Thursday, July 31, 2008
INTRODUCING DAVID-BAPTISTE CHIROT
David-Baptiste Chirot is a member of OPENfluxus and has been making what he calls RubBEings and visual poetry for some time. If you GOOGLE his name you will find a great deal about his activities as a ‘rubber’. Here are a couple of random links: 1 • 2 • 3 and here is a link to his BLOG. Click on an image to see a larger version.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
LOADED QUESTION #1
If you have a ‘machine’– here a comuterised router – it is relatively easy to imagine it as a robot. Some may argue about the extent to which it is but let’s just imagine it that way.
If we take the question, “can a robot make art", and ask it of a pencil, paint brush, or any tool, we can answer yes but probably with the rider that it is the person driving it who is doing all the artmaking. Almost immediately you come up against that question that never really goes away. The “what is art" question!
However, we can be sure of one thing, the outcome of an interaction between material, tools (even robots) and a human is ever likely to be cultural production. The extent that any of this tells a story, carries/invokes emotion, a history(ies) is unveiled then perhaps something’s artness is more or less an open question. Yet it’s one that might be answered in many ways – and has been.
If we take another leap into the unknown and ask if we can make, or teach, a robot smile, or cry perhaps, we might enter a somewhat different headspace. Where we go from there is dependant perhaps upon the extent to which a robot is allowed to be seen/imagined as an extension of one’s body, or even one’s self.
Whatever, there will probably need to be some collaboration or cooperation involved for there to be any artfulness.
If we take the question, “can a robot make art", and ask it of a pencil, paint brush, or any tool, we can answer yes but probably with the rider that it is the person driving it who is doing all the artmaking. Almost immediately you come up against that question that never really goes away. The “what is art" question!
However, we can be sure of one thing, the outcome of an interaction between material, tools (even robots) and a human is ever likely to be cultural production. The extent that any of this tells a story, carries/invokes emotion, a history(ies) is unveiled then perhaps something’s artness is more or less an open question. Yet it’s one that might be answered in many ways – and has been.
If we take another leap into the unknown and ask if we can make, or teach, a robot smile, or cry perhaps, we might enter a somewhat different headspace. Where we go from there is dependant perhaps upon the extent to which a robot is allowed to be seen/imagined as an extension of one’s body, or even one’s self.
Whatever, there will probably need to be some collaboration or cooperation involved for there to be any artfulness.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
SCORE: 1 _07/08
Click on the image to enlarge
Please use the comments section below to submit other scores
Saturday, July 19, 2008
SOME PARAMETRES
Given that, as a starting point, the architecture studio at the University of Tasmania, and its CNC router, is the jumping off point for the RUBBINGzone project, some boundaries need to be defined.
Projecting some way forward and anticipating some potential outcomes the paper size A4 (About Paper Sizes) has been selected as a jumping off point.
NB: This decision is entirely arbitrary and has been made for no other reason than it seemed such a decision would need to be made at sometime.
TAKING A RUBBING
On the face of it taking a rubbing from something is a relatively innocuous thing to do. But if we take this statement and look for ambiguity, and double entendre, it is less so.
It might be argued that ‘taking’ carries connotations that are somewhat ambiguous – and to various degrees with negative narratives. Do we mean the stealing of, the theft of, the appropriation of, the purloining of, the pilfering of, the filching of, the pinching of, the flogging of, the lifting of (and off?) or the simple removal and carrying away of, something?
Well in the taking of a rubbing, all of the above may well apply – albeit sometimes behind a mask of respectability and propriety. And furthermore, all the layers of meaning, and innuendo, at the same time, and to various degrees, may kick in. Taking something is never simple. There are always consequences!
Arguably, taking a rubbing is ever likely to be to some extent transgressive (taboo?) within some cultural contexts where property and ownerships are asserted. But they’ll still be ‘taken’ – one way or another, but only if they are of ‘value’.
As for ‘rubbing’, well a different set of implications are suggested. Here ‘rubbing’ is being invoked as an ‘impression’ but can it be stopped there?
If we go one way there are interconnected implications to do with evidence, imagery, beliefs, understandings, patterns, marks, mimicry, copying and so on. If we go another innuendos to do with sexuality, permissiveness, sexualisation, touch, and so on. All emotive stuff!
As this project evolves, and as words, and imagery, are played with the players may enter perhaps, new zones of understanding – perhaps zones where the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Elbows may even be rubbed!
It might be argued that ‘taking’ carries connotations that are somewhat ambiguous – and to various degrees with negative narratives. Do we mean the stealing of, the theft of, the appropriation of, the purloining of, the pilfering of, the filching of, the pinching of, the flogging of, the lifting of (and off?) or the simple removal and carrying away of, something?
Well in the taking of a rubbing, all of the above may well apply – albeit sometimes behind a mask of respectability and propriety. And furthermore, all the layers of meaning, and innuendo, at the same time, and to various degrees, may kick in. Taking something is never simple. There are always consequences!
Arguably, taking a rubbing is ever likely to be to some extent transgressive (taboo?) within some cultural contexts where property and ownerships are asserted. But they’ll still be ‘taken’ – one way or another, but only if they are of ‘value’.
As for ‘rubbing’, well a different set of implications are suggested. Here ‘rubbing’ is being invoked as an ‘impression’ but can it be stopped there?
If we go one way there are interconnected implications to do with evidence, imagery, beliefs, understandings, patterns, marks, mimicry, copying and so on. If we go another innuendos to do with sexuality, permissiveness, sexualisation, touch, and so on. All emotive stuff!
As this project evolves, and as words, and imagery, are played with the players may enter perhaps, new zones of understanding – perhaps zones where the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Elbows may even be rubbed!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
WATCH THIS SPACE
As the project progresses information will be posted here as will links to other sites relevant to the project.
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