I

"Escape Velocity is withoUt doubt the best guide I have read to the new com-

pUter culture that will soon dominate our lives. Mark Dery is witty and

provocative bUt always sane and thoughtful. As he shows, the cyber-crazies

are already circling around us. . . . Escape Velocitywill help us keep them in

our sights." -.I. c. Ballard

"Escape Velocity is extraordinary-a rare book that is both scholarly and com-

pulsively readable. Stimulating, perceptive, and a hell of a lot of fun."

-Par Cadigan. author of Fool,

"Cyberculture has long needed a savvy critique by someone who understands

what it is all about. Mark Dery goes beyond letting the air oUt of the tires of

techno-utopia. His report from the hairy fringes of cyberculture forces us to

examine the possibility that literal lust for technology is not just seducing us,

but converting us into something other than human."

-Howard Rheingold, aurhor of The Virtual ConmJU17i~)':

Homestft1di1Jg011the Electrullic j--'rumier

"Totally informed, Dery is a reliable navigator in the new cultural terrain of

virtuality, steering the reader between the Scylla and Charybdis of cyberhype

and technophobia. His sure-sighted critique emerges from an exhaustive

ethnographic survey of the rituals, participants, ideas, and literature in the

field." -Andrew Ross, aurhor of The Chimgo Gallgster TheOl:!,of Lift

"Dery's writing evinces a love of language and a clarity of meaning that are

rarely brought to these subjects. A worthy book." -R. U. Sirius. founder of

Mondo 2000 and aurhor of the L);berplmk Handbook

ISBN 0-8021-1580-2

lark Dery

:al melee that erupted in San Francisco

-yourself robotics into the public eye.the national media, pitted homemade,

;t each other, among them a nasty littlekes and a gas-powered saw, a hundred-War I tank, and the Master, a buzz saw

the event's organizers, has high hopesldd the element of combat and survival

into football fan territory, which is a".

5robotics notwithstanding, the work of~sits most comfortably in the tradition:>tics and dramatics are intertwined:

ed into popular usage in a theatrical

:arel Capek's 192I science fiction play,-and the earliest known robots were

, born of science and sorcery, calcula-

engineer who lived in the first centuryquin theater in which the god Bacchuslcchantes danced. In the late Middle

:an appearing on clock towers. The

its elaborate "jackwork," or movings cast-iron rooster crowed three times; denial of Jesus.

pared, however, with the clockwork

:icists. France's Jacques de Vaucanson

ck, first exhibited in 1738. Goethe,Europe's intelligentsia gaped at this

{ed, gobbled grain from its keeper's

lroppings. The Scribe,built in 1772 byrre Jaquet-Droz and his son Henri-

notion, a life-size barefoot boy seated1inkwell, shake it twice, and write a

I

,

1

II

Escape Velocity 115

fI

preprogrammed text, moving to the next line when necessary. The autom-atOn's eyes followed the moving pen, giving it an astonishingly lifelike air.

Among the Scribe's repertoire of famous phrases was Descartes' axiom, "ITHINK, THEREFORE I AM."

Mechanisms that counterfeit life continue to captivate the human

imagination. Millions have their first close encounter with robots in aDisney theme park, where creepily realistic, computerized characters per-form in revues like the Enchanted Tiki Room, a Polynesian fantasia popu-1ated by Audio-Animatronic birds, flowers, and tribal masks that talk and

sing. (Audio-Animatronicis Disneyspeak for the technology used in electron-ically animated robots whose sound tracks, issuing from hidden speakers,

are synchronized with their movements.)Traditionally, performing machines, from. the mechanical manne-

quins of centuries past to today's corporate image ads disguised as kitschdiversions, have celebrated the status quo. The mechanical spectaclesfabricated by the underground technologists profiled in this chapter ques-

tion the underlying assumptions of mainstream engineering, consumerculture, the art world, and the rest of what Ross has called "the military-industrial-entertainment complex."

"We're just trying to do a theater with machines," says Pauline, as ifto allay any fears. He flashes a toothy, conspiratorial grin. "You have toprovide entertainment value."

Mark Pauline: Heavy Metal Theater of Cruelty

Mark Pauline has a firm handshake.

Which is remarkable, since his right hand has only three fingers,two of which are suspiciously stubby. Odd bumps pebble the heel of hishand; a wad of misshapen flesh bulges between his thumb and first digit. It isthe hand of a monster, attached to a man.

Pauline's fingers are, in fact, not fingers at all, but transplanted toes.

He lost three fingers and a thumb in 1982 while working on a rocket motorfor one of his shows. The propellant exploded, hurling Pauline several feet. "I

was lying on the ground and blood went in a sheet of red over my eyes," herecalls. "I . . . looked at my hand, 'cause [it] felt funny, and all I could seewas the bones."4

"

116 Mark Dery E:

Surgeons were able to reattach one relatively undamaged finger,

patch up the mangled palm with a flap of skin, and improvise new fingerswith a pair of Pauline's toes. Pauline isn't as dexterous with his right hand ashe used to be, but fortunately for him, he's left-handed. More recently, he

and Joseph Rosen, a reconstructive plastic surgeon, have discussed the

possibility-still science fiction-of one day replacing Pauline's maimed handwith that of a healthy donor. In another future imagined by Rosen, the artistwould be fitted with a bionic limb whose microcircuitry would translate

nerve impulses into electrical signals, allowing Pauline to manipulate pow-erful robotic fingers as easily as he once moved his own.

Mark Pauline's saga has all the makings of a gothic horror story set

in a grease-caked machine shop: a rogue technologist challenges the Fatesand loses his right hand-the hand that symbolizes logic and rationality, in

Jungian psychology-to a thunderbolt of divine retribution. He is a distantrelative of Dr. Frankenstein, who only narrowly escaped death at the handsof the monster he jolted to life, and close kin to Rotwang, the industrial

necromancer in Fritz Lang's Metropolis,whose black glove conceals a hand

shriveled by some experiment gone horribly wrong.He shares cultural DNA, as well, with Dr. Adder, the splatterpunk

surgeon with the (literal) firearm in K. W. Jeter's cyber-horror novel of thesame name. Adder sports a fIashglove,a fearsome psychic blaster designed to

be grafted onto the stump of a futuristic executioner, whose forearm must

be amputated to accommodate it. He has been invaded, bodily, by technol-

ogy. More and less than human, he straddles nature and the unnatural; hissynthetic arm, like Ahab's whalebone peg leg, magnifies spiritual flaws evenas it masks physical deformities. At one point, Jeter steps back from thenarrative to consider the steely, death-dealing prosthetic hand as a "minor

archetypal image of the twentieth century. . . representing [a] fascinationwith the artifacts of destruction, the desire to make them part of oneself,

[and] the fear of those who have succeeded in that."sMark Pauline's art, which very nearly cost him his hand, documents

such fears and fascinations. SRL spectacles address the interpenetration

of meat and machinery that is central to cyberculture, underscoring

Marshall McLuhan's perception that "technologies are self-amputations

of our own organs." McLuhan argued that "physiologically, man in thenormal use of technology (or his variously extended body) is perpetually

modified by it and in turn find~

ogy."6 Having extended ourselv~

whole again by reintegrating Ottoolmaker becomes one with hi!

organs of the mac~ine world," ~and to evolve ever new forms."71

takes up McLuhan's thread wh

engineering machine evolution apendent species of machine-fIoV\

reproductive organs."sFittingly, Mark Pauline's

was called Machine Sex (1979). fJhumor, the artist critiqued the jincrisis in mordant, existential ter:

shredded by a spinning blade whi

ably gloomy pop song inspired bmind-numbing volume.

Pauline had moved to San

an art degree from Eckerd Colleg€conventional art world, he had ern

that involved altering billboards 1

board alteration, to Pauline, was r

ideas out in public. . . [where] mtwere in a little room with clean w.

He soon concluded, hoV\

enough wallop. Casting about forready availability of broken-dow]industrial district. "San Francisco

decay," recalled Pauline, in a Re.

'That's it-there's all these places V\do technical, mechanical work.performance-I learned that in sc

have some fun and really do sometA self-taught mechanic, P

school and college working on seland missile launchers at florida's I

II

I

ery Escape Velocity 117

h one relatively undamaged finger,of skin, and improvise new fingers

t as dexterous with his right hand ashe's left-handed. More recently, he

.lastic surgeon, have discussed the

layreplacing Pauline's maimed handfuture imagined by Rosen, the artistlose microcircuitry would translate

llowing Pauline ~omanipulate pow-~moved his own."

makings of a gothic horror story setle technologist challenges the Fates

symbolizes logic and rationality, inIf divine retribution. He is a distant

1arrowly escaped death at the handslose kin to Rotwang, the industrial

. whoseblackgloveconceals a hand .

:ribly wrong.~ll,with Dr. Adder, the splatterpunk

W. Jeter's cyber-horror novel of thefearsome psychic blaster designed tojc executioner, whose forearm must

1asbeen invaded, bodily, by technol-:lddlesnature and the unnatural; his

leg leg, magnifies spiritual flaws evenne point, Jeter steps back from the.dealing prosthetic hand as a "minor

ltury. . . representing [a] fascinationiesire to make them part of oneself,~ded in that."5

nearly cost him his hand, documents;tacles address the interpenetration

tral to cyberculture, underscoring"technologies are self-amputations

~d that ''physiologically, man in theously extended body) is perpetually

t

I

I

j

modified by it and in turn finds ever new ways of modifying his technol-

ogy."6 Having extended ourselves through "auto-amputation," we becomewhole again by reintegrating our technologies into our physiologies: thetoolmaker becomes one with his tools. "Man becomes, as it were, the sex

organs of the machine world," McLuhan wrote, "enabling it to fecundateand to evolve ever new forms."? The postmodern theorist Manuel De Landa

takes up McLuhan's thread when he portrays the human technologistsengineering machine evolution as "industrious insects pollinating an inde-

pendent species of machine-flower that simply [does] not possess its ownreproductive organs."s

Fittingly, Mark Pauline's first venture into mechanical performance

was called Machine Sex (1979). Framing social commentary with absurdisthumor, the artist critiqued the jingoism engendere~ by the late seventies oilcrisis in mordant, existential terms. Dead pigeons dressed as Arabs were

shredded by a spinning blade while the Cure's "Killing an Arab," a fashion-ably gloomy pop song inspired by Albert Camus's The Stranner, blasted atmind-numbing volume.

Pauline had moved to San Francisco in 1977, shortly after receivingan art degree from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. Bored with theconventional art world, he had embarked on a series of creative defacements

that involved altering billboards to reveal their subliminal messages. Bill-board alteration, to Pauline, was media-smart anti-art- "a way for me to getideas out in public. . . [where] more people would see [my] work than if itwere in a little room with clean walls and perfect lighting and 'ambience.' "9

He soon concluded, however, that billboard banditry didn't packenough wallop. Casting about for a harder-hitting medium, he noticed theready availability of broken-down or discarded machinery in the city'sindustrial district. "San Francisco at that point was in a state of industrialdecay," recalled Pauline, in a R.elSearchmagazine interview. "I thought,'That's it-there's all these places with abandoned machines. 1know how todo technical, mechanical work 1 know how to stage a theatrical

performance-I learned that in school. . . . maybe it's possible to actually

have some fun and really do something new.' "10A self-taught mechanic, Pauline had spent the years between high

school and college working on semitrailers, building aircraft target robots

and missile launchers at Florida's Eglin Air Force base, and welding pipe in

118 Mark Dery

the Santa Barbara oil fields. Unlike many artists, he felt an affinity with

technology. "Creative people have never had this kind of industrial equip-ment and machinery; it's alwaysbeen denied them," he told an interviewer."It's all tied in with. . . this idealistic, romantic 19th century notion that

creative people are these frail, delicate, spiritual shells that are about to flit

away and evaporate at any minute, lest we turn our backs on their pitiful,washed-out efforts. So another part of my intention was to disavow that

notion and do something really intense. Today,the main option people have

for expressing themselves powerfully is through machines."11Machine Sex caught the attention of San Francisco's avant-garde

community. In 1982, Matt Heckert became a member of SRL, followed

shortly thereafter by Eric Werner. Heckert was a self-taught mechanic whohad logged long hours hot-rodding the family car; Werner had worked at oilfields in Wyoming and aerospace firms in Orange County, California. Bothhad attended the San Francisco Art Institute.

From 1982 until 1988, the trio staged thirteen confrontational,

increasingly ambitious stunts. (In '87 and '88, respectively, Werner andHeckert left SRLto pursue solo careers.) A Crueland RelentlessPlot to Pervert

the Fleshif Beasts to Unholy Uses(1982), which took place in San Francisco,crossed an antivivisectionist's worst nightmare with a taxidermist's wildestdream. The show made dramatic use of the "organic robots" that have

earned SRL the undying wrath of animal rights activists: the grotesque

Mummy-Go-Round, a carousel fitted with desiccated animal cadavers, themaws of its mummified riders frozen in silent snarls, and a machine

incorporating the remains of a dog, mounted on an armature and anchoredto a radio-controlled cart. Actuated, the dog-machine lunges forward, its

head spinning in ghoulish imitation of cartoon violence.12"The use of dead animals started out as a vaccine to keep audiences

from strolling down that easy road of Disneyfication that beckons whenever

they see any kind of mechanical puppet show," explains Pauline. "It'sdistinctive because you know it isn't putty or rubber, unlike Hollywood

gore, which is the only other place people see special effects that remindthem of the delicacy of the human form turned inside out."

Deliberately False Statements: A Combination if Tricks and Illusions

Guaranteed to Exposethe ShrewdManipulation ifFact(1985), also mounted inSan Francisco, was a gleeful Armageddon. The Screw Machine, a fourteen-

hundred-pound radio-controseizing hapless devices with

ground with screw-poppingand built by Heckert, scutt]

raining blows on other machhimself shudderingly forwarc

conjured the image of a dyhorrifying realism.

Miifortunes if Desire: .

Everythinn Worth Havinn (1cdise Lost," was held in the pagainst a hastily erected Edelshow made use of the one-

shaped, four-legged rover. Th.vehicle whose saber-toothedwas also featured. When the

spat forty-foot tongues of fireWave Cannon let loose with

jiggled innards.

The events staged bcombination of killing field a.myths about surgical strike~fashion. Always oblique, often

itself to multiple, sometimesmuch critique our relations]

theater of operations can be Slmilitary strategy, an object IE

black comedy about arms proand the fun house, SRLperfo!and hilarity. "I make weapons"SRi shows are a satire of kill

industrial complex."He and his dozen-ode

arsenal in the machine shop vSan Francisco's Mission Distri

can liquefy a metal bar and se!

118 Mark Dery

the Santa Barbara oil fields. Unlike many artists, he felt an affinity with

technology. "Creative people have never had this kind of industrial equip-ment and machinery; it's alwaysbeen denied them," he told an interviewer."It's all tied in with. . . this idealistic, romantic 19th century notion that

creative people are these frail, delicate, spiritual shells that are about to flit

away and evaporate at any minute, lest we turn our backs on their pitiful,washed-out efforts. So another part of my intention was to disavow that

notion and do something really intense. Today,the main option people have

for expressing themselves powerfully is through machines."11Machine Sex caught the attention of San Francisco's avant-garde

community. In 1982, Matt Heckert became a member of SRL, followed

shortly thereafter by Eric Werner. Heckert was a self-taught mechanic whohad logged long hours hot-rodding the family car; Werner had worked at oilfields in Wyoming and aerospace firms in Orange County, California. Bothhad attended the San Francisco Art Institute.

From 1982 until 1988, the trio staged thirteen confrontational,

increasingly ambitious stunts. (In '87 and '88, respectively, Werner andHeckert left SRLto pursue solo careers.) A Crueland RelentlessPlot to Pervert

the FleshifBeasts to Unholy Uses(1982), which took place in San Francisco,crossed an antivivisectionist's worst nightmare with a taxidermist's wildestdream. The show made dramatic use of the "organic robots" that have

earned SRL the undying wrath of animal rights activists: the grotesque

Mummy-Go-Round, a carousel fitted with desiccated animal cadavers, themaws of its mummified riders frozen in silent snarls, and a machine

incorporating the remains of a dog, mounted on an armature and anchoredto a radio-controlled cart. Actuated, the dog-machine lunges forward, its

head spinning in ghoulish imitation of cartoon violence:2"The use of dead animals started out as a vaccine to keep audiences

from strolling down that easy road of Disneyfication that beckons whenever

they see any kind of mechanical puppet show," explains Pauline. "It'sdistinctive because you know it isn't putty or rubber, unlike Hollywood

gore, which is the only other place people see special effects that remindthem of the delicacy of the human form turned inside out."

Deliberately False Statements: A Combination if Tricks and Illusions

Guaranteed to Exposethe ShrewdManipulation ifFact(198 5), also mounted inSan Francisco, was a gleeful Armageddon. The Screw Machine, a fourteen-

hundred-pound radio-contro

seizing hapless devices with

ground with screw-poppingand built by Heckert, scuttl

raining blows on other machhimself shudderingly forwarc

conjured the image of a dyhorrifying realism.

Miifortunes if Desire: .

Everythins Worth Havins (I~dise Lost," was held in the pagainst a hastily erected EdeJshow made use of the one-

shaped, four-legged rover. Th,vehicle whose saber-toothedwas also featured. When the

spat forty-foot tongues of fireWave Cannon let loose with

jiggled innards.

The events staged b,combination of killing field amyths about surgical strike~

fashion. Always oblique, oftenitself to multiple, sometimesmuch critique our relations]

theater of operations can be Stmilitary strategy, an object l~

black comedy about arms proand the fun house, SRLperf01

and hilarity. "I make weapons"SRLshows are a satire of kill

industrial complex."He and his dozen-od(

arsenal in the machine shop vSan Francisco's Mission Distri

can liquefy a metal bar and sel

)ery , Escape Velocity 119

:lany artists, he felt an affinity wither had this kind of industrial equip-lenied them," he told an interviewer.

, romantic 19th century notion that

, spiritual shells that are about to flitt we turn our backs on their pitiful,

)f my intention was to disavow that~.Today,the main option people have

5through machi~es."11Ition of San Fra~cisco's avant-garde)ecame a member of SRL, followed

:kert was a self-taught mechanic who

family car; Werner had worked at oils in Orange County, California. Bothstitute.

:rio staged thirteen confrontational,7 and '88, respectively, Werner and

s.)A Crueland RelentlessPlot to Pervert

), which took place in San Francisco,ightmare with a taxidermist's wildeste of the "organic robots" that have

!limal rights activists: the grotesquewith desiccated animal cadavers, the

en in silent snarls, and a machineounted on an armature and anchored

the dog-machine lunges forward, its~cartoon violence.12

ted out as a vaccine to keep audiences

Disneyfication that beckons wheneveruppet show," explains Pauline. "It's

putty or rubber, unlike Hollywoodeople see special effects that remind'm turned inside out."

A Combination if Tricks and Illusions

ulation ifF act (1985), also mounted in.don. The Screw Machine, a fourteen-

~

I

I

IIII

hundred-pound radio-controlled robot, scooted along on corkscrew treads,

seizing hapless devices with its hydraulic arm and dashing them to the

ground with screw-popping force. The Walk-and-Peck Machine, designedand built by Heckert, scuttled about on beetle legs and spiked wheels,

raining blows on other machines with its bird-beaked armature. Dragginghimself shudderingly forward on spidery metal arms, the Sneaky Soldierconjured the image of a dying GI, disemboweled by a land mine, with

horrifying realism.

Miifortunes if Desire:Acted Out at an ImaBinary Location ~mbolizinB

EverythinB Worth HavinB (1988), described by Pauline as "SRL's Para-

dise Lost," was held in the parking lot of New York's Shea Stadium. Set

against a hastily erected Eden replete with palm trees and flowerbeds, theshow made use of the one-ton Walking Machine, an enormous, crate-

shaped, four-legged rover. The twenty-foot-Iong Inchworm, a nasty-lookingvehicle whose saber-toothed jaws give it the look of a giant Venus flytrap,was also featured. When the pace threatened to drag, a flamethrower that

spat forty-foot tongues of fire kept things lively.From time to time, a ShockWave Cannon let loose with a thunderous boom that shook windows and

jiggled innards.The events staged by SRi are war games in the literal sense-a

combination of killing field and carnival midway, meant to explode mediamyths about surgical strikes and collateral damage in an entertainingfashion. Always oblique, often open-ended, Pauline's Circus Machinus lendsitself to multiple, sometimes contradictory interpretations. It does not somuch critique our relationship with technology as crystalize it. SRL'stheater of operations can be seen as a meditation on the gamelike nature ofmilitary strategy, an object lesson in the theatrical unreality of war, or ablack comedy about arms proliferation. Partaking equally of the madhouseand the fun house, SRLperformances produce a queasy mixture of horror

and hilarity. "I make weapons to tell stories about weapons," says Pauline."SRLshows are a satire of kill technology, an absurd parody of the military-industrial complex."

He and his dozen-odd, mostly male coworkers have stockpiled anarsenal in the machine shop where they live and work, on the outskirts of

San Francisco's Mission District. One device, an electromagnetic rail gun,can liquefy a metal bar and send the molten blob streaking through the air,

120 Mark Dery

to explode on impact. "SRL's answer to George Bush's call for 'a thousandpoints of light,' " the artist deadpans.

SRL is at work on human-sized robots called Swarmers whose

group behavior is governed by an artificial life program running on their

onboard computers. The program, which the SRL software engineer Ray-mond Drewry based on code written by MIT programmers, is similar tothose used to create "flocking" effects in computer animation-schools offish, clouds of falling leaves. To date, SRLhas completed four Swarmers-theminimum number required for the robots to exhibit emergent behavior. .Each is equipped with an emitter-detector device; the program instructs itto move toward whichever machine is nearest, but as soon as it's within a

certain distance of the other Swarmer, it beats a hasty retreat. Pauline

describes the aggregate effect as "this weird behavior where they clumptogether, swarming around." He calls the manic machines "a response tothe increased influence mob behavior has had in world events."

The Low-Frequency Generator, a mobile, radio-controlled, reactionjet engine, is modeled after the V-I buzz bomb whose banshee shriek

struck terror in Londoners during World War II. "We ran it and peopleheard it almost twelve miles away," says Pauline, with relish. "They hadstories on the evening news asking anybody with information about the

strange reverberations felt throughout the Bay Area to call the police. Youcan stand next to this thing and what it does to your brain is just. . . sublime.

Youfeel as if there are rats in your chest. It shakes your eyeballs so much that

they black out and come on again forty-five times per second, creating astrobe effect. It's the sort of phenomenon that doesn't exist anywhereelse on Earth."

Shortly after the Persian Gulf War, SRL built a teleoperated high-

pressure air launcher that uses a blast of pressurized C02 to shoot aprojectile with brute force. Teleoperation, defined by the technology jour-nalist Howarq Rheingold as "the human experience of seeing out of the eyesof a machine, and using natural gestures to direct machines to manipulate

the physical world," was developed for military applications such as remote-controlled weaponry and industrial uses in undersea oil rigs, nuclear powerplants, and other environments hostile to human workers.13 When a tele-operator moves his computer-tracked head, the head of a distant robot

"slaved" to his motions swivels correspondingly; when the operator gestures

Smart Bar. Photo: SKID

R. U. Sirius. «;J 1993 Bart N08el

Mondo 2000. «;J 1993 Bart N08el

ot

Matt Heckert and Mark Pauline of

Survival Research Laboratories. Photo:BobbyNeelAdams

Pauline amid mechanical mayhem, with

the Inchworm at left, the Inspector in the

foreground, and the Walking Machine at

right. @ 1995 5RI

-

The Running Machine in The Deliberate

Evolution <1 a War Zone: A Parable <1

Spontaneous Structural Deaeneration (1992).

@ SRI/Gladsjo.

The Big Arm in /IIusions <1 Shameless

Abundance: Deaeneratina into an

Uninterrupted Sequence <1 Hostile Encounters

(1989). BobbyNeel Adams/Sixth Street StUdios

Guinea pig~ontrolled walking mada 1985 installation at New York's AR

nightclub. @ SRL/JonathanReiss

-

luline amid mechanical mayhem, with

e Inchworm at left, the Inspector in the

reground, and the Walking Machine at

~ht. <Q1995 SRI

1I

I

IJ

I

The Walking Machine. <Q1995 SRI

Guinea pig-controlled walking machine ina 1985 installation at New York's AREA

nightclub. <QSRI/JonathanReiss

The Big Arm and the Inchworm in An

Orininal Machine PeiformanceTailored

EspeciallyJor the 00/ rjCopenhaaen (1988).

<Q1995 Cati Laporte

SRL's Medusa breathes fire (with the aid of

a V-I jet engine) in A Carnival rj Misplaced

Devotion: Calculated to Arouse Resentment for

the Principles rjOrder (1990). <Q1995 Kimric

Smythe

...,.- ----

"Beach Chair Bird." «:>1995 Bral Goldnone

Escape Velocity 121

II

I

with hands clad in motion-sensing virtual reality gloves, the robot's manipu-lators move in tandem.

The operator of SRi's air launcher wears a lightweight armature

that rests on his shoulders; its visor is equipped with two HiS video cameraviewfinders that fit into the operator's eyes with eyecups, immersing the

operator in a stereoscopic projection of what two video cameras mountedon the barrel "see." The headmount is connected to a servo system thatenables the barrel of the launcher to follow the wearer's head movements.

"The machine fires a beer can filled with concrete, about eighty.grams of high explosive, and a contact detonator at about 550 feet per

second," saysPauline. "You'vegot an ergonomic controller that allows you topush these buttons that you feel with the sweep of your thumb, locking the

gun down once you've acquired the target. There's a crosshair at your focalpoint about four feet away and when you line up the target with that, youfire, and it just obliteratesit."

Prolonged submersion in the air launcher's headmounted viewingsystem gives rise to the experience known as "telepresence," the out-of-bodysensation that occurs when the gap between sense perception and simulated

reality (or, in this case, live video images of the actual surroundings) issufficiently narrow that the user is convinced that he is there- immersed inthe virtual world (or one with the remote-controlled device). "The depth

perception is incredible, and once you get all the adjustments right, you justsink into it," says Pauline. "Youstart to imagine your body in different ways,

just like you do when you're in an isolation tank; [the technology] becomestransparent because of the comfort level, which is the key feature in any ofthese input devices. Once you achieve transparency, interesting things startto occur. It doesn't take much, because the mind is . . . actively trying to

meld with anything. . . . The virtual reality display couples the operatormore closely to the machine. It feels like your head is mounted on themachine, like you're riding on top of the missile."

In SRi performances, the gun-~ounted video cameras project theview to a kill seen by the goggle-equipped teleoperator onto a large screenpositioned near the audience. The green phosphor imagery relayed bycameras mounted on smart bombs during the Gulf War comes immediatelyto mind. Watching "the pornography of destruction through [SRi's] eyes"

(Pauline's words), spectators are reminded of their wartime role as living

"

122 Mark Dery Escape\

room voyeurs, and of the numbing unreality of history's first "virtual" war-

a made-for-TV miniseries introduced by punchy logos and pumped-up,martial music reminiscent of trailers for Hollywood blockbusters.

"I'm going to use the air launcher for lectures," says Pauline. "I'llshow how it could be used to destroy the federal infrastructure in the sameway that they talked about destroying the infrastructure of Iraq." A tight,mirthless smile flits across his face. "It's a prank."

If so, it's a prank in the Molotov cocktail sense of the word, a gagdesigned to blow up in society's face. In Pauline's hands, rail guns,Swarmers, low-frequency generators, and teleoperated air launchers areactors in a dark farce that has grim fun with the notion of a bloodless

"smart" war sold ,to the American public by a dukes-up president and acheerleading media.

The Persian Gulf War was portrayed, at the time, as an unmitigated

success brought about by high-tech weaponry. "From a technological pointof view," writes John A. Barry, "the war was a testing ground for 'smartweapons' such as the Patriot and Tomahawk missiles that had never beentested in battle and were in danger of losing funding from the Pentagon.

Their apparent success under actual fighting conditions breathed new lifeinto them and prompted commentators to note that this war was also the

first 'technology war.' "14Unfortunately, the official reading was later exposed as a Nintendo

fantasy. The bulk of the damage done to the enemy was inflicted not by"Scud-busting" Patriots but by disappointingly "dumb" bombs. John R.MacArthur, who calls the smart/dumb discrepancy "one of the biggest

untold stories of the Gulf war," reports that after the war

machine." TV's portrayal of the Gulf'knocked Scuds out of the air and la~environment recalls the World War II

Air Power.Created for the Departmenshort was intended to demonstrate th

bombing. The critic James Agee was.d

a bloodless struggle between anthrop'

I noticed, uneasily, that there we

civilians under all those proud P'

all, in fact. . . . this victory-in-a--a matter. . . of machine-eat-ma.

the Air Force announced that laser- and radar-guided bombs

and missiles made up just 7 percent of all U.S. explosives

dropped on Iraq and Kuwait. The other 93 percent were conven-

tional "dumb" bombs, dropped primarily by high-flying 8-52sfrom the Vietnam era.ls

A little less than half a centl

grimy, disorderly bedlam of war for aand evil automata bubbled up again, j

Unfortunately, the Gulf War was any'The deadly rain of bombs that buriedshortly before the cease-fire, left a thi

and flame-broiled corpses.The argument is sometime1

machines would save human lives. ,Brooksif he was troubledby themachines might end up on a robotic'

"A battle fought entirely by robots wBrooks. "It seems a much more hum.

certainly interest in any way of coneour side, which is a very humanistiof the brass."

The argument seems reasestrikes a sour note in such an inhu

respond: Wouldn't diplomatic negoti

that war, the ultimate madness, sprthere an inherent absurdity in the :Shouldn't nations whose technologi

duce smart, autonomous, robot wearing their way out of armed conflict?

Nonetheless, as MacArthur noted on WNYC radio's May 16,1993,broadcast of On the Media program, "If you watched the coverage-such as it

was-you got the impression that every bomb was a smart bomb hitting a

r,I

Dery Escape Velocity 123

reality of history's first "virtual" war-

1 by punchy logos and pumped-up,Dr Hollywood blockbusters.ncher for lectures," says Pauline. "I'llthe federal infrastructure in the same

~ the infrastructure of Iraq." A tight,t's a prank."

Itov cocktail sense of the word, a gag:ace. In Pauline:s hands, rail guns,, and teleoperat~d air launchers arefun with the notion of a bloodless

ublic by a dukes-up president and a

machine." TV's portrayal of the Gulf War as a video game in which Patriots

knocked Scuds out of the air and laser-guided missiles blew up the built

environment recalls the World War II propaganda cartoon Victory throunh

Air Power.Created for the Department of Defense by Disney, the animated

short was intended to demonstrate the effectiveness of large-scale strategicbombing. The critic James Agee was disturbed by its portrayal of warfare asa bloodless struggle between anthropomorphized weaponry:

I noticed, uneasily, that there were no suffering and dying enemy

civilians under all those proud promises of bombs; no civilians at

all, in fact. . . . this victory-in-a-vacuum . . . is so morally simplea matter. . . of machine-eat-machine.16

~trayed,at the time, as an unmitigatedeaponry. "From a technological pointwar was a testing ground for 'smartnahawk missiles that had never been

)f losing funding from the Pentagon.fighting conditions breathed new life)rs to note that this war was also the

A little less than half a century later, the fantasy of trading in thegrimy, disorderly bedlam of war for a "morally simple" clash between goodand evil automata bubbled up again, in official fictions about a "clean" war.

Unfortunately, the Gulf War was anything but clean when viewed up close:The deadly rain of bombs that buried fleeing Iraqi troops on the Basra road,shortly before the cease-fire, left a thirty-mile column of crumpled vehiclesand flame-broiled corpses.

The argument is sometimes made that a war fought entirely bymachines would save human lives. When I asked MIT roboticist RodneyBrooks if he was troubled by the possibility, however remote, that his

machines might end up on a robotic battlefield, he voiced this very opinion."A battle fought entirely by robots would be sort of nice, wouldn't it?" said

Brooks. "It seems a much more humane way of settling differences. There'scertainly interest in any way of conducting battle that limits casualties on

our side, which is a very humanistic point of view from the perspectiveof the brass."

The argument seems reasonable, although the word "humane"

strikes a sour note in such an inhuman context. Nonetheless, one mightrespond: Wouldn't diplomatic negotiation be more humane still? And giventhat war, the ultimate madness, springs from the collapse of reason, isn'tthere an inherent absurdity in the notion of a "safe," "rationalized" war?

Shouldn't nations whose technological sophistication is sufficient to pro-duce smart, autonomous, robot weapons be intellectually capable of reason-ing their way out of armed conflict?

Iding was later exposed as a Nintendo

Ie to the enemy was inflicted not byIpointingly "dumb" bombs. John R.

:nb discrepancy "one of the biggest:s that after the war

laser- and radar-guided bombs

percent of all U.S. explosives

e other 93 percent were conven-

primarily by high-flying B-52s

oted on WNYC radio's May 16, 1993,ryou watched the coverage-such as it~ybomb was a smart bomb hitting a

Mark Dery

Nonetheless, the pernicious fiction of a smart war exhibits acurious half-life. It lives on in articles such as the enthusiastic feature on the

automated battlefield of the future that appeared in Compute magazine a few

months after the war ended. One photo depicted the Fire Ant, a teleope-rated "smart assassin" under development at Sandia National Laboratories in

Albuquerque, New Mexico. The squat buggy is guided to its post, parkedand armed by a remote human operator viewing the surroundings via asmall TV camera perched on top of the Ant. When its sensors detect an

enemy vehicle, the robotic vehicle locks onto the target and fires a six-incharmor-piercing slug at sixty-six hundred feet per second. A second photoshowed the nasty results of the Fire Ant's sting: an M-47 tank consumed byflames. "Each of the robots shown in the accompanying photographs

exists. . . to keep people out of harm's way,"assured the author}' Automa-tion makes the world safe for robo-war.

Dreams of hunter-killer machines and robo-soldiers in armored

exoskeletons are not new. In 1919, the trailblazing inventor Nikola Tesla

envisioned a Jules Verne war fought by intelligent machines called "tel-

automata." Writing in Science and Invention, the pulp editor Hugo Gerns-back celebrated Tesla's "veritable war of science" where "machines only will

meet in mortal combat."'8 A half-century later, General William C. West-moreland, then chief of staff of the U.S. Army, predicted, "On the battlefield

of the future, enemy forces will be located, tracked and targeted almost

instantaneously through the use of data-links, computer-assisted intel-

ligence evaluation and automated fire control. I see battlefields on which wecan destroy anything we locate through instant communications and almostinstantaneous application of. . .lethal firepower."19In 1971, a San FranciscoChronicle writer told a cautionary tale about a hardwired war world, "a

manless, foolproof, giant lethal pinball machine out of which no living thingcould ever escape." The author warned that "the entire world, if wired right,could become a great maze of circuitry and weaponry, a jungle from whichthose who walk off the straight paths from home to store would be

immediately and totally eliminated."20 The nightmare battlefield of Termina-tor 2, a rubble-strewn Golgotha stalked by red-eyed, stainless-steel manhunt-

ers, seems bloodcurdlingly near.

Before Operation Desert Storm, the PBSscience series Novaaired a

segment on smart weapons, titled "Killing Machines." It included an

interview with Tom Clancy, an aUI

remarks account for the program's

about smart weapons that peoplepsychological factor," said Clancy, vthing to be hunted by a man who t.

ideas. It is another thing entirely to 1that you're a living person with dre;

knows that you're something it wanScarier still is the realizatiol

fact, sound like science fiction. The

doomy monologue delivered by Kyl,The Terminator. "It can't be bargain!adversary. "It can't be reasoned wit!

and it absolutely will not stop, ever,As the credits to the Novae'

If these things are so scary, why doe.like Pauline, finds death technologygunslinger in Westwor/dor the hon

fascinate because they are graven irtions born of human ingenuity. Anithey are inhuman, ticking things, ufrozen in the crosshairs of the laser

and hopes and a sweetheart." Li1devilfish silhouette, or the locustl

chines dredge memories from tbbeasts, angry gods.

Lastly, such devices are erolblack, inscrutable surfaces, we insciof the unknown. In the Western, c:

affirmed by its boundaries, but it i;

that isolate the island self, separated I. and all that isnot it. "Weare disconti

isolation in the midst of an incomp:Our lost continuity," writes George:a/ity.21Thus the duality of death,continuity-the womb, where we w(

)ery Escape Velocity 125

fiction of a smart war exhibits alch as the enthusiastic feature on the

appeared in Compute magazine a fewIto depicted the Fire Ant, a teleope-~ntat Sandia National Laboratories in

t buggy is guided to its post, parkedltor viewing the surroundings via ahe Ant. When its sensors detect an

csonto the targe~,and fires a six-inched feet per second. A second photolt's sting: an M-47 tank consumed byin the accompanying photographs

s way,"assured the author.17Automa-r.

:hines and robo-soldiers in armored

he trailblazing inventor Nikola Tesla

by intelligent machines called "tel-'ention, the pulp editor Hugo Gerns-)f science" where "machines only will

tury later, General William C. West-;. Army, predicted, "On the battlefield.ocated, tracked and targeted almost

. data-links, computer-assisted intel-control. I see battlefields on which we

:hinstant communications and almostI firepower."19In 1971, a San Franciscolle about a hardwired war world, "a

Imachine out of which no living thingd that "the entire world, if wired right,

ry and weaponry, a jungle from whichlths from home to store would be

J The nightmare battlefield of Termina-

d by red-eyed, stainless-steel manhunt-

interview with Tom Clancy, an author of popular techno-thrillers whose

remarks account for the program's spookiest moments. "One of the thingsabout smart weapons that people don't think about very much is the

psychological factor," said Clancy, with a thin, mechanical smile. "It is onething to be hunted by a man who has a wife and children and dreams and

ideas. It is another thing entirely to be hunted by a machine that doesn't carethat you're a living person with dreams and hopes and a sweetheart. It just

knows that you're something it wants to kill. That is truly scary."

Scarier still is the realization that Clancy's comments, positioned asfact, sound like science fiction. They bear a disquieting resemblance to the

doomy monologue delivered by KyleReese, a robot-killing street fighter inThe Terminator."It can't be bargained with," says Reese, of his mechanical

adversary. "It can't be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fearand it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."

As the credits to the Novaepisode roll, a nagging question remains:If these things are so scary, why does Clancy smile? Perhaps it is because he,

like Pauline, finds death technology terrifying but fascinating. The androidgunslinger in Westworldor the homicidal robot in the cult film Hardware

fascinate because they are graven images come to life, clockwork contrap-tions born of human ingenuity. And they terrify for precisely that reason:they are inhuman, ticking things, unconcerned that the petrified creaturefrozen in the crosshairs of the laser scope is "a living person with dreamsand hopes and a sweetheart." Like the eerie Stealth bomber, with its

devilfish silhouette, or the locustlike Apache helicopter, predatory ma-diines dredge memories from the collective unconscious-man-eatingbeasts, angry gods.

Lastly, such devices are erotic, in a necrophilic way. On their matteblack, inscrutable surfaces, we inscribe our death fetish, our delicious fear

of,the unknown. In the Western, Christian tradition, the human subject isaffirmed by its boundaries, but it is paradoxically those same boundariesthat isolate the island self, separated on all sides by a limitless gulf between it

"and all that is not it. "We are discontinuous beings, individuals who perish inisolation in the midst of an incomprehensible adventure, but we yearn forour lost continuity," writes Georges Bataille, in Erotism: Death and Sensu-

ality.21Thus the duality of death, which promises to return us to that

continuity-the womb, where we were at one with the nurturing enveloperm, the PBSscience series Novaaired a

"Killing Machines." It included an

126 Mark Dery EscapE

that was our cosmos-by way of the tomb, which threatens to snuff theself out forever.

The sex act, in which we risk individual dissolution for the ecstasy

of fusion, is similarly ambiguous. The cultural critic Claudia Springerhas noted the "deathlike loss of self. . . associated with sexual pleasure,"

an ambiguity made explicit by the French euphemism for the postorgasmic

fainting spells some lovers suffer from: la petite mort ("the little death").22In the novels of William Burroughs, this ambiguity mushrooms into an

unresolvable conflict that goes to the heart of human sexuality: In The Ticket

That Exploded, intercourse is an untenable "arrangement whereby twoentities attempt to occupy the same three-dimensional coordinate points."23

Or, put more poetically on the following page, "Death is orgasm is rebirth is

death in orgasm."24The necrophilic fantasy of surrendering oneself to devouring ma-

chines that "can't be reasoned with," like the techno-masochist in "Happi-

ness in Slavery,"conceals the ultimate bid for Bataille's "lost continuity": theritual sacrifice of the integrated, self-reflective consciousness without whichWestern instrumental reason could not exist. Human sacrifice, argues

Bataille, is suffused with a "religious eroticism which is concerned with the

fusion of beings with a world beyond everyday reality."25He who sacrifices"is free, free to throw himself suddenly outside if himse!f."26

Pauline, a shoot-from-the-hip philosopher, is suspicious of high-

flown punditry. But he acknowledges the apparent contradiction of asocial satirist seduced by military-industrial technology; there is an ambi-

guity, he concedes, at the heart of his critique of killing machines. "I feel acertain fascination with these devices," he allows. "They're very extreme,

very intense, and historically, they've always horrified-and fascinated-people. On the other hand, I don't make weapons that kill. I would neverbe

part of the military, which in my opinion is one of the most screwed-upinstitutions around."

SRL performances, in which suicidal machines hurtle into eachother or consecrate themselves to the flames, can be read as a critique of the

permanent war economy the United States has maintained since World WarII. "In every year from 1951 to 1990," asserts Seymour Melman, "theDefense Department budget has exceeded the combined net profits of allAmerican corporations. The Pentagon uses 75 percent of the federal

government's research and developrthe rest of the government put togetlthose of many corporations."27

To Pauline, the arms race is

fun. "Once [machines] get speciali2machines," he says,"they're a lot less

of the money that went into developireally bizarre machine that did ama2part of? Technology is supposed to roobelieve that it can, although other th:

money or projecting political power.'For some, however, Pauline'

macchinismo, affirms the very teclrejects. One feminist critic decried

male sexuality enacted through the Jagainst SRL's"fascination with cruel

Dr. Helen Caldicott succinct!

male primitive fascination wit

her recent book Missile Envy, ,cause of the escalating arms

wonderful examples of the "mi

'strong, always sure of themsel

show any emotion but bravad

members of the same sex for p

Jim Pomeroy's analysis is pal

,

I

I

While [Pauline's] rhetorical potance and countercultural survi

roughly choreographed spectac

cathartic climaxes through a vi

entropic destruction. . . . PlayiJ

edge, SRLbegs many questions,

the stage leaving smoldering r

wake. SRL is boys' toys from h.linist fantasies of J. G. Ballarda

~

Dery

tomb, which threatens to snuff the

individual dissolution for the ecstasy

'he cultural critic Claudia Springer. . associated with sexual pleasure,"

nch euphemism for the postorgasmicfl: la petite mort ("the little death').n

this ambiguity mushrooms into anleart of human se~uality: In The TIcket

.tenable "arrangement whereby tworee-dimensional coordinate points."23

ng page, "Death is orgasm is rebirth is

Irrendering oneself to devouring ma-like the techno-masochist in "Happi-bid for Bataille's "lost continuity": the~flectiveconsciousness without which

not exist. Human sacrifice, argues:roticism which is concerned with the

everyday reality."25He who sacrificesIyoutsideif himse!f"26 .

p philosopher, is suspicious of high-:es the apparent contradiction of alustrial technology; there is an ambi-

i critique of killing machines. "I feel as," he allows. "They're very extreme,

.e always horrified-and fascinated-lkeweapons that kill. I would neverbe,inion is one of the most screwed-up

1 suicidal machines hurtle into each

flames, can be read as a critique of the)tates has maintained since World War

90," asserts Seymour Melman, "the

eeded the combined net profits of all

~on uses 75 percent of the federal

Escape Velocity 127

tJ

t

II,

I

I

government's research and development funds, has more employees than

the rest of the government put together and has machinery assets that dwarfthose of many corporations."27

To Pauline, the arms race is a missed opportunity for combustible

fun. "Once [machines] get specialized to the point where they're killingmachines," he says,"they're a lot less interesting. I mean, what if even a little

of the money that went into developing a fighter jet went into developing a

really bizarre machine that did amazing things, something people could be

part of?Technology is supposed to make life more interesting, and I honestlybelieve that it can, although other things usually get in the way, like makingmoney or projecting political power."

For some, however, Pauline's aesthetic, equal parts machismo andmacchinismo, affirms the very technology worship he insists his work

rejects. One feminist critic decried SRi's orgies of violence as "repressedmale sexuality enacted through the mode of destruction."28 Another railedagainst SRi's "fascination with cruelty and aggression":

Dr. Helen Caldicott succinctly describes the phenomenon of

male primitive fascination with artillery, torture and death in

her recent book Missile Envy. where she names it as a primary

cause of the escalating arms race. The members of SRi are

wonderful examples of the "missile-envy" type. They are tough,'strong, always sure of themselves, never admit mistakes, never

show any emotion but bravado and are very dependent upon

members of the same sex for peer-group support.29

Jim Pomeroy's analysis is particularly cogent:

While [Pauline's] rhetorical posture is one that advocates resis-

tance and countercultural survival in a technointensive world, his

roughly choreographed spectacles deliver little more than strong

cathartic climaxes through a visceral experience of violence and

entropic destruction. . . . Playing to the pit and dancing on the

edge, SRi begs many questions, offers few answers, and moves off

the stage leaving smoldering ruins and tinny ears in its smoky

wake. SRi is boys' toys from hell, cynically realizing the mascu-

linist fantasies of J. G. Ballard and William Burroughs. 30

128 Mark DeryEsca

Asked if his art springs from the same sophomoric impulse that leddrunken conventioneer Archie Bunker to bomb pedestrians with water-

filled bags, Pauline registers wry amusement. ''Well, I.do a very complicatedand convoluted version of dropping water bombs out of windows, appropri-ate to a person my age," he says. "Sure, I get a thrill out of [challenging

cultural assumptions], which I suppose could be categorized as an adoles-cent thrill, but it's only categorized that way because as people get older,they decide to be 'grown-up.' That's one of the reasons we live in a static,boring society where everything is very predictable."

Pauline bristles at the suggestion that SRI...spectacles provide anoutlet for the same repressed male sexuality that finds release in weekendwar games in which fun-loving commandos blast away at one another with

paint-filled pellets. He questions the received notion, popular among aca-demic feminists, that technology and nature-raping, warmongering patri-archy are inextricably linked.

"This sort of activity has been falsely characterized as male,"says Pauline. "I think it's sexist to say that what we do is gender-specific;it suggests that women are supposed to be passive, which is what every-one tells them, so of course most of them are. The women who work at

SRI...like to raise hell and they're out there in front, doing it-not standing

behind the boys."Whatever caveats they might have, few critics would deny that

Pauline pioneered the definitive cyberpunk art form, mechanical spectacle.For many, SRI...embodies the technolibertarian ethos that is th~ hard centerof cyberpunk's otherwise fuzzy ideology and exemplifies the hybrid ofcybernetic and organic, state-of-the-art and street tech that typifies the

cyberpunk aesthetic. In SF circles, the group's formative influence oncyberpunk is a matter of record. Bruce Sterling and John Shirley have sungSRL's praises, and William Gibson has paid the group the highest possibletribute: The cast of characters in his novel Mona Lisa Overdriveincludes the

Mark Pauline stand-in Slick Henry, an outlaw roboticist who clangs together

machines like the Judge, a clomping monstrosity armed with saws. And the

renegade combat 'droid in the low-budget cyberpunk movie Hardware isundeniably patterned after SRL's robots, a debt obliquely acknowledged inits name (Mark 13, an obvious play on "Mark Pauline') and in the SRI...videosfleetingly glimpsed on the protagonist's TV.31

SRL's visceral appeal requiperformances are motorized exorci:

that sit midway between Grand Gui

rituals such as the burning of the w

the demolition derby. The group's ning, scrap metal monsters that paw 1moving sculpture, they exhibit °aho

Kienholz's installation RoxyMadam,dowager with what looks like a hors-

Even so, the muddled POlillematic.SRI...,a self-styledcompany°

sense- "SPECTACULAR MECHANICAL PR

mock-serious business card-seems,

The group's psychodynamics invite I

hard-core band, a terrorist cell, or a

here of the Hell's Angels, and of Pet

Pauline encourages such rcname was taken from an advertiserr.

war fans, gun nuts, and dug-in survperception of himself as an anom

coinage for "people whose patholo!tence . . . [who are] egocentric, an<existential state is ahuman.'tJ2

Pauline seems to cherish hi

quency as a member of the Fucker:

helmets . . . and . . . have military-t:perverse fascination with convictec

who once told a Playboyinterviewer

non-Aryan jailmates with a lusty reiofficial song of the Nazi party.

Pauline shrugs. "I most cerlike that, although people accuse m

don't think it's that simple; every

Questioning those feelings, asking V\me as a much more realistic reac

concepts together in any number of'

..,........

DeryEscape Velocity 129

he same sophomoric impulse that leder to bomb pedestrians with water-~ment. "Well, I.do a very complicatediter bombs out of windows, appropri-

Ire, I get a thrill out of [challengingIe could be categorized as an adoles-

hat way because as people get older,Ine of the reasons we live in a static,

y predictable.:;tion that SRL spectacles provide an

Kuality that finds release in weekendandos blast away at one another withreceived notion, popular among aca-

nature-raping, warmongering patri-

t have, few critics would deny that

punk art form, mechanical spectacle.lertarian ethos that is the hard center

>logy and exemplifies the hybrid ofut and street tech that typifies the

the group's formative influence on:e Sterling and John Shirley have sungs paid the group the highest possiblelovel Mona Lisa Overdriveincludes the

Jutlaw roboticist who clangs together

lonstrosity armed with saws. And the

udget cyberpunk movie Hardware isIts,a debt obliquely acknowledged in"MarkPauline") and in the SRLvideos'sTV.31

SRL's visceral appeal requires little explication. At their best, SRL

performances are motorized exorcisms, shatteringly powerful psychodramasthat sit midway between Grand Guignol and Death Race 2000, pre-Christian

rituals such as the burning of the wicker man and blue-collar rituals such as

the demolition derby. The group's machines are marvels of occult engineer-ing, scrap metal monsters that paw the air and belch ball bearings; viewed as

moving sculpture, they exhibit .ahorror-show humor reminiscent of Edward

Kienholz's installation RoxyMadam, an embalmed living room inhabited by adowager with what looks like a horse skull for a head. .

Even so, the muddled politics of Pauline's art remain highly prob:lematic. SRL,a self-styled company in the theatrical as well as the economicsense-"SPECTACULAR MECHANICALPRESENTATIONSSINCE 1979," reads Pauline's

mock-serious business card-seems, on close inspection, to be much more.

The group's psychodynamics invite comparison to those of a teenage gang, a

hard-core band, a terrorist cell, or a crew of freebooters. There is somethinghere of the Hell's Angels, and of Peter Pan's Lost Boys.

Pauline encourages such readings. It is no coincidence that SRL'sname was taken from an advertisement in Soldier €!IFortune, a magazine for

war fans, gun nuts, and dug-in survivalists: Pauline seems to encourage theperception of himself as an anomic robopath, to use Lewis Yablonsky'scoinage for "people whose pathology entails robot-like behavior and exis-tence. . . [who are] egocentric, and without true compassion. . . [whose]existential state is ahuman."32

Pauline seems to cherish his memories .of junior high school delin-quency as a member of the Fuckers' Island Gang ("We used to wear Nazihelmets . . . and . . . have military-type maneuvers'), and has expressed a

perverse fascination with convicted Watergate plumber G. Gordon Liddy,who once told a Playboyinterviewer that he struck fear in the hearts of his

non-Aryan jailmates with a lusty rendition of the "Horst Wessel Lied," theofficial song of the Nazi party.

Pauline shrugs. "I most certainly am not into Nazism or anything

like that, although people accuse me of it because I don't disavow it. I justdon't think it's that simple; everybody has those kinds of tendencies.

Questioning those feelings, asking why people even have them at all, strikesme as a much more realistic reaction. SRL shows allow people to putconcepts together in any number of ways. The real commentary is what you

een falsely characterized as male,".that what we do is gender-specific;

to be passive, which is what every-them are. The women who work at

there in front, doing it-not standing

130 Mark Dery Escal

make of it. I don't believe in preempting peoples' ability to make their owndecisions. To me, making an explicit political statement is basically telling

people what to think, which is truly fascistic."Any activity that stirs things up is progressive. My job, as someone

with a radical bent, is to assert my view about how things should be. I want

to extend my ability to project my ideas, using devices that are exterior to

myself. SRL makes the point that th~re are applications for technologyoutside the mainstream."

The attendant realization that high-tech expertise can be put to

uses never imagined in government think tanks or corporate laboratories isreiterated in SRL's roll call of rogue technologists and road warriors-

underground tinkerers who turn scavenged machinery to impractical, oftensubversive ends. "A lot of the people who come to work here feel [as if] it'snot morally right for them to be using [their skills] in predictable, culturally

sanctioned ways," says Pauline. "Here, they get to see their work going intostrange, unpredictable things that grow in an almost organic way into themonsters that have always been in their minds but have never really had anoutlet." SRLhas benefited not only from the computer industry's discardedhardware, but from its "software" as well-a brain trust comprised, accord-

ing to Pauline, of "disaffected military types and techies from. . . Liver-more Labs, Hewlett-Packard, and Bell Northern."33

The electrical engineer Greg Leyh, who designs and builds the

analog circuitry in SRL machines, is a typical recruit. He and Jeff Bain-bridge, the resident high-energy physics expert, collaborated on a lightning-bolt generator that produces ten-foot lightning bolts. "It generates a bright,white light that even with Grade Five welding lenses leaves a burn on yourretina for about fiveminutes," enthuses Pauline, "and the explosion is like a

clap of thunder. During our 1992 show in Aurillac, France, it destroyed thecomputer in the generator it was hooked up to."

The thought of a ragtag band of techno-radicals possessing theknow-how and wherewithal to hurl Jovian thunderbolts does not give

comfort to those who prefer that such knowledge remain in the hands of the

proper authorities. "Projecting power is something that artists aren't knownfor," says Pauline. "These cast-off devices can be used to create a new

language which comments on the power structure, which is what the whole

cyberpunk thing is about, anyway.

"People are frustrated. Yo

represented by police and politicianbut ifyou really want to influence th

do is to ridicule them. I'm alwayseJto the power structure; it makes me

people, you can hurt them really bathe symbolic gesture."

Chico MacMurtrie: T

I

Huddled in a capacious loft a sChico MacMurtrie's robots look I!

circus. They are reminiscent, too

created in the sixties by the Breinventions of Jean Tinguely.

True to his name, the Tumpipes for limbs-turns somersaults

endowed Horny Skeletons are chrOJperpetually erect metal members, sand mouths. The twelve-foot-tall Ne(

his drum with stiff-armed strokes,mariachi displayed in Mexico on t

unfortunate being whose copper ball

an upper torso resembling a birdcag(strings stretched across its upper bOta human handler replaces the rodtransformed into a cellist whose sava

a cymbal on top of its head and COt

frame. Raising high its drumstick, it

head, setting its loose-limbed body ji

Yet another drumming autchuman, can thump out a furious t.TingueIy's auto-creative art machine

on paper with a charcoal "finger."participant to improvise a rhythm; OJ

Ii

)ery Escape Velocity 131

19peoples' ability to make their own)olitical statement is basically tellingscistic.

up is progressive. Myjob, as someone.. about how things should be. I wantas, using devices that are exterior to

ere are applications for technology

"People are frustrated. You can look at the power structure, as

represented by police and politicians, and say,'I want to kill all these people,'

but if you really want to influence the nature of their power, the best thing todo is to ridicule them. I'm always encouraged when I see people doing thatto the power structure; it makes me think, 'Well, it is possible to attack these

people, you can hurt them really badly.' I believe in the political potency ofthe symbolic gesture."

It high-tech expertise can be put to

ink tanks or corporate laboratories is~ technologists and road warriors-

nged machinery to impractical, oftenvho come to work here feel [as if] it's

[their skills] in predictable, culturallythey get to see their work going intoIWin an almost organic way into their minds but have never really had an

1mthe computer industry's discardedvell-a brain trust comprised, accord-ry types and techies from . . . Liver-Northern.',JJ

~ Leyh, who designs and builds thea typical recruit. He and Jeff Bain-

:s expert, collaborated on a lightning-lightning bolts. "It generates a bright,welding lenses leaves a burn on your~sPauline, "and the explosion is like aN in Aurillac, France, it destroyed the

ced up to."ld of techno-radicals possessing the

Jovian thunderbolts does not give

knowledge remain in the hands of theis something that artists aren't known~vices can be used to create a new

ler structure, which is what the whole

Chico MacMurtrie: Toward a Green Robotics

Huddled in a capacious loft a short drive from Pauline's workshop,Chico MacMurtrie's robots look like escapees from Alexander Calder'scircus. They are reminiscent, too, of the towering, gangly archetypescreated in the sixties by the Bread and Puppet Theater or the anticinventions of Jean Tinguely.

True to his name, the Tumbling Man-a google-eyed acrobat with

pipes for limbs-turns somersaults with gawkish grace. The prodigiouslyendowed Horny Skeletons are chronic self-abusers: when they fondle theirperpetually erect metal members, steam whooshes out of their ears, eyes,and mouths. The twelve-foot-tall Neolithic Pneumatic Drummer, who swatshis drum with stiff.armed strokes, seems a close relative of the skeletal

mariachi displayed in Mexico on the Day of the Dead. String Body, anunfortunate being whose copper ball head once bobbed in a toilet, possessesan upper torso resembling a birdcage. When the robot strums the amplifiedstrings stretched across its upper body with a rod, lyric tinklings are heard;a human handler replaces the rod with a cello bow, and the lyrist istransformed into a cellist whose savage scrapings curl hair. Chime Body hasa cymbal on top of its head and countless metal chimes dangling from itsframe. Raising high its drumstick, it gives itself a tremendous whack on the

head, setting its loose-limbed body jingling.

Yet another drumming automaton, Drumm,ng and Drawing Sub-human, can thump out a furious tattoo on two drums or, in a nod to

Tinguely's imto-creative art machines, create abstract doodles by drawingon paper with a charcoal "finger." A third drum enables an audience

participant to improvise a rhythm; once the robot's computer has analyzed