ᵈ𝒾𝔤ⓘ𝔱ᵃｌｒ𝓔ᖴℓ𝒆ς𝐓ιØηŞ

curated collection of insights on virtual embodiment, digital identity, and the ever-evolving landscape of cyberspace

[mydigitalreflections]

The Portal installation connecting New York and Dublin has been closed due to inappropriate behavior from both sides.

[mydigitalreflections]

"Bodies© INCorporated" by Victoria Vesna is a provocative art project that challenges the norms of digital identity creation. It allows users to construct 3D avatars using VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language), offering an array of body parts from various genders, sizes, and ages. Presented both online and as a gallery installation, the project requires users to accept extensive terms and conditions, forfeiting all rights to their digital creations, thereby critiquing the commercialization of digital bodies.

[mydigitalreflections]

"Striking Vipers" is an episode from the fifth season of the anthology series "Black Mirror." It explores the complex dynamics of old friendships, evolving relationships, and virtual reality. The story revolves around two college friends who reunite after many years and discover a new form of connection through an immersive VR fighting game called Striking Vipers. The game allows them to embody avatars of different genders and species, leading to unexpected emotional and physical experiences that challenge their perceptions of identity, fidelity, and sexuality.

[mydigitalreflections]

Second Life is a virtual world created by Linden Lab, launched in 2003. Users, referred to as residents, create avatars that represent them in this digital universe, where possibilities are nearly limitless. Second Life allows for social interactions, commerce, and the creation and sale of digital goods and services. This space offers a unique blend of real-world and virtual activities, fostering a community where creativity and entrepreneurship can flourish.

[kale-exe]

4D Chess

[mydigitalreflections]

Bryce is a computer program that democratized access to advanced 3D graphics, allowing a wide range of users, regardless of their prior design experience, to engage with 3D design technology. With its user-friendly interface and affordability, Bryce opened the door to the world of 3D graphics for hobbyists, artists, and designers, enabling them to explore new technologies and visualize landscapes and fantastical scenes. The program's popularity quickly led to various competitions and exhibitions showcasing works created with Bryce. These events not only highlighted the creativity of Bryce users but also demonstrated how digital tools can democratize art, giving everyone the opportunity to express their artistic vision at a high level. Bryce gained recognition and popularity, becoming a significant tool in the world of digital 3D graphics.

[mydigitalreflections]

"Cyborgs are about transgressed boundaries, potent fusions, and dangerous possibilities."

- Donna Haraway, Cyborg Manifesto, 1985

[mydigitalreflections]

In 2001, Victoria Cukt emerged as a virtual candidate in the Polish elections, designed by a group of artists from Gdańsk known as the Central Office for Technical Inspection (pl - C.U.K.T.). Her campaign, under the slogan "Politicians are unnecessary: Victoria Cukt – president 2001," utilized an interactive online interface called "Citizen's Electoral Software." This platform enabled the public to shape her political views and personality through their collective input. The project addressed political disillusionment and the potential for populist exploitation, proposing a novel way for citizens to engage directly in democratic decision-making.

[mydigitalreflections]

“The Portal” (2024) is an art installation designed to transcend physical boundaries by creating a visual connection between New York and Dublin. Each location hosts a sculpture that includes a 24/7 live video stream from the other city's Portal, enabling real-time interactions between people in both cities. This setup allows New Yorkers, Dubliners, and visitors to engage with each other, experiencing a shared space despite the geographical distance.

[mydigitalreflections]

[mydigitalreflections]

"Hole in Space" was a 1980 art installation that connected New York's Lincoln Center and a shopping center in Century City, Los Angeles, through a real-time videoconference. Set up unannounced with no signs or instructions, it featured life-size screens, infrared cameras, microphones, and sound systems. Over three evenings in November, people who happened upon the installation used it to talk with strangers or meet with distant loved ones, figuring out how to use the technology as they went.

[mydigitalreflections]

Lil Miquela is a virtual influencer created using computer-generated imagery (CGI), who has taken social media by storm since her debut in 2016. Designed to resemble a young woman, she blends human-like qualities with digital artistry, engaging with real-world issues and interacting with fans just like a human influencer. Lil Miquela appears in various fashion campaigns, music videos, and even social activism, blurring the lines between reality and digital creation.

[mydigitalreflections]

LOVE

GROUP Z, BELGIUM (MICHAËL SAMYN), 1995

"LOVE" is an interactive web-based project consisting of seven stories that explore the spectrum of romantic love, from innocent desires to complex emotions. Presented in a navigable grid of HTML files, it combines images, text, and interactive elements, letting users explore the stories in their own order while still following an overarching narrative. This setup highlights how web design can integrate regular digital formats with varied, emotional content.

Link to the project -> https://sites.rhizome.org/anthology/LOVE.html

[mydigitalreflections]

"Group Z, Belgium" was a creative concept by Michaël Samyn, featuring him and nine fictional artistic personas he invented to explore different styles before his digital endeavors. In his web-based project "LOVE," these alter egos are listed as co-authors, adding layers of creativity and personal exploration to the work, which is deeply rooted in Samyn's own life experiences.

Michaël Samyn, 1995

[mydigitalreflections]

Collection of my own digital reflections 08-17

[mydigitalreflections]

VNS Matrix was an influential collective of artists founded in 1991 in Adelaide, Australia. Known for pioneering the cyberfeminist art movement, they used digital art, installations, and video games to challenge and disrupt the male-dominated narratives of the digital and technological world. Their work often addressed issues of gender, technology, and body politics, famously coining the term "cyberfeminism" in their 1991 work "A Cyberfeminist Manifesto for the 21st Century." Through their provocative and radical art, VNS Matrix sought to reclaim technology as a space of feminist expression.

More -> https://anthology.rhizome.org/a-cyber-feminist-manifesto-for-the-21st-century

[mydigitalreflections]

A CYBERFEMINIST MANIFESTO FOR THE 21ST CENTURY (VNS Matrix, 1991)