Maria Fernandez
As you walk across a North American Midwestern campus, crowds of students wearing one eyed sunglasses dash about, seemingly possessed, interacting with invisible spirits, in hot pursuit of .... something. The prototype of this multi-user mixed reality game was modeled back in 2003, on the same campus: a miniature video camera was mounted on the back of the PDA with GPS (Global Positioning System, worldwide satellite navigation) positioning and wireless communication. The physical world was recorded by the camera and displayed on the screen. Virtual objects, avatars and agents were mapped into that image. The agents were driven by the participant, by other players or had their own behavior in the virtual world. The physical location of the participants was tracked by the GPS and players could send agents to specified locations within the virtual world to stand on their behalf. Thus, surveillance could be eluded, at least temporarily. The interface for games using these or similar elements could be, some day, direct retinal inscription. The art of the future has foundations in the present. Gibson envisioned cyberspace after the development of ARPANET and the early personal computer. In 2002, imagined future arts might involve existing technologies including wireless information devices, bio- and nano-techologies, wearable and molecular computers. Fictional imprints of futures including William Gibson's "Neuromancer" (1984) and "Idoru" (1996) , David Cronenberg's "eXistenZ" and the Wachowski brothers' "The Matrix" (1999) proposes that an immediate goal of technological development is to dismantle distinctions between the material and virtual worlds. The philosophy supporting these developments is already dogma. Most self-respecting academics will attest to the impossibility of representing and recognizing the real. As reality is always already mediated, it makes little sense to speak of authentic events, experiences, needs, or sensations. Concepts such as "justice" become obsolete. War machines have always recognized the importance of games in the making of future soldiers and their supporters. Industry has repeatedly confirmed the high profitability of games. Games that unite the physical and the virtual in a seamless continuum promise a new generation of art practice and may ultimately pose new models of citizenship and agency. Games accomplishing these objectives can be designed with existing technologies including Personal Digital Assistants, Miniature video cameras, GPS tracking and wireless networks. We already have the beginnings of another reality. Maria Fernandez Irvine, California |
