TEHNOLOGIJA

Umetniški projekt VideoSpace pomeni medijski vstop v sinhrono predstavitev avtorjeve zgodovine ustvarjanja v umetnostnih medijih. Je pravzaprav virtualni tridimenzionalni prostor, v katerem so posamezni avtorski projekti postavljeni v prostorska in konceptualna razmerja. Predstavlja vrsto arhiva, ki se odreka kopičenju artefaktov v kronoloških razvojnih nizih; namesto tega ponuja gledalcu vstop oziroma totalno potopitev v novo realnost, sestavljeno izključno iz kodiranja relacij med koncepti posameznih projektov. Ker so te relacije že kodirane in vsidrane v prostorska razmerja virtualne realnosti, je gledalčev trajektorij skozi VideoSpace začrtan ne v času doživljanja, temveč v dramaturgiji prostora, ki s tem vzpostavlja prvo raven notranjega pogleda - modificira gledalčev pogled oziroma njegovo percepcijo umetnine.

Projekt VideoSpace nam omogoča premislek o umetnosti in o teoriji umetnosti danes. S tematiziranjem robov med projekti konstituira polje umetnosti kot arhiv, ki ga sestavljajo enote, vzpostavljene prav skozi natančno določanje specifik robov med njimi. Arhiv kot celota pa se konstituira tudi skozi svojo enotnost kot del širšega arhiva, ki zajema celotno realnost naše družbe. S tem model odnosov med posameznimi sestavnimi deli VideoSpacea podaja model umetniškega delovanja na splošno, kajti umetnine kot enote sodobne realnosti se ne morejo več - vsaj za praktično rabo ustvarjalcev ne - upravičevati skozi model estetskega doživetja, genialnega ustvarjalca ali pa zgolj pragmatično skozi umetniške institucije, pač pa se vzpostavijo skozi odnos do vsakdanje realnosti, kjer umetnina ni odrezana od poltičnih in etičnih vprašanj.
VideoSpace je nastal na podlagi treh projektov: Javornik (2001), R III (2002) in VSA (še poteka). Gre za samostojne umetniške projekte, ki jih je treba razumeti skozi optiko video-integriranih medijev in, širše, konceptualne umetnosti. Vsak od treh projektov - samostojnih konceptov - je realiziran skozi več avtonomnih umetniških utelešenj - kot video, videoinstalacija in internetno mesto, v posameznih primerih pa tudi interaktivni CD-ROM (Javornik), "tradicionalne" akrilne slike na platnu (R III) in celostna grafična podoba (VSA). Videospace je prav tako realiziran na več ravneh, prvič kot konceptualna tabla, tokrat kot interaktivni CD-ROM s tridimenzionalnim hiperprostorom, načrtujemo pa tudi redukcijo CD-ROM verzije v VRML tridimenzionalno medmrežno realnost.

Tri samostojne projekte, ki so podlaga VideoSpacea, povezuje podoben miselni horizont, ki določa obenem vse tri, na specifične načine pa tudi vsakega posebej od njih. Gre za trojico druge na drugo neizvedljivih substanc sveta: materije, človeka in jezika. Z njimi npr. presežemo nekaj pomembnih težav sodobnih filozofij, npr. problem formalizma, ki deluje zgolj v polju jezikovnega in morda tudi materialnega, psihologizma z ekspresivnostjo človeka skozi jezik, historičnega materializma in neomarksizmov,... seveda v obliki kot jo omogočata metalingvistika Mihaila Bahtina in arheologija Michela Foucaulta. V samih projektih se vse tri ravni prepletajo, in sicer na za umetnost specifični ravni - jezik se tematizira skozi literarno znanstvene vidike intertekstualnosti, človek skozi teorije in prakse bodyarta in performansa, materija pa skozi Bahtinovo in Foucaultovo teorijo materialnega diskurza.
Jezik je v ospredju projekta R III, ki je pravzaprav prenos Shakespearove historije Rihard III. v medij videa. Kralj Rihard III. se danes kaže predvsem kot diskurzivno polje, ki presega problematiko literarne intertekstualnosti ter sega na področje materialnih učinkov, ki kot politika posegajo predvsem v človeško življenje. Javornik raziskuje meje body arta, ki kljub na prvi pogled jasni usmerjenosti ni tako samoumeven, kot se morda zdi. Aktivacija neprijetnih konotacij umetniških diskurzov in institucij zamaje tudi institucionalizacijo umetniškega zlorabljanja telesa. Projekt VSA se v celoti posveča materialnosti, išče stik z materijo v čisti obliki, ta stik pa seveda ni neproblematičen, ampak zavit v neprehodno mrežo diskurzov in institucij.
V VideoSpaceu smo sledili logiki trojice jezik, človek in materija in ji dodali še prostorskost. To ni naključno, ampak sledi iz teoretičnega premika, ki ga omogočata teoriji M.Bahtina in M.Foucaulta. Sam Foucault nekje jasno pove, da je premestitev fokusa filozofskega raziskovanja s problematike časa na probleme prostorskih razmerij nujna. Gre za teritorializacijo diskurza iz razpoke v času. Ker delamo z računalniško podprtimi mediji, smo izhajali iz modela hiperteksta, ki se s pomočjo povezav širi skozi internet, in modela videoiger, ki tematizirajo tridimenzionalno grafiko - nekakšen hiperprostor -, ki se izrisuje pred nami v realnem času.

Na konceptualni tabli smo tem projektom dodali še kontekst videoigre Tomb Raider, ki uporablja tretjeosebni pogled, vezan na model, avatarja, našega dvojnika. Prostor, ki z njim komunicira Lara Croft je večji del posnetek realnega. V CD-ROM različici, ko smo bili pred konkretno dilemo, kakšen naj bo virtualni prostor, ki bo omogočal soobstoj in vzajemno delovanje treh projektov, se je poudarek premaknil z avatarja na sam prostor. Namreč, avatar implicira povezavo taktilnih kvalitet prostorskih detajlov z uporabnikom, ki manipulacijo virtualnega prostora dojema skozi izkušnjo svojega fizičnega telesa. Smisel avatarja v videoigri je, da kot popolni dvojnik uporabnika prevzame njegovo celotno zanimanje in s tem ukine prostor (primer: videoigra Tekken). Ker je trikotni relaciogram sveta zastavljen na konceptualni ravni in tudi uporabnika nagovarja izključno na konceptualni ravni (ne pa na telesni), je avatar kot najmočnejši nosilec indentifikacije nepotreben, saj se uporabnik sprehaja po konceptu prostora s tem, da prostor razkriva in ne zato, da bi se v njem počutil "kot doma". Z ukinjanjem izkustvene manipulabilnosti prostorskih detajlov se vzpostavlja izkustvena distanca med uporabnikom in virtualnim prostorom, posledica tega pa je v konceptualno razumevanje.

Virtualni prostor VideoSpaca je zasnovan na treh elementih: tridimenzionalnih objektih, dvodimenzionalnih teksturah in zainteresiranemu pogledu, ki ta prostor razkriva. Vsak od naštetih elementov je razvit skozi svoj ključni perceptivni aspekt: tridimenzionalni objekti posnemajo prepoznavne tridimenzionalne objekte iz realnega sveta, teksture niso vezane na objekte, ki jih prekrivajo, ampak izpolnjujejo zahtevo po dvodimenzionalnosti, medtem ko je pogled usmerjen v prostor in ne prikazuje svojega nosilca (avatarja)
Tridimenzionalni objekti in dvodimenzionalne teksture so tako v virtualnem svetu zastopane vsaka v svoji vlogi in ne v vlogi uprizarjanja sveta, ki bi posnemal realni svet. To je mogoče med drugim zato, ker so tridimenzionalni objekti (hiša,opazovalnica, griči, luža) dovolj informativni o referencah na realni svet že s svojo tridimenzionalno obliko in bi jih bilo (kar se tiče prepoznavanja realnih objektov) povsem redundantno kodirati še na ravni tekstur.

Dekorativnosti posnemanja narave skozi element tekstur smo se ognili s popolnim sploščenjem tekstur. Tako se tekstura osamosvoji od objektov, ki jih pokriva, in sporoča na avtonomni, sebi lastni ravni - skozi slike, dvodimenzionalne podobe. Seveda je najbolj ploskovita od vseh slik pornografska slika. Namreč, smisel ali zgodba ali razumevanje vsake slike se dogaja na točki njenega suspenza, madeža. V točki, ki ni enoznačno in neposredno razumljiva, v točki potopitve v sliko. Pornografska slika pa te točke nima, saj vse razkriva. V njej ni suspenza, njen prvi pomen je hkrati njen zadnji in vsi vmesni pomeni.
Vsak od treh elementov (objekti, teksture in pogled) brez drugih dveh ne bi mogel obstajati in vsaka dva brez tretjega ne bi mogla tvoriti logike virtualnega prostora. Segmentacija na ključne perceptivne vidike elementov, ki tvorijo virtualni prostor, je bila podlaga za razumevanje in načrtovanje oblike in načina kodiranja vsakega od njih.

Tako je pred nami konceptualni virtualni prostor, katerega naloga ni zgolj posnemati realnega na čim višji resoluciji, temveč vzpostaviti okolje, v katerega se lahko umesti in razvije trikotni relaciogram sveta, na podlagi trojice konceptualnih projektov Javornik, R III, VSA.
VRML oblika VideoSpacea (http://black.fri.uni-lj.si/videospace/) je reducirana na ploščad v neskončnem črnem prostoru ter na konceptualno triado relaciograma jezik, človek, materija, soočeno s triado projektov Javornik, R III, VSA. Prostor se v VRML obliki skrči na funkcionalni minimum informacij o prostoru, zato da je prenos čim hitrejši. Ploščad v črnem prostoru podlega možnim načinom premikanja v danem virtualnem prostoru: to so translacijska gibanja z možnostjo zoomiranja (približevanja ali oddaljevanja od njega), ter rotacije objekta (vrtenje polščadi). Vsaka od naštetih manipulacij premikanja ustvarja travelling v prostoru, skozi travelling pa se odkrivajo in ustvarjajo različni pogledi in točke/smeri zanimanja v tem prostoru. Z manipulacijami premikanja se uporabnik postopoma približuje relaciogramu. Zaobjame ga lahko od daleč kot celoto, ali pa se giblje znotraj njega od ene mapirane indentitetne točke k drugi. Vsaka od indentitetnih točk je povezana s spletnimi stranimi pripadajočega umetniškega projekta. Tako se prostorsko mapirani relaciogram prenaša na vzporedno raven posameznih spletnih strani s trenutnim premikom mrežnih povezav. Strani, dostopne prek mrežnih povezav, so ploske v primerjavi s prostorskimi premiki v virtualni realnosti VRML-ja. To je en način izstopanja in ponovnega vstopanja v virtualni prostor internetnega VideoSpacea. Drugi način je prepoznavanje simbola Davidove zvezde, ki je oblika dveh sopostavljenih trikotnih relaciogramov. Tudi to je točka prepuščanja med virtualnim kodiranim prostorom in realnim prostorom določenega družbenega konteksta, ki ga ne moremo dojemati kot nevtralen privesek virtualnega projekta, ampak se skozenj prestruktuira celotna oblika virtualne realnosti in postane vpeta v in odvisna od širše družbene mreže diskurzov.

Tako konstruiran in relacijsko kodiran virtualni prostor lahko vsebuje zgodovino avtorjevega ustvarjanja v enem zmrznjenem trenutku časa, vendar razvito v dramaturgiji prostora, saj kot je Gaston Bachelard zapisal v poetiki prostora : "V svojih tisočerih vdolbinah prostor drži stisnjen čas. /.../ Šele s pomočjo prostora najdemo v prostoru prelepe fosile trajanja, konkretizirane z dolgimi bivanji." Naš postopek je hermenevtični pristop k posameznim realizacijam projektov, ki delujejo kot vozli v mreži diskurzov, kar je povsem različno od biografske metode, ki se trudi zapolniti vrzeli na časovni premici med posameznimi emanacijami, oz. umetniškimi projekti. VideoSpace kot virtualni prostor dialoških konfrontacij in kot bojno polje različnih glasov lahko uporabimo tudi kot prostor relacij med projekti različnih avtorjev. Dejansko bomo Videospace naselili z umetniškimi deli devetih študentov Akademije za likovne umetnosti v Ljubljani, relacije med njihovimi projekti pa bodo odslikovale institucionalno delovanje akademijskega učnega procesa na različnih oddelkih (slikarstvo, kiparstvo, video) in tako omogočale premislek politike umetnosti na tem specifičnem locusu.

Narvika Bovcon in Aleš Vaupotič

VideoSpace was created on the basis of three projects: Javornik (2001), R III (2002) and VSA (2003). These are autonomous artistic projects (that have been exhibited also separately), which should be conceived through the viewpoint of video-integrated media and conceptual art. Each of the three projects and of course their relationships (alliance) in VideoSpace are realised through multiple artistic media: as video tape, video installation and web site, in some cases also as an interactive CD-ROM (Javornik), traditional paintings acrylic on canvas (R III) and corporate identity (VSA). VideoSpace is realized on different levels, too: first as a conceptual diagram, than as an interactive CD-ROM with a virtual three-dimensional hyperspace and as a reduction of the CD-ROM version into the language of VRML three-dimensional net reality.

Three autonomous projects in the VideoSpace are connected to each other by the conceptual horizon that defines each of them and all of them in relation to each other. This is a triade of irreducable cosmic substances: the matter, the human and the language. With this triade we are able to overcome some of the crucial contemporary philosophical biases embodied in critical movements - as for example formalism (that functiones only in the field of language and to some extent in the field of matter), psychologism (with the human expressiveness through language), historical materialism and neomarksism... - of course in the theoretical form enabled by the metalinguistics of Mikhail Bakhtin and the archaeology of Michael Foucault. In the three projects all three substances are intertwined on the artistically specific level: the language is considered from the point of view of literary sciences and intertextuality, the human through the theories and practices of body art and performance, the matter through Bakhtin's and Foucault's theories of the materiality of discourse.
Language is in the focus of the project R III, which is actually a transposition of Shakespeare's history play King Richard the Third into the medium of videotape. Today King Richard the Third is perceived mainly as a discoursive field that transgresses the mere problematics of literary intertextuality and extends into the field of material effects that interfere with human life in the form of politics. Javornik explores the borders of body art, which despite its apparently transparent aim turns out to be not as non-problematic as it may seam. Activation of unplesant conotations of artistic discourses and institutions shatters the very institution of artistic abuse of the body. The VSA project is focused on the materiality, it searches for the contact with the matter in its pure form. However, this contact is not non-problematic but instead it appears wraped into a Kafka-like maze of discourses and institutions.

In VideoSpace we followed the logic of the triade language, human, matter and we added the spatial dimension. This move is suggested in the theoretical shift enabled by the theories of Mikhail Bakhtin and Michael Foucault. Foucalt somewhere clearely states that the shift of the philosophical research from the problematics of time onto the problematics of space relations is necessary. The teritorialization of the discourse has replaced the deconstrictionist or Lacanian burgeoning of the discourse from the rapture in time. Since we are dealing with computer media, we evolved our concept mainly from the model of the hypertext, that is, by means of links spreading through the internet, and from the model of video games, that contribute the three dimensional graphics - some kind of hyperspace -, which appears before our eyes in real time.

On the level of conceptual diagram we added to the three projects also the context of the video game Tomb Raider, which makes use of the third person gaze, attached to the model of our double, the avatar. The space with which Lara Croft communicates and interacts is mainly a representation of the real space. In the CD-ROM version, when we have faced the concrete dilema about what the virtual space should look like in order to enable the coexistence and mutual functioning of the three projects, the shift of the player's interest from the avatar to the space itself was necessary. That is because the avatar implies the connection of the tactile qualities of the space details with the user, who relates to the virtual space thorugh the experinece of his/her own physical body in the real space. The meaning of the avatar in the video game is that it as a perfect double of the user takes over his/her complete interest and thereby it disqualifies the spatial features of the game (eg. video game Tekken). Since the triangual relatiogram of the world is developed on the conceptual level and since it addresses the user completely on the conceptual level, too (and not on the level of physical experience), the avatar as the strongest carier of identification becomes unnecessary and even disturbing, since the user strolls in the conceptual space with the aim to discover the space and not to experience it as his home. By absence of the experimental manipulability of the space features the empirical distance is evolved between the user and the virtual space, the consequence of which is the shift into the conceptual understanding.

The virtual space of VideoSpace is founded in three elements: the three dimensional objects, the two dimensional textures and the interested gaze which explores the space. Each of the elements is developed through its crucial perceptive aspect: three dimensional objects mimics the three dimensional objects from the real space (eg. the house), textures are not mimetically applied to the objects they cover (eg. the texture of wall bricks is not applied to the object of the house), instead they claim the two-dimensionality, whereas the interested gaze is focuesd into the space itself and it does not disclose its carrier, the avatar. The three dimensional objects and the two dimensional textures are thereby functional in their specific roles and not in the common role of an illusion of the real world. This is in part possible because the three dimensional objects carry enough information about the references to the real world by their three dimensional form alone and would be therefore reduntantly codified if they would mimic real world also on the level of textures.

The textures are utterly flat, two-dimensional when they carry pornographic images. In fact, the meaning or the story of any image takes place in the ponit of its suspense, the macule. This is the point, which is not directly, or onefoldedly interpreted; it is the point of the submersion of the viewer into the image. A pornographical picture has no such point since it discloses everything. It has no suspense; its first meaning is at the same time also its last and all the meanings in between. It shows to the gaze what the gaze is looking for and the finding of which should never occur in order for the search of the interested gaze to be possible.
Each of the three elements of the VideoSpace (objects, textures, interested view) could not exist without the other two and every two of them without the third could not form the logic of the virtual space. The segmentation of the virtual space into the crucial perceptive functions of the elements that form it has been the foundation for the understanding, conceptualizing and designing the form and the way of codification of each of them. Hence, here we have a conceptual virtual space, the task of which is not to mimic the real world at the resolution as high as possible (as are the trends in contemporary video games), but rather to evolve an environment into which the triangular relatiogram of the world can be placed and developed by the means of the three projects Javornik, R III and VSA.

The VRML version of the VideoSpace (http://black.fri.uni-lj.si/videospace/) is reduced to a platform in the black infinite space and the conceptual triad of the relatiogram language, human, matter juxtaposed with the triad of the projects Javornik, R III and VSA. The space in the virtual reality of the VRML code is functionally reduced to the minimal possible information in order not to overload the internet data transfer. The platform in the black space is manipulated by means of the possible movements in the virtual space: the translation with the functions of zoom in and zoom out, and the rotation of the object (the platform). Each of these manipulations creates a travelling in the space, whereas through travelling different points of view and interest are created and discovered. Thereby the user gradually approaches the relatiogram: he/she can grasp it from a distance by zooming out or proceed from one mapped identity point to another. Each of the identity points is linked to the web pages of the project in concern. Thus the spatially mapped relatiogram is transferred to a parallel level of separate pages by the instantaneous action of the web links. The linked pages may be considered flat in comparison to the three dimensional translations in the virtual reality of the VRML VideoSpace. This is one way of exiting and re-entering the virtual space of VideoSpace; the other is the disclosure of the symbol of the relatiogram, which is the Star of David. It is the point of leakage of the virtual space into the real world space of a specific social context that cannot be perceived as a neutral appendix but instead it modifies the self-contained structure of the virtual reality and makes it dependent on and a part of the social network of discourses.

Narvika Bovcon and Aleš Vaupotič