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addicted to information?
What struck me most about this site is the simple graphics that Bleeker chose. The ubiquitous "human" sign-- found most frequently on bathroom doors-- is the "Everyman" marker of today. Of course, the arrow could be understood in any developed culture. As I watched the graphics, I thought of hospital IVs moving fluids in and out of the body. Of course, these simple shapes are completely inhuman- void of any of the machinations of the body- but they seemed to be addicted to the URLs flashing in the sky above them. It is almost as if they would cease to exist without some kind of constant, WiFi connection. This is enforced by the introduction of video somewhat musical sounds once the characters are connected. At the beginning, we see the “people” figures, and then hear the chatter found in cafes or other public spaces. It could easily be conversation before the beginning of a play or opera concert. The main event, though, is individuals connecting with separate sites in the “sky.” Because we cannot locate or place wifi, there is no physicality to it. Interestingly, Bleeker places these sites above us as if humans are reaching interminably to some higher power. There is an almost desperate rapidity to the site shifting occurring. It is as if each “character” suffers from severe attention deficit disorder and urgently shops, searches or simply views sites in search of an answer of some kind. In contrast, the lone figure without the connection seemed sacrosanct, somehow safe and protected from the constant barrage of information. I think this could easily be read as an indictment of our need to be constantly "in touch" -- getting a lot of information without truly learning anything.- adan avalos, USC, 12.09.2005
