But then I caught wind of his conversation and thought here we go wanting money, because he was obviously to smart to be begging for money! Then I got a glance of what he was showing this more senior couple, and realized that it was the same image that was on the home page to reproductions. This is when I assumed that perhaps this person was a team member of reproductions. Which gave me another perspective to the way this project has now emerge out of the academia light and into public consumption! Great I thought at last the public are getting not what they bargained for when it came to the interpretation of what art really is, and the realms it which it must be staged! So I stood for a while and listened in, and realized just how much people disregarded your credibility for something so advanced of their time, for just to have their picture taken.

But then that comes back to stereotypes of what people are more capable now a days to do with a photo..................

So I past about three times not making eye contacted but getting closer each time to listen a bit more.

Then I thought I would go in search of anymore of the team within the community.

I got as far as the market, and nearly walked straight into a young, but mature looking woman with a clip board, Shit I thought I hate these people quick do not give eye contact find the nearest exit. That's when I noticed this image, and thought ok I have found another of the team. But this time she seemed more forward and approached various people as so wondered amuasaly around streets and little corridors tucked behind shops. I followed for a while and realized that she seemed so forward and engaged with a vast majority of audiences that her responses seemed rather quicker and the photos where taken before the public had chance to say no!

This is when I realized that if different team members get the messages in which they want to get across in their own particular fashion, their is a higher success rate than just one member of the team doing it all their way.

I did manage to get a flyer, which dropped out of this young woman's clipboard, so I hope to come to this public event, and find out what you are now doing with the public involved, and whether your philosophies have changed or maybe even still be the same!

Anonymous

Its sounds interesting, perhaps if your colleague could e-mail me about what it is their intending to do, I may be happy to help!, But of course no face to my name!

Anonymous

Hi Anonymous,

I was wondering if I could do some sound piece with you, after our public event tomorrow night, which if you don't know about it its in the Jill Cragie Cinema, Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth. It starts at 6.30pm. Hope you can make it!

The area in which I am interesting in covering with you is what you think of the event, whether it portrays your anoaluaty, or whether you object to your anonymous dialogues being used in this context.

We could either chat in person about this or you could record your views about it and send to be if you don't want to uncover your identity.

I would be really interested in having your say in this other dimension.

Kind Regards

Emma @Reproductions

Hi Emma,

I think it is really important to hear someone’s views about an public event, which included conversations, which I have with reproductions as well as the way these are portrayed with reproductions. I would not uncover my identity with you as I still have my mask and will use this as a boundary to stop nice pleasantries. I could come into the University on Friday, or it may be best if we met outside of the university at cafe uno?

Anonymous

How does one define a Public Event, is it an event which is just for the public or is that an assumption, on my part!

Is it an event which is generally for everyone or does that then mean that it is no longer targeted one particular group of people.

Or is it merely for the public and no art talk involved!

Anonymous

Public as opposed to private simply means without the exclusion resulting from elitism as is often the case in the art world. As I may have mentioned before...

 For those who believe art should be above popular culture, and for those individuals who may call themselves ‘cultured’ may take heed…as to propagate ‘serious art’ to the uneducated is a form of cultural aggression.

You don’t have to be uneducated to be uninterested in the arts and you don’t have to be educated to make a good job of being a human being. Some of the scum who ran the Nazi concentration camps loved Schubert. (Brighton,2006)

Well what an interesting quote, if I remember rightly that was what you said at your Public Event on Thursday!

So who was the person that acted out my part as the anonymous, it was a really good attempt to be me! If I had realized we would be wearing masks I would of done it for you! But best I did not because then the identity of me would become apparent, even though I would have been of a non -existing identity!

So where’s it going from here - are you intending to re-do that event and publisise it more to the community of Plymouth or are you going to expand out of Plymouth?

As I could see it really working if as you said we were more in control of merging the faces through the help of some database. It reminds me of some sort of genetic trial with out the egg and sperm!

The story of Hilary - I must remark on as I could not help but experiencing a similar incident to this, but the only difference is I was trying to escape from everyone around me, so I was in the public eye! I do like the choice of name, I could not help but remembering the conversation we had had about, if I could change my name what would I call myself?

After hearing this story I then realized the connection to 'male' steering in the mirror and the story. Well I thought it worked the way you portrayed the connection of images and text, I had wondered how it would come together in this form, as it is so different than what is seen on the website.

Anonymous

Hi anonymous,

Thanks for coming to the event, as you will have seen, the idea is that this project will end up sitting on the web as autonomous/generative. Your duologues with me have been a great source of material for many aspects of the project so thank you for your time. Just like a conversation, there needs to be a beginning-middle and end to complete the communication cycle (and so should this relationship in its current form). Look out for me in the next week as I am going to approach you to complete this cycle and perhaps start a new one...

Best wishes

Well I am glad they have been of help. I will look forward to your approach as it could take on many forms, but perhaps if a meeting was to take place in a room at a time! It may visually benefit what has come before and perhaps what’s to come.

Anonymous