Seminar on Aesthetics of Electronic Creations

Professor: Rejane Cantoni, PhDelectronic Brazilian artist

Tuesday

This seminar took place at the Jaime Hoyos Auditorium of Javeriana University, on Tuesday the 28th, Wednesday 29th, and Thursday the 30th of March, in 2006.

As a teacher of the Aesthetics Department, I was invited to introduce the seminar the first day to other teachers and students coming, by presenting a 20 minutes comment on the artist’s work.www.rejanecantoni.com

From right to left, appearing on the photo: professor Rejane Cantoni,Julián Jaramillo, teacher and translator, and me, Ángela Hoyos.

I divided my 20 minutes speech on three parts:

I. From Opera to Op-era…Historical background on theater stages and theater machinerythat I related to Cantoni’s artwork ‘Op-era’.

II. Virtual spaces, virtual beings, virtual life forms? Virtual reality vs. physical ubiquitous computingComparison on two computing models: the virtual reality one used by Cantoni, and the physical ubiquitous computing one proposed by Mark Weiser. Weiser was critical towards the V.R concept of immersion, and its impact on human beings.I presented my own research on the two models in the courses I work on,‘Virtual Theater’ , and Digital Lifelab.

III. Interactive installations as ‘Transforming mirrors’Cantoni’s installations seen through the concept of ‘Transforming mirrors’ stated by electronic artist David Rockeby

I.From Opera to Op-era…

Richard Wagner, German Opera ComposerThe Gesamtkunstwerk concept: Total Art Work Music + theatre + visual arts Immersive theatre (1849)

Construction, de-construction,and virtualization

of the scenic space

Classical types of theatre stages

Greek theatre

Proscenium Stage

Circular or roman stage

‘Laboratory Theatre’ byJerzy Grotowski (1967)

Drawings by architect Jerzy Gurawski

Cantoni’s installation Op-era, 2003

Fourth dimension: Lorenz Attractor fractal dimension : 2.06

Multiple senses involved in the three dimensions of Op-era installation

First dimension : hearing sense interface

Second dimension: Hearing + touch + sight senses involved Multiple lines converging

Third dimension: dislocatedgeometrical figures in motion

II.Virtual spaces, virtual beings,

virtual life forms? Virtual reality vs. physical

computing

II. V*i*d*a* Lab L*i*f*e Lab

http://www.thepopshop.org/

Digital Course 7th SemesterDirector: Alejandro TamayoArchitecture and Design Faculty

Digital Course 7th SemesterDirector: Alejandro TamayoArchitecture and Design Faculty

¿What is Nature telling us?

“Design of digital interfaces to enhance our communicationwith Nature”

Cf ‘Body-technology: questions on interfaces’Article by Daniela Kutschat

III.Interactive installations

As ‘Transforming mirrors’

Reflections

Reflections and refractions

Electronic media

Electronic media

Narcissistic mirror, “perfect” Synchronic, closed mirror

Eco mirror, Transforming one Asynchrony, delayed reflections, distortionsrelated to the environment

Cf. David Rockeby ‘Transforming mirrors’

“Op-era is a dynamic interaction

_ live and perceptive communion_

between the attractor, and the spect-actor”