fromCONCENTRATE

research blog of artist John O'Shea

May 31, 2010 1

what I am wanting to do

Insight into the development process for my latest DOING assignment:

This piece is part of a larger dialogue/work ‘AUGMENTED INADEQUACIES’ which you can read about here:

http://www.intersectionspublicart.org.uk/project2.php?id=00028

and here:

http://www.intersectionspublicart.org.uk/project3.php?id=00033

more soon!

May 31, 2010 0

wearing medals

The ubiquitous conference lanyard-pass (which is basically a wearable device combining properties of ‘ticket’ ‘pass’ and ‘identity badge’) allows individuals entry to talks and events and is worn to indicate membership of this temporary and exclusive community.   Different coloured passes are given to different actors within the conference (‘delegate’ or ‘artist’ or ’speaker’) and different passes also indicate different levels of involvement (‘weekend pass’ ‘day pass’ ‘organiser pass’ ‘punter pass’…)

The combined properties of ‘exclusivity’ and ‘around-the-neck-ness’ mean that the device is, in a sense, a medal*.

The lanyard pass communicates an individuals name and affiliation and acts as a ’social signifier’ indicating the individuals own specialist status and subscription to the specific conference concerns.

I intend to develop a device for use within conference environments which would facilitate individuals in sharing (rather than hiding!) gaps in their knowledge.  I think it is appropriate that such a device might be incorporated into the design of pre-existing conference lanyards.

The device would have an electronic display with two states:

  1. passive/dormant state – electronic display shows usual delegate information: name, affiliation, role etc.
  2. activated state – when in the presence of another device further information is revealed – the wearer displays a ‘gap’ in their knowledge

* ‘Thinker of the Year 2008′ medal awarded by close friends on my birthday that year – to this day I am still unclear about the irony:sincerity ratio of this gift.

May 30, 2010 0

Augmenting Inadequacy?

The final submission for the Digital Media DOING module requires a response to the theme of “Extensions of Man” – invoking a McLuhanesque conception of communications media & technology as extensions ov our human capability.

This relates nicely to a new project I have been developing – Augmented Inadequcies – in collaboration with the artist Alan Smith and Allenheads Contemporary Arts:

Augmented Inadequacies

by John OShea

Traditional technological developments promise ever greater speed, power and independence and foster a notion of autonomous identity. Invention, a beloved offspring of necessity, solves problems and bridges gaps, effortlessly articulating both will and whim, diluting distance and domesticating desire. Through an open-ended dialogue and iterative process, John O’Shea will work in collaboration with Alan Smith, to propose and prototype new technological works – “strange inventions” – which will run counter to prevailing technological trends and attempt to make our human vulnerability, fallibility and mutual inter-dependence more visible and tangible.

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