meta-authorship in pioneering telewriting events

8/9/2019 Meta-Authorship in Pioneering Telewriting Events

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Meta-authorship in Pioneering Telewriting Events

Artur MatuckGraduate Interfaculty Program in Aesthetics and Art History University of So Paulo, University City

So Paulo, rasil, C!P "##"$%&""arturmatuck'gmail(com

ABSTRACT

)elemedia artists and *riters *orking *ith the medium of telecommunication have +een utili ing aform of meta%creation *hen conceiving, -lanning, and designing their mostly interactive events()hey have engendered meta%discourses *hen conceiving tele%active events, thus inaugurating aform of +i%-hasic or multi%-hasic creative e.-ression( Some systemic tele%*riting e.-eriments,conceived and carried out +et*een /&$0 and /&&1, are revie*ed and evaluated as forms of e.-ression involving meta%authorishi- and collective e.-ression( )hey re-resent the first events in*hich *riters colla+orated through com-uter net*orks, inaugurating a ne* form of authorshi-, anunheard%of form of *riting, a learning te.tual e.-erience( Since then *riting through the net*orkshas +ecome a daily activity( ut the model of *riting conceived +y those early net%authorsremains an im-ortant tool to understand and to theori e a+out emerging forms of contem-orarydigital *riting the net*orks have +een su--orting( )he ackno*ledgement of the -eculiarity of thismeta%language, actuali ed through media -artitions as -ro2ect designs, has naturally led to a-edagogical -ro2ect, in *hich teaching focuses in the creation, not of an actual creative *ork, +utin the e.erci ing of meta%authorshi-, in the -roduction of meta%te.ts(

KEYWORDS

Meta%authorshi-, 3riting models, )ele%*riting, 4esigning media systems5 Meta%te.t, Collectivee.-ression

! "#TROD$CT"O#

Since the eighties, an accelerated transformation of technological media has +eenre6uiring ne* strategies, ne* -lanning methodologies for creative -roduction( In the-rocess, a *hole ne* conce-t of creative e.-ression has emerged7 media design as anart language, meta%authorshi- as a creative strategy, collective e.-ression as a learninge.-erience(8ollo*ing this tendency, some authors, *riters, artists, +esides -roviding ne* content,have also +een -erforming as designers of media systems( 3hile e.-erimenting *ithand reinventing media languages, those -ioneering creators have gradually a+andonedtraditional functions as individual -roducers of te.ts, images and sounds()hey could still -roduce aesthetic discourses, +ut they are redirecting their creativityinto conceiving media structures that conte.tuali e aesthetic discourses, in media

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systems that allo* for others to +e involved, in conte.ts that -rovide learning throughcreative roles()hey have +een enlarging the creative s-ectrum, reinventing forms of interaction+et*een human and digital systems, investigating -rocesses of co%authorshi- merginghuman and technological agencies, -ro-osing net%+ased forms of human interaction andmutual education( )hey have +een enunciating -rocessual, conce-tual, -edagogical orcom-utational -ro-ositions -ertaining to a metalinguistic order of discourses( )hey can+e -ro-erly called meta%authors()he recognition of meta%authors and %discourses has led to the conce-tuali ation of meta%authorshi- as a ne* art language, -ro-erly a meta%language, an initial ste- in amulti%-hasic creative -rocess(Although the conce-t of meta%authorshi- can +e discussed in a variety of conte.ts, thisstudy focuses on the emergence of meta%*riting in the telecommunication artmovement in the early eighties( Some systemic 9tele:%*riting e.-eriments, conceivedand carried out +et*een /&$0 and /&&1, are then revie*ed and evaluated as forms of e.-ression involving metalinguistic, interactional and collective authorshi-(

%! P"O#EER"#& TE'EWR"T"#& E(E#TS

%! 'a Plissure )u Te*te

;oy Ascott, for the /&$0 ?!lectra? e.hi+ition inParis, as -artici-atory, dis-ersed authorshi-( In 4ecem+er, during si.teen days, the*orld@s first -lanetary fairy tale *as telescri-ted via com-uter connections(

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8igure /( )ele%*riters -artici-ating in ?


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His colla+orations *ere ty-e*ritten and digiti ed on the key+oard +y someone else( )his*as the condition he im-osed to acce-t +eing -art of the -rocess( #DIt should +e noted that


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the early hours of Bovem+er /0th, slightly e.ceeding the e.-ected time of t*enty%fourhours( $D

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?Hearsay? reached out to the main artists and grou-s active in tele%art at that time,fulfilling its original -ur-ose of glo+al -artici-ation( Several nuances of meaning can +ederived from this event( )he -oem itself is an ironic homage to Mco+ert Oend*as actuali ed and Oend s -oem *as vividly felt +y +ilingual translators around theglo+e(

8igure 0( )he first -age of ?A com-ilation of te.t generated +y the Hearsay Pro2ect? introducesthe meta%te.t(

%!2 Telesthesia3 the Aestheti o4 S alar Co55uni ation

)elesthesia *as a collectively%-roduced interactive te.t, a com-uter mediated

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teleconference, conceived and initiated +y Artur Matuck, from Carnegie MellonUniversity in Pitts+urgh on March 1/, /&&/( It *as -ro-osed as a to-ic for discussion onArt(Com, an o-en forum focusing on communication and contem-orary art, located onthe 3ell net*ork(

)he call for -artici-ation for ?)elesthesia7 the aesthetic of scalar communication? stated7?)his to-ic is intended to collect contri+utions on the theme of )elesthesia, during lateMarch and A-ril /&&/( Ideas, -ro-ositions, -ersonal e.-eriences, references, 6uotations,6uestions and so on *ill +e interchanged so that a -iece of interactive *riting *ill +econstituted(? &D3ould%+e authors *ere advised that they must +e a*are that ?J their individualcontri+utions *ill +e -art of a larger collective te.t and that u-on entering a te.t intothe conference they are automatically granting -ermission for their entries to +ere-roduced in the final version of the interactive te.t(? /"DIt *as also indicated that7 ?All serious contri+utions *ill +e included and ackno*ledged()here *ill +e no Co-yright held( )he resulting te.t *ill +e availa+le to +e freelyre-roduced(? //D)he te.t *as initiated +y the meta%author *ith a -rovisional definition of )elesthesia as7?J a *ondrous sensation arising from a feeling of long distance interconnectivity *ithother forms of consciousness(? /1D)he *ord itself called immediate attention7 ?Oo*( )elesthesia is a *onderful *ordQ ustterrific,? reacted Col 82t as the res-onding author *as identified online( Carl eed ?)elesthesia% yo*, I like that *ord( Po*ers flying fore+rains too(? /0D


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a higher form of life( )he modern telesthetic e.-erience has +een astounding us+ecause the feeling of connectivity can +e -erce-tually felt, e.-licitly e.-erienced,rea*akening in us an age%old +iological trait( )he telesthetic e.-erience touches u-on avery dee- +iological chord in our +eing( My claim is that *e humans are the most

-o*erful sensors in nature, that *e are already e6ui--ed *ith the necessary sensors toallo* us +oth interconnectivity and cosmic connectivity( )he e.-erience of long distancecommunication is therefore +ut one instance in *hich *e can e.-erience theinterconnectivity( If this is so, telecommunication art research must o-en *ide its-ers-ectives looking for ne* -ath*ays for telesthetic e.-erience(? /KDCol 82t re-lied *ith a 6uestion7 ?Ho* can one am-lify one s telesthetic tendencies ? )heans*er came from riney7 ?)here s +een a *hole line of in6uiry into this in the SPI>I)conf, Col 82t( Rne e.am-le is in the 4o*sing section, +ut I think it *ould +e interestingto address the 6uestion here( 3hat is the relation +et*een artmaking using e%tools andthis intrinsic telesthetic tendency ? Col 82t continued7 ?3ell, one *ay to look at it is thatelectronic tools, either +y their autonomous nature, or their interactive nature, are oneof the +est *ays to make art that imitates life,? giving Lernon >eed the chance to saythat7 ?Sometimes I s*ear life seems to +e imitating the e.6uisite cor-se(? Rn A-ril /#,)o* *as enthused *ith the same tendency7 ?I d like to nominate the !arth@s crust as anelemental )elesthesiac medium(? riney re-lied7 ?I d like to nominate the !arth s !M9electromagnetic: grid for same(((?Mark Petrakis added7 ?>ead some*here recently a theory that the universe has +eensha-ed +y shock*aves( )he telenet roars *ith our vo*el and consonant discharges( 3eare touched +y invisi+le a--earances( I second the !M 9electromagnetic: grid(? / DRn May #th arlo* -rovoked us all *ith a terminological yet conce-tual dis-ute7?)elesthesia is the thickening gas of mind( )houghts from the +lind and omni-legicsettlers of Cy+ers-ace( ?!sia?, referring as it does to the senses, has little -lace in any*ord for this ((( thing?( riney res-onded ne.t day ending the collective te.tualconstruction7 ?Au contraire, arlo*( ?!sia? refers to the virtual e.-ansion of the-ossi+ilities of the senses( ringing the conce-tual universe +ack into a -hysical +ody%

time s-ace for your o*n sensual en2oyment(((? /$D

)o-ic #$ 7 )!

T /7 Artur cmuD )hu, Mar 1/, &/ "&7/&D)elesthesia can +e -rovisionally definedas a *ondrous sensation arising from afeeling of long distance interconnectivity*ith other forms of consciousness(

T 17 Col 82t f2tD )hu, Mar 1/, &/ / 7/KDOo*( )elesthesia is a *onderful *ordQ ust terrific(

T 07 Carl 8


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T N7 Are 3e reallyD Mon, Mar 1#, &/ "&71$DI have had a rather +ad case of )elesthesiaever since I first logged on()he doctors can not determine *hatthe origins are, +ut they have -rescri+edmassive doses of vitamins to treat the sym-toms(I hate *hen this ha--ens(

T #7 S6uid+rain skidro*D Mon, Mar 1#, &/ /$70/D)elesthesia is *hat -o*ers flying saucers(

T K7 Lernon >eed vreedD Mon, Mar 1#, &/ 107/&D)elesthesia% yo*, I like that *ord(Po*ers flying fore+rains too(I have a to-ic in this conference,TN#/,*here I have done a lot of rantinga+out telesthesic conce-ts, +ut I never hadthe *ord to -in on em(My angle is this( I am a 2e*elry artist,making cy+ernetic 2e*els,and althoughthey are essentially stand%alone devices currently,I have al*ays envisaged them as +eing nodesin a much larger *e+ of information flu.(

8igure N( 8irst -osts of )elesthesia conference at Artcom, )he 3!


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)he Pro2ect Guidelines suggested an interchange in *hich ?J -artici-ants send their*ishes for the future, their thoughts on the -resent, their meanings gathered from thete.tures of their lives to the Hall of 3his-ers (? 1/D He e.-lained7 ?)he te.t can +e astory, a -oem, a *ish, the vie* out your *indo*, the sounds you hear, things you ve

seen, sur-rising connections( In short, life as you e.-erience it( I have never seen the*orld through your eyes, +ut I *ould like to, and so *ould all the many other-artici-ants in the Hall of 3his-ers( )ell us all *hat you kno*, and see, and imagine(?

11DAndreas@ final -ur-ose *as to orchestrate an o-era of humani ed connections, a*eaving of stories and memories into one single ta-estry, one unified manifestation of universal +onding( He *anted to demonstrated to artisans and craftsmen that electronicart making could +e as humani ed as any other form of craftsmanshi-()he collective *eaving of individual lines +ecomes -ossi+le +ecause every te.t has atheme( Andreas *rites7 ?Bo* that you ve told us your story, *hat *ould you say thisstory is a+out )hink of this as the core of meaning of your story( 3e *ill use this asyour story s initial inde.( As other -eo-le connect *ith it from other sides, itsrelationshi-s *ill e.-and, until it *ill carry a universe of meanings( J As the stories areconnected *ith the stories from other -artici-ants, the connecting links are sent +ack togather more connections(? 10D ;Hall of 3his-ers? lasted from Se-tem+er /&&1 to

anuary /&&0(

8igure #( rian Andreas de-icted some of the stories received for the ;Hall of 3his-ers? throughhis o*n art%making(

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.! T/E PEDA&O&"CA' PRO7ECT)he initial meta%discourse is designed to orient, descri+e, restrict, -revie*, determine asuccessive series of -rocedures *hich *ill gradually actuali e the creative *ork( It can+e detected in the -lans, sketches, -ro2ects, traces of almost any creative *ork, +ut it isalmost never -resent in the final *ork( Rnly *hen a careful documentation -rocess iscarried out, descri+ing the genesis of the *ork, the meta%te.t reemerges(

)he ackno*ledgement of the -eculiarity of this meta%language, actuali ed throughmedia -artitions as -ro2ect designs, has naturally led to a -edagogical -ro2ect, in *hichteaching focuses in the creation, not of an actual creative *ork, +ut in the e.erci ing of meta%authorshi-, in the -roduction of meta%te.ts()his ne* -edagogy, *hich could +e a--lied to any genre of creative e.-ression, can +esyntheti ed as teaching multi%-hasic creative e.-ression (

)he -rocess of envisaging media structures designed to trigger informational flo*s it is+ecoming one of the main means for contem-orary creative e.-ression, a *idelydisseminated methodology, constantly inducing ne* forms of authorshi-, mostlye.erci ed along *ith technological media((

)he teaching methodology re6uires creators to conceive generative systems,interactional models for creative e.-ression( It re6uires a critical -ers-ective to*ardsthe normative formats, -ur-orting creativity in systemic level, stimulating the creatorsto devise generative and interactional -rocess( A ne* challenge is launched, a ne*creative e.-erience is e.-ected(

2! CO#C'$S"O#3 WR"T"#& T/RO$&/ A$T/OR"A' P/ASES

)he -rocess of revie*ing those four digital net%*riting events +rought forth a clearmodel of *riting through authorial -hases( )hose tele%*riting events, conductedinde-endently in different -arts of the *orld +et*een /&$0 and /&&1, e.hi+it a series of common characteristics that allo* us to deduce a model and -ro-ose a theory forcontem-orary media authoring, a format collective te.tual e.-ression and a -edagogical-ro2ect()he -ro-osed theory envisages a *riting -rocess that re6uires authorial segmentation,a time%e.tended se6uence of -hases, a series of successive interactions( )his ne*lydefined *riting -rocess redefines traditional authorshi-, *hich is usually carried out +y asingle individual()he -ro-osed model -ur-orts that the activity of *riting should +e e.-licitly -artitioned7meta%*riting as te.t -lanning5 act%*riting as the actuali ation of the meta%te.t, as the

act of *riting itself5 -ost%*riting as final editing of the actuali ed te.t()he first -hase, meta%*riting, indicates conce-t and -lanning( It may include or suggestthemes, *riting tools, te.t%re-rocessing soft*are, net*orking systems, co%authors,-artici-ant institutions, -rocedural rules and timeta+les( )he author, reconceived in theinitial -hase as meta%author, is the creator of a meta%te.t and not necessarily of a finaldocument(

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)he meta%te.t may allo* or re6uire diverse forms of -rocedural *riting5 it coulddetermine or select tools, co%authors, themes, readings, sites, conte.ts and s-aces()herefore, the creative role of the author, no* -erforming as meta%author, is thusenlarged +ut also su+stantially transformed( )he meta%author, in the design of a *riting

-rocess, also has to oversee com-le. 6uestions of authorial agency( She or he conceivesa series of creative acts, the meta%creative -rocess, *hich *ould involve her or himcreating alone, or a community of authors called u-on to act *ith sim-ler or morecom-le. tools, *riting, accessing and editing()he degree of control and accessi+ility -ermitted or -rescri+ed +y the meta%author*ould de-end, among other factors, on his or her -lans and intentions for the final te.t5*hether it *ill +e a 2ournalistic -iece, an essay, a literary -ro2ect, a +log -ost or ascientific article(

)he second -hase -ro-oses act%*riting as either an individual or colla+orative human-rocess, or as machine%assisted activity( )hat is *hen the -ro2ect is actuali ed(Colla+orators could act%*rite individually or collectively, through interaction, or they*ould act in the selection and e.ecution of soft*are%induced te.tual -roduction( 4uringact%*riting, human agents and com-uter tools *ill +e interacting in a dynamic -rocess,-lanning forms and -roducing te.ts, thus alternating conce-tuali ation andactuali ation( oth human agents and autonomous machine tools *ill -erform manycreative roles5 they *ill -lan, *rite and edit +ut also translate, disseminate and interact()he third -hase, defined as -ost%*riting, indicates editing, selecting and eventuallymor-hing the e%te.t into ne* *riting( It is designed to collect, revie*, classify, archiveand select the many resulting discourses( Usually, the author *ho has initiated the-ro2ect *ould assume the role of the editor, defined here as a -ost%*riter, e.ercising the-rerogative to edit the final -ro2ect, -roviding a final format, destination and conte.t(Ho*ever, final editing could also result from colla+orators, com-uter%assisted tools orhuman%machine interactions()he -ro-osed *riting -ro2ect has actually +een *idely used in many contem-orary

media and net*ork -ro2ects, +ut this ne*ly develo-ed metaD%language has not yet+een considered as an language in itself and therefore has never +een seen as a cor-usfor serious investigation and further e.-erimentation(3e can -ro-erly conclude, ho*ever, that the rising author of the digital age has to+ecome a code *riter, a system designer, a com-oser of creative -rocesses, a teacher of mediated interactions, an architect of collective events(

#OTES

/( >oy Ascot, ?


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l e.-erience difficule mais dFcisive, a FtF le moment oW ean%8ran ois o+ert Oend, an hungarian%+orn -oet*ho had -assed a*ay in the 9northern hemis-here: summer of /&$#($( ?Hearsay Pro2ect?, re-roductions of com-uter -rint%outs5 -rivate research material(&( Artur Matuck, )elesthesia, com-uter -rint out, Pitts+urgh, USA, /&&/(/"( Matuck )elesthesia, /&&/(//( Matuck )elesthesia, /&&/(/1( Matuck )elesthesia, /&&/(/0( eed, )elesthesia, com-uter -rint out, Pitts+urgh, USA, /&&/(/N( 4unn, )elesthesia, com-uter -rint out, Pitts+urgh, USA, /&&/(/#( Glassmire, )elesthesia, com-uter -rint out, Pitts+urgh, USA, /&&/(/K( Matuck )elesthesia, /&&/(/ ( Col 82t, riney, )o*, Petrakis and arlo*()elesthesia, com-uter -rint out, Pitts+urgh, USA, /&&/(/$( ?Hall of 3his-ers7 a Lirtual R-era,? *as conceived and coordinated +y rian Andreas, incon2unction *ith the Graduate School of Arts and Consciousness at the ohn 8( ZennedyUniversity, from Rrinda, California( It lasted from Se-tem+er /&&1 to anuary /&&0(/&( rian Andreas, ;Hall of 3his-ers7 a Lirtual R-era,= folder, -rivate research material, /&&1(1"( Andreas, ?Hall of 3his-ers(?1/( Andreas, ?Hall of 3his-ers(?11( Andreas, ?Hall of 3his-ers(?10( Andreas, ?Hall of 3his-ers(?

RE8ERE#CESAB4>!AS, rian( Hall of Whispers: a Virtual Opera ( 8older, -rivate research material, /&&1(ASCR)), >oy( La Plissure du Texte :Computer Networking Proje t ( !lectra $0, MuseF d ArtModerne de la Lille de Paris, com-uter -rint%out, /&$0, re-roduced in7 Heide Grundmann, ed(, Art)elecommunication, 3estern 8ront Pu+lication, Lancouver, Canada, /&$N(< R)A>4, ean%8ran ois(!preu"es d#$ riture ( 8rom the catalogue7 ;A CHMAB, ohn(The Postmodern %useum ( Art in America, Rcto+er $#, -( //1%//#(

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meta-authorship in pioneering telewriting events

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