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Dear Mark,
I am also so excited for this week's discussion, and gathering again
together! I will send a "formal announcement" shortly to introduce this
exciting week.
The Machine Dreams gathering was incredibly special, in part because of
your guidance, and mentorship to the space! It was a gathering of really
inspiring scholars and artists, and created such a generative space of
engagement. I am so glad the space was also special to you, and others,
especially because it was made so special by way of your contributions,
guidance, and others who joined us there.
I am struck by your moving words,
"Why are we so drawn to the machines of our machine dreams, as people,
as artists, as dreamers? I'm starting to think that it is not their
inability to be completely human but instead their ability to fully
embody one part of the human attributes without manifesting the full
meat sack of messy, squishy embodied being. In other words, they allow
us to imagine intensely our humanity in part."
I want to stay with your words above, because perhaps that is what
characterizes the gathering, and what I am curious about as well. "Why
are we so drawn to the machine of our machine dreams," and how robots
and machines "allow us to imagine intensely our humanity in part."
machine dreams, and the ties forged and soldered through. more soon.
warmly,
Margaret
On 2017-05-22 08:45, Mark Marino wrote:
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Hi, Machine Dreamers,
I'm so excited for this week's discussion. Our Machine Dreams
encounter was one I will not forget. For those of you who missed it,
you can watch a somewhat pixelated version here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFYFaWrqZik
As I read over our publication from Machine Dreams, flip through the
pages of Radio heart, or think about our time together, I'm struck by
the shear humanity of the whirls with robots. Or rather, I'm struck
by the parts of humanity that emerge from the whirls.
Why are we so drawn to the machines of our machine dreams, as people,
as artists, as dreamers? I'm starting to think that it is not their
inability to be completely human but instead their ability to fully
embody one part of the human attributes without manifesting the full
meat sack of messy, squishy embodied being. In other words, they allow
us to imagine intensely our humanity in part. Not metonymic but in
isolation.
An emotion. A logical flow. A sense of consideration without
empathy. Knowledge without understanding.
But our intense encounter with even that part of humanity -- that part
of humanity isolated from the whole -- is transformative.
"I still hear you radio heart beating
Inside the meat of mine."
And of course, no doubt this partiality is part and parcel of our
experience of one another.
That is my first thought. Looking forward to our conversation.
Best,
Mark Marino
_______________________________________________
empyre forum
empyre@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au
http://empyre.library.cornell.edu
--
Margaret Rhee, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor
Women's and Gender Studies
University of Oregon
_______________________________________________
empyre forum
empyre@lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au
http://empyre.library.cornell.edu
