Authors:

 Search, Patricia.

Title:

 Ancient Voices and Cyberspace: Exploring the Past to Reshape the Future

Keywords:

 oral cultures, primitive art, human-computer interaction, global networking
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Abstract:

 In this paper I explore the aesthetics of narrative, visual images, music, and action in primitive, oral cultures as a foundation for new forms of human-computer interaction in electronic communication. Primitive cultures throughout the world used storytelling, visual designs, music, and ceremonial rituals to define personal and social identities as well as to define position and navigation in the physical world. The paper looks at the implications of these spatiotemporal aesthetics on the design of interactive multimedia computing. The perception of space and time are critical issues in human-computer interaction, and language and graphics are the primary methods of defining these relationships in computer interfaces. However, in Western cultures language creates abstractions that are removed from reality. Western forms of communication emphasize logical analysis and categorization which limit our perception of events, interrelationships, and actions. The language and symbols in computer interfaces reflect the limitations of Western language. They also reflect the abstract, logical nature of computer programming and prevent us from taking full advantage of electronic communication to expand our consciousness and perceptual awareness. How do we move beyond these Western biases and bridge the gap between the "real" world and cyberspace?
The answer may lie in the analysis of language, images, music, and action in primitive cultures. In these oral cultures, communication was defined by time-based structures, not fixed structures. These communicative structures were always in flux, always in the state of becoming. This temporal aesthetic, which was derived from activities and events in the physical world, was incorporated into narratives, songs, visual designs, dances, and ceremonial rituals. Using examples from aboriginal cultures in North and South America, Latin America, the British Isles, Europe, Australia, and Africa, I illustrate the parallels between the temporal forms of communication in primitive cultures and the time-based structures in interactive electronic communication. I examine ways the aesthetics of primitive designs and music can form the foundation for new computer interfaces that build perceptual bridges between cultures and redefine global networking in the twenty-first century.
Search, Patricia. searcp@rpi.edu Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York. Patricia Search is an Associate Professor of Computer Graphics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. She has had 16 solo exhibitions of her art, five of which took place in New York City. She has participated in over 100 juried group exhibitions throughout the world including several SIGGRAPH Art Shows and the first United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing, China. Ms. Search is a frequent presenter and exhibitor at the Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts (ISEA) symposia. Her artwork has been published in twenty international journals and three documentaries. She has published articles on electronic art and interactive multimedia computing in numerous international publications including ISEA Proceedings and Leonardo. In 1993 she received the "Best Paper Award" at the World Conference on Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia for her research in computer interface design for interactive multimedia programs. Ms. Search has served on the ISEA Executive Board and on the Executive Steering Committee for the International Center for Multimedia Education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.