Obscure Objects of Desire and the Rise of the Technological Chimera

Because the essence of technology is nothing technological, essential reflection upon technology and decisive confrontation with it must happen in a realm that is, on the one hand, akin to the essence of technology and, on the other, fundamentally different from it. Such a realm is art. But certainly only if reflection upon art, for its part, does not shut its eyes to the constellation of truth, concerning which we are questioning” (Heidegger).
Obscure Objects of Desire, Overview, (Hybrid Sculptural Object), Axeneo7, QC, 2010
Obscure Objects of Desire, Overview, (Hybrid Sculptural Object), Axeneo7, QC, 2010

The project, ‘The Obscure Objects of Desire and the Rise of the Technological Chimera’ looks at how media technologies are remediated. How such technologies manifesting as objects emit a presence which is not singularly transparent but is in a sense haunted. Such technologies have their own evolutionary transcended processes which when, integrated with human presence configures a new reality imbued with ‘technological chimeras’.

Part of this rise of the Technological Chimera has to do with how machine and human have begun to fold onto each other. In turn, this has created what I refer to as a ‘second skin’. It is through this new skin that we have begun to access memory and identity. A possible end game to all this may be less dramatic than we had originally thought. For it is not the machine, which will rise up to embrace and simulate the complex nuances which defines humanity, but the exact reverse. We will in turn succumb to the machine’s own limitations, adapting to its own vision and language of what it means to be human.

The project is made up of six Hybrid Sculptural Objects, conceived initially for a series ‘The Limits of Control’ (2009) which began with Untitled (aka Leonard) followed by three other Objects entitled, Untitled (aka Marta), Holy Cow Television’, and Presence. Two more Objects were later added, record RECORD and The Chimera to complete the site specific installation and exhibition project ‘The Obscure Objects of Desire and the Rise of the Technological Chimera’  at AXENEO7 gallery in the fall of 2010.


Untitled (aka Leonard), DETAILS AND OVERVIEW

With ‘Untitled (a.k.a. Leonard)‘, a discarded cathode ray (TV) picture tube rests face down on the lower half of the skeleton-like wood structure – its vertebrae. Just above sits a functioning cathode ray (TV) picture tube. Both of these cathode rays (TV) picture tubes, were acquired by skinning two TV sets of their shells, and in turn, exposing their cathode ray tubes and electronic components.

On the screen of the functioning skinned TV set (at the top of the Object) a video image of the discarded TV cathode ray tube (at the bottom of the Object) can be viewed. Except the cathode tube seems to have been inverted so that it is now facing upwards… read more

Untitled aka Leonard (Hybrid Sculptural Objects), side view, Axeneo7, Gatineau, QC, Naccarato, 2010
Untitled aka Leonard (Hybrid Sculptural Objects), side view, Axeneo7, Gatineau, QC, Naccarato, 2010

Untitled (aka Marta), DETAILS AND OVERVIEW

Untitled (a.k.a. Marta) was developed in relationship to Untitled (a.k.a. Leonard) and both were meant to interact with each other through the syncopated clicking and clanking sounds emitting from their speakers. Marta makes use of a partly skinned DVD player and TV. The DVD player is mounted just above the TV. The viewer can simultaneously view the DVD disc, which is spinning in the DVD player, as well and its projected image onto a TV screen below… read more


Holy Cow Television, DETAILS AND OVERVIEW

Holy Cow Television is comprised of two skinned TV units, one of which is an integrated TV/VCR combo unit. Both TV units rest on a bare wood skeleton frame. A small plastic cow sits in front of the first TV, and its projected double can be seen on the second TV set just behind it.

Again there is this sense that a live video feedback loop is at play, but the image of the doubled cow immersed in TV snow is originating from a pre-recorded VHS videotape… read more

Holy Cow Television (Hybrid Sculptural Objects), frontal view, Axeneo7, Gatineau, QC, Naccarato, 2010
Holy Cow Television (Hybrid Sculptural Objects), frontal view, Axeneo7, Gatineau, QC, Naccarato, 2010

Presence, DETAILS AND OVERVIEW

The construction of Presence is similar to the previous three works in this series in terms of using a wood-based skeleton-like structure which braces and contains the skinned TV sets and DVD player. However, unlike the other three works, Presence is divided into two parts and there exists an inferred possibility that a staged and interactive event has or may happen.

As a visitor approaches the work, they will notice that the top TV screen seems to be generating a live video feed of the chair and wooden stretcher directly behind. The visitor may then consider seating him or herself in the chair with the assumption that their image would then appear on the TV screen… read more

Presence (Hybrid Sculptural Objects), frontal view, Axeneo7, Gatineau, QC, Naccarato, 2010
Presence (Hybrid Sculptural Objects), frontal view, Axeneo7, Gatineau, QC, Naccarato, 2010

record Record, DETAILS AND OVERVIEW

With the work ‘RECORD Record’ a skeleton-like structure sits passively on the gallery’s floor. Two separate video feeds are being projected at either end of its structure which merges somewhere in the structure’s center.

The structure was made up of 14 photo drying racks (made of a black mesh with a wood frame and measures 36″ x 36″) which I found discarded by the photography department at OttawaU. They were then spaced out a few inches apart from each other and held together by some red wool (previously used in The Skinning of Memory (VP2) installation) which was tied to a nail at the top of frames.

Because of the video being projected from either end of the structure, one cannot be certain where one video feed begins and the other ends… read more

record Record (Hybrid Sculptural Objects), side frontal view, Axeneo7, Gatineau, QC, Naccarato, 2010
record Record (Hybrid Sculptural Objects), side frontal view, Axeneo7, Gatineau, QC, Naccarato, 2010

the Chimera, DETAILS AND OVERVIEW

The sixth and final installation of ‘The Obscure Objects of Desire and the Rise of the Technological Chimera’ is called the ‘Chimera’, which is made up of looped video segments of my head and feet, projected onto two separate skinned TV monitors at either end of the Hybrid Sculptural Object.

A collection of circuit boards separate the two monitors which are spaced some six feet apart. Visitors are not quite sure if the boards are operational, except for the occasional blinking of a red and green led inferring this could be possible. Also, two distinct audio tracks can be heard – one referencing the head, and the other, the feet… read more

the Chimera (Hybrid Sculptural Objects), top view, Axeneo7, Gatineau, QC, Naccarato, 2010
the Chimera (Hybrid Sculptural Objects), top view, Axeneo7, Gatineau, QC, Naccarato, 2010