Week 5 Computational Art and Postphenomenology
Phenomenology is the “philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness.” I had first encountered this term with the writing of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and his seminal work the Phenomenology of Perception. I found his account of the body (simultaneously existing as both subject and object) to be fascinating and worth revisiting when analysing ourselves in relation to the world.
So, this week we looked at postphenomenology which is defined as a “revised form of phenomenology that aims to overcome the limitations of subjectivism.” Within the context of Computational Art Theory, this tool can investigate technology in terms of the relations between human beings and technological artefacts by focusing on the various ways in which technologies help to shape relations between human beings and the world. Like Heidegger’s less romantic view of technology, postphenomenology combines philosophical analysis with empirical investigation which is a useful framework within the field of computing.
Our key philosopher within this area is Don Idhe who came up with four mediating roles within human/world/ technology relations that he believes deserve philosophical attention.
1. Embodiment relations: (human - technology) —> world. 2. Hermeneutic relations: human —> (technology - world). 3. Alterity relations: human —> technology (world). 4. Background relations: human (technology / world).
So far, I have personally found Embodiment and Hermeneutic relations to be most relevant to my creative practice. Virtual reality is interesting to look at through the lens of postphenomenology as embodiment is useful for investigating the human body in relation to technological artefacts. But also, how technology can alienate us by shaping our relations to the world itself. Helen shared a great example of these indirect relationships with Aquaphobia by Jakob Steensen which seeks to reconfigure our relations to technology and nature through embodiment in the VR experience.
Another great example of Hermeneutic relations she shared was Pierre Huyghe’s installation at the Serpentine gallery earlier this year entitled UUmwelt. This piece analyses brain activity from a fMRI scanner against a deep neural network of images presented with a community of flies and sanded walls as a commentary on the flexibly of human, animal and machine relationships.
Ultimately this has been a fascinating week which has gifted me with many ideas for the research report. Admittedly I have neglected the virtual reality aspect of the project but now feel more inclined to consider the human within this technoscientific loop as ultimately there needs to be someone to experience it.
References • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenomenology_(philosophy) • Merleau-Ponty, M. & Landes, D.A., 2012. Phenomenology of perception, • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenomenology_of_Perception • https://www.yourdictionary.com/postphenomenology • https://vimeo.com/67744883 • https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/philosophy-of-technology/0/steps/26324?fbclid=IwAR1MiQElHcNJ-O7GkoUZJFLDbGX2-YqdnQZYCQhiddxXOJQaVj8gf9Xnw2c • https://vimeo.com/244699310 • https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/pierre-huyghe-uumwelt
Image of AQUAPHOBIA by: Jakob Kudsk Steensen https://vimeo.com/244699310
Image of UUmwelt by: Pierre Huyghe https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/pierre-huyghe-uumwelt