Authors:

 Matuck, Artur.

Title:

 Electronomotethe

Keywords:

 hybridity, neologism, computational linguistic, human machine interaction,

Abstract:

 The performance involves a handwriting interaction with Landscript, na interactive Web site populated with virtual writing machines, known as "knowgenetic logos", or as virtual typewriters. The writing performance involves seeking for neologisms to describe, to title, to name, a certain activity or a concept or simply to produce experimental or poetic texts. In order for the activity to begin a series of words are selected to feed the virtual typewriters located at Landscript. During the performance, Macros will be operating the computer, continuously feeding the site with words, so that, Landscript will be constantly returning de-scripted words that would in turn feed the handwriting activity of the performer. A human typing assistant can also feed the virtual typewriters with the pre-selected words if or when the Macro does not work. As the virtual typewriters return neologisms resulting from the series of selected words, the performer or the performers, will engage in a process of re-scripting, either accepting or else reforming, recreating the neologisms, through handwriting performance on paper captured by a video
camera or better, directly on a digitizing (Wacom type) table.The handwritten neologisms will be fed into another computer memory, appear on a computer monitor screen, be graphically enhanced, filtered or distorted through pre-determined settings, and then, printed on paper. The whole process will ideally be operated by Macros. The Macros will direct a sucession of tasks that will pick up the images, enhance them as necessary, and then print images at time intervals. Layers of words presented through fonts, handwritten, captured by video or by a digitizing table will compose the final images. The precise details of the process will be decided upon a series of tests yet to be realized. The material result of the performance will be a stack of computer prints containing handwritten words that resulted from the interaction between the artist-writer, members of the audience, participants in a workshop, and the computer-driven writing machines. Now this process of generating neologisms can be directed to a specific linguistic, literary, or aesthetic goal. Audience members or participants in a workshop could bring their own objetives to the name-giving activity. The neologisms produced can eventually be added to the English or other language lexicon. Personally, I would like to add, at a certain point, another element that could provide both a graphic interaction with the handwriting activity as well as a specific conceptual linguistic objective. One, two or more wind-driven tin toys, representing a clown and monkey in a bike, a jumping frog, a small robot or others I already have in my private collection of tin toys, will be repeatedly charged, wound, so that they will be almost continuously running, with an attached pen, pencil or brush, so that they will be making marks of their own, in either a paper or preferably in a Wacom table. Despite being toys they do create semi-mathematical marks, inscribing spirals and other geometrical forms on paper, screen, prints. This specific performance will then have as its linguistic goal the invention of neologisms that would name, or aesthetically interact, with this mechanically-driven drawing activity, or name the more complex interaction of the three systems, the human, the electronic and the mechanical in one form of art making. A series of words will be selected to be used as sources for this naming activity, or for this poetic, literary activity of correlating words with handwriting and mechanical mark making interfacing with the electronic. This proposal can be better understood if you visit the Landscript site http://www.banff.org/landscript or http://www.eca.usp.br/landscript Activate the 'knowgenetic logos' and write with them to see a virtual typewriter working. The performance requires technical assistance mainly in the programming and operation of Macros in Macintosh computers. It would require two Mac computer systems, with CPUs, keyboards, mouse and monitors, connected to one or two Wacom tables, to a video camera, and to a color printer able to print tabloid size paper, preferably. A connection to the Web is also undispensable, since the Landscript site will be an essential tool in the process. The performance could also be webcasted.
Matuck, Artur. armatuck@usp.br http://www.banff.org/landscript http://www.ecaq.usp.br/landscriptArtur Matuck is lecturer in Digital Processes in The Art School of the Universidade de São Paulo.