Mari Lagerquist & Robertina Šebjanič
Galerija Herman Pečarič, Piran
13. 12. 2008 > 18. 1. 2009
For some time, we have been able to observe the growing number of communication devices; they are everywhere, and to some have become quite indispensable. The devices are constructed in a way that compels the consumer into frequent use. We are meant to use them in a way that makes our consciousness more and more dispersed and less capable of focusing on individual goals. They are constructed and programmed in a way that produces a schizophrenic society and alienated people. We could claim that they enable instant communication, which is then in the hands and at the discretion of the user; however, the modern way of life – neo-liberal politics and capitalism, that is – has imposed on people a specific state of mind and functioning. Political and economic programmes require ever greater mobility and exchange of information; in short, intense communication. It is no secret that modern communication channels are controlled by the authorities, both declared and anonymous, and that they are working mainly for their interests. And as individuals in the crowd, we obediently disclose our privacy, making it accessible to the general public. We send out information about our lives, habits, thoughts and wishes. Likewise, through the same channels, we receive pieces of information and save them on various memory units both electronic and biological (which after all also function on the basis of electrical impulses). And the reason for this is mainly so that we can go on communicating. But even very simple devices are capable of communicating between themselves and with humans. So how are human beings different from them? Let us leave aside the arrogance of anthropocentric evolutionism and allow for the possibility that there are beings in this world at least as intelligent as us. But we really should be able to rise above the devices we created. We can easily claim that the conscious interpretation of information is a basic human ability. We are even capable of several different interpretations at once. Although these interpretations are often formed very similarly to statistical analyses, there is something unique about them. Namely, as human beings we are capable of interpreting information even without a specific goal, purpose, or search for a result. We are capable of interpreting for the sake of interpreting, thus achieving a poetic freedom that no device is or ever will be able to achieve. Given this, I invite the most stubborn sceptics to explain how devices can dream.
Mari Lagerquist, The Wandering Darkhouse, 2008, metal/rope, 200 x 70 x 70 cm
Human communication through devices or in some other way can be a poetic process, but only when it involves interpretation. When we accept communication as an activity, this does not necessarily incorporate a person’s inner involvement. In essence, a human being is only performing a certain function, thus becoming an extension of the device. A true activity, creativity, necessarily involves an inner process, which is not directly connected to the external one. But it most certainly excludes human activity as the simple performance of a function.
Robertina Šebjanič, Signal 02, 2008, a segment from video
Signals are an important element of communication, because they are always the vehicle of information. Signals, however, are not exclusive to systems of signs that are agreed upon and governed by humans. Communication, which implies a common language, is an exchange of thought and exists first of all in nature. Even if we only look at its physical aspect, it is not difficult to accept the fact that everything in the universe, except for what we call a black hole, emanates a certain vibration. And vibration means pulsation, and pulsation is being. Signals emitted by things, beings, are part of the interaction between them, and we cannot avoid the notion that it is through these signals that everything affects everything else. By interpreting information that travels through signals, it is possible to map this multidimensional world. By interpreting information, we define our own position in it. Because every interpretation is subjective, we also choose our own identities. It is truly impossible to expect the same signal to generate the same or at least an equal interpretation in different recipients, or in different spaces and at different times. Also, we can never claim with any certainty that we have understood correctly.
Vasja Nagy
Translated by Katarina Jerin
The project is realized in collaboration with Luka Frelih and Ulrich Hansen
and suported by:
- Turist agency Maona www.maona.si
- Association for the Promotion of Women in Culture – City of Women www.cityofwomen.org
- Ljudmila – Ljubljana digital media lab www.ljudmila.org
- Obalne galerije Piran www.obalne-galerije.si
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