Una construcción semiotica de la historia: el lugar de los marginados en los festejos ... de medios de comunicación y como actores de y en el espacio de la información .... of blogs, podcasting, wearable computing, social media like facebook,.
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PRIMAYERA"VERANO
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PUBLICACI6N DEI- POSGRADO EN COMUNICACI6N UNIVERSIDAD IBEROAMERICANA
Prcgentad6n
Semi6ti(a de la histofia. Historia de lo5 sktemasremidti(ot
ljna (onrtru(d6n remi6tica de la
hkto
a: el lugar de lor
maqinadot
en lo5 festgor del @ntenado de la indapendenda
(onmem0laddn
e
imagen: una renexi6n del (entenario de la independencia
[xporidonery desfilesi reprerentacioner neo azte(ar de lo mexi(.noen 1389 y l9l9
Retlexioneg te6d(a9 a la obra de l. M,
pah
la
y
rercadoner hist6dcas
fomulacidn de una rerridtiro
de lo
aultwo en to''|to
lotman
G.fting in lo!t.h: MoRholl Mcluhon, Augnenting the Hunon 0nd the ltoptk
khte
ZA\ UNIVERSIDAD
IBEROAMERICANA
ilililtI
In Touch: M ars h all M c Luh an, Augmenting Getting
the Human and TIte Haptic Sense Carolvn Cuertin
97
Cadi
!-
nris las iorerlises de las computadorls nos permiren Lrn acccso directo r ftx darx dc la nisnrc mauera qut nucstroscucrpos
lurciomn corb iftcrfNses con el nundo. Los "modcs v,n pm lr conpuLrle as an ixrcnsiorr ofthe eye. as Mcluhar argrrcs, but it was also crrllcctively visible: donc in public and.rloud. As rhc book became
m aliordablc comrnoditv, ho*evcr, rcaclinlr*,as trarslared inro ln rhc sanrc way drat noise was born ofthe rechno-
x private, silellt Acr.
logical age, so silence and privatc space bloomec{ Lrehind thc innovarion ofglass rvindows. R. Mrrrrav Schafil says:
glud
windo* ws an nNaDtioo of grar i'nFrbn.c fi)r rhceundscapc. &xdnrgcxtchilcven$ in rn un nrr unl phen ro*likr 'silen.e- Thednninurion ofsound uinsmksion, while not innredhtc and oL:curring onlv g.r.Luilly wi(h dre thickcrirg ofglazing,,mr only crexted rhc rorio| of a herc'aDd0 d)ed ora brlord. bur also inr.oduced a tission ofrhc sciscs (212).
Thc
Vhcn thcre were no windows to close, rhe conlntrnir) $?s invired in ro lisrcl; irwas private s€nsory spxccwirh irs glass l;arriers rhat cteatcd a neecl lorsilcncc and privacy lhis is ofcoursc a Mcl.uhanesque mec{iated environrnent. Dcl jck dc Kcrckhove argres rhar books crcarcd rhc sense of public and private spacc in tcrms of d)nsrrucrs of rhe self' as well (1995,206). lhe interior wolld houscd our 'private' self and our'in nermosr droughrs aod privileget{ subjective and inrrospective rhotLghts, slicing orLr senscs up inro scpararc units. The eJesprce ronnins trchiLecrure" (original rnplrasis, 226). Virturl cnvironmenrs havc, as a rcsult, emerged as acsthcricized rcnditions oftlre archirccnrrc o[our crextivc and dreinl states this is imaginatiorrll space, the spacc olrhe drerm, oL thc sprcc oi the crearivc wirh ,\'zrrl.Vzsr .rct grorvl |ugc cnough ftr us to insclt ourselves into "rs 'Ihc and Virpm. htcracrive digitLrl cnvironment is also such a sr uctlrre thar r:nt'ilds to allorv thc passrge ol'bodies duough it in re tirnc, just rs the body t(x) .?rrki'r, ftr and ri dre archirecnrrc ofrhc senses and of rhe very srrfi oflifa itself. Novclist Victor llugo once observcd rhat, in dre writing proccss, "fflorm is the l;ase that riscs tc, the surface" (qtd in Virilio. 199Ib, 67). h our tirnc, thc interll,rce is a litcral rendition ofrhis kinrl ofaesrheticized hepric fbrn as suLrc€, nd, in clcctrnic spaces, firlrr drrs not mcan simply a surlicc tension. I( is vhar w'c must touch and irrnrcrsc ourselvcs in (l'ke in our mcmories) in order ro navigarc the {luid spaccs and tines ofrhe virtual *orld. Tun xr.w tttpte: tto'r
vtlrl
v!:Rsus AUGMTNTTD riNvlltoNMENTs
Inlonnarion ovcrload is a by-prodr:ct ofthe meering oftcxtual and senlr is rhc plaoe rvhere words and imases lose drcir meanins and bccome in/comprehcnsible and un/recogn;z:rble. l)eta glut dctcr ritorializcs us in sp:rce, giving us a sense ofdislocarion xnd disorienration ard mnking ir difficult to lavigatc bv totLch or ro rcad o.rr senses. 'lhis is dre crux ofovcrload. ft is.rlways a|cady about navigation: the navigarion of .r mulripliciry ofscnsory srimuli. llccausc boclies navigatc in space, drcy:rrc always already in a state offlux. Sight is no longcr privileged in rhc infirrmarion age; nrorion instead bccomcr a sensory form ofrvr;tnrgor signing like the 6rst rime wc inhatr ited acousric space. Acousric sprcc was as€ninalconccpt f'or McLLrhan. He believcd rhat print technologics had lostered:r lincar birs, whereas acoustic space is morc closelv Jdn to thc inmersive nattrlc olthc natural
sory renlnrs.
CoMLJ\r AodN
{rorld. 'Ihe acomric is immcrsive, envelopnrg us in irs unblokcn 360 degrces. Conposed ofcentcrs antl no rnarqins. rhe linear bi.rs ofwestern
socicrywas colrpiinrcnted bv mo acoustic technologics: caslr morreyand
tbrour matcrials,orth, and rhe compass rcnders the world:rs navigrble informarion space. Vhile surfirgin cybersl)ace, thebody wri(es i6clfinto the imneLsive enlironurcnt m a di'nanic cvenL in process,like the compLrs in thc rvorldlhis istlre bodv in virru:rlspacc pcrlbrming in rc:rldrne, andemcring. not nrovemenr as theauc, bur nrovement as performnnce. Ihar is ro say, dris the comprss. Currencv is a metaphor, astand'in
is nor movcmcnt firr au rudience, bur a dynamic and pelsonal act drat a
browserpcrforms lor a-nd byhcrseli Pcrforrnance is a lbrrn that has been favourcd by many artists, In part at lcrsr no doubr be.causc physicatiry and gcnd€r are so rcadily fb'cgro'rndcd and probleuratizcd in drc body ofthc pcrformer: As a dynamic and tr:rDsitory alt fbarr, perfi-rrmLurce is edrereal, exisring both inside and ousidc of time and space, insidc and oursidc ofreprcsentation and thc rc:l. Constmcting a 'second rinre, thc dme ofrc-rurn or re visiradon to the samc marerial thrt is nor a repeti'
rnlr. According to PcgX I'halen, '[1:Jerfbrmaucc...carr be defined
as
represen ratio n with our rcprodrrcrion" (3) because it rLva;s cxists virtually
in rhe present nromenr on thc vcrgc ofbccomirg. I'h-llen
s.r1's,
I)c,fo.mancc.sonly liG n in thc prcsnt. l'.'fo.nnnc. c.ind t c Mvcd, kco,ded, drrurncrtc,l, or orhcnvise participate nr dre circtrlirioo ol rcprcsnernns a/
refberrilnnNr oncc irdocs so, ir bci,trres soDedring other thar peLliLrnaucc. lb rlcdegrec tfirt pcrformrnce aaen:pLs to cnteL drc economy ofreproducLion it bcmys and lcssens the prorrrisc ofia own ontology (I'h.len, 146). Like our expcriencc of navigaring an inrmcrsive environmcnt, the cxpericoce ofrhe pcrformence €.rnnor be xrchived eirhcr. lr is rhe actr.ral movement of rhc body in space-rime that is dre narrativc of impo.t here. Wc must be danccLs ro understand the dance. Ve must dance to tLndeLstand the languagc, ln the computerizecl metli:r, the brorvser is both pcrlirrmer and audience, surface md cleprh, body:rnd subjcct. ln the s:rme lrarner. in this mcdirrm rhe velue ofthc work ofart is in
Rllru
lBlRod!iiarGNr
DE(i ru\'c^()6\
this ethcreal, cxperienrial dinension. lhe c(nnpurcr as rool aho has nr its arscnal: when it acts as a nedirrm for art, it acqrrires drc powcr to critique hsclfas bofi rool and medirrm. In th:rt mectirg ofminds, rrc cnn see the birth ofnew mediu and technologics xs they happcn. More solitary rharr th*rtle, rvc srill rneintain rhe scnsc ofcommuniw in rhe layers ofour mind wirh disparrrc rea,Jings ofnew rnetJ i.r works. OuL expcriencc lemxins oLLr own rhough becruse absolutc repcrition oi rh c evenr is impossible ( llh:Jen , I 27) . Evcry jou rney through thc iext is A rc secing of irs evcnrs in rnulriplc prcscn$, is i rc'rurniDq ro and oI interioriries rrncl exrerioriries. Auy kir:d of pcLformance by is very naturc is sir(latd in rhc irn mediate su rface ofdrc prescnr momenr. As browscrs in thc new rnedia, we writc oursclves in thc surfices arrd touch rhe dcprhs ofthc rcadi ng surf.:rce ofrhe rcxt as perfornrati.r,e cvcnts in drc gap of the prescnt mcrurenr. Vhen we pelfbrm ourinreracrion wirh orherkinds ofmcdiainsranti Lrted m art fotms-wirh a book or.r tclevision, fbrexanrl)lc-wc are vcrv arvare ofthc ficr that wc inselr oursclves into it Lrs irs iudiencc. and drlr we choosr ro inrcr:r.r wirh i(. \v;rh thc ncw b(xn-digiral firrms ofart, howcver, there is lo such coosciorLs seprrariou benvcen us ancl then. It is hardcr to say where we end and rhey begin, and whcre *'c are and wlr.rri,orrrlr. *rcrr .Wlrerr.rrneJiLrrrbcrorne"rcrpL,rr.ivc..r.irrr,r.r.rive complrr€r prograDrs and environments c:rn be, we arr no lolrgcr obscLvers. Lxtcad, wc bcconre perllrners on the stage of irs intertice evcn Lrs we arc rhar \drich is bcing pcrlorrled through irs machinarions. I want to underscore hcre thar, rvhile rvc ue the inpur, withour its r.tr aftonuersation thueis no work of.rrt. I s is rvhcLe responsive environmens likc virnral reality or inrcractive game spaces deparr from rhcir paler cousins rhat scr our ro entertain rLs. 'lhesc disclLrsive spaccs xnd "rre cxpericnces rh:rt rcquirc tr-s to r.rlk back. lie cnvir onrnent itsclfbecomes r exrellsiorl ofus in morc intirnate rvavs rhan wc evcl irnaqined, coming ro mr simukxncously as or:r audicncc and as a "third skiri' (Prince 13) dratprivilcges our sensorr cngagcmen t. Multirncdia "clvironmcnts" McLuhan has obscrved, "irc not passivc wrrppings bur activc proccsses" a powcrfLrl rveapon
(l('!flrNrc^cr6N
(McLLrhan,
l2). Multimedir pert-ormaucc rhereby uses rhc byproducrs ofthis rechnological nreta-rncdiurr ro take pleasurc in the conmingling ofrhe senses ro produce an ahelcd scnsc ofselfor I ncw sLrbjcctiviry Imme'iivc environmenrs, like rhe painrcd c.rvc, the sweat lodge, $c nredieval catlredral, arci Snr Trck\ holodcck, are bv
