Ulises Carrion's discussion about Mail Art was both profound and bizarre. He explains what Mail Art is, what it is not, and how could be pretentious, cheap, and unimportant while it can also be reversed, where he made several interesting but seemingly conflicted points. One point that I thought was worth noting was the sub-system that relates to the Mail, or the institution that manages the postal mailing service. He alludes to it as the "Big Monster" that oppresses us and the Mail artists, which apply to many structural factors in real life that could negatively impact the art-making process. Arts can be come commercialized and institutionalized such that it loses some original intents. Therefore, the term Mail Art reflects such dichotomy. Carrion basically discusses Mail Art to encourage readers to engage in profound reflection of this dichotomy present in real life. Discussion Question: 1. What other interpretations of the "Big Monster" do you think Carrion was referring to? 2. In what ways does Carrion define Mail Art as a pretentious/not pretentious practice? Why do you think Carrion calls himself "pretentious" in correspondence to Mail Art?

Reading Week 3 Laurel Schwulst & Édouard U - Selections from Creative Independent and Arena How Do You Use the Internet Mindfully

Laurel Schwulst and Edouard U discussed the web using many metaphors to help users gain a more comprehensive understanding of what web really is. Amongst the metaphors they discussed, I think the website as plant metaphor resonates with me. When I am building my website, I struggle to nurture the best and most beautiful plant. As anxious as I am to wanting to see the end result, I would have to pick the right soil, water it, provide it with nutrients and sunlight to nurture it to its best state. Otherwise, the final plant might not be fully grown or might not blossom as well as how it can. As an extension of this idea, the website as garden metaphor is also very fitting. I find that the website can appear differently throughout different seasons. It can be dormant, or less active, when I am brewing a project that I am waiting to add onto the website. It can be fully vibrant when I am ready to showcase all my works in their most refined states. These two metaphors helped me understand the concept of web more and inspired me to view my website-building process as a dynamic one. Discussion question: How do you resonate with the web as xxx metaphors? Which ones do you relate with most and least? How can we reflect and express ourselves on our websites in a dynamic and multi-dimensional way?

Reading Week 4 Olia Lialina - STILL THERE Ruins and Templates of Geocities from Lost and Living (in) Archives

Reading Week 6 Bojana Coklyat & Shannon Finnegan - Selections from Alt-Text as Poetry Workbook

Bojana Coklyat and Shannon Finnegan discussed Alt-Text and how it can be written in an artistic and poetic manner. Different from my previous understanding of Alt-Text, the authors suggest that Alt-Text is not simply a tool to plainly describe an image for accessibility purpose, but it is a way to tell a story, paint a picture, express an emotion, translate something about images on a website or posts on a social media platform. Before reading about these uses, I had perceived its use as a brief one-sentence description without any emotion, such as "a little girl wearing a red hat". However, per the examples the authors provided, the description can extend beyond the objective and technical and unrestrained by length. In essence it is more a poetic practice than a technical practice. The discussion surrounding objectivity makes me wonder: 1) How do you balance between being "objective" and descriptive? How do you make sure you are not simply validating the mainstream (white, cis, male) perspective while being able to maintain the central meaning without being overtly biased? 2) How do we creatively construct Alt-Text such that it accommodates target audience of various abilities?

Reading Week 8 A Personal Computer for Children of All Cultures_ from Decolonising the Digital

The article discusses biases in computing, focusing on the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project and digital typography. Regarding OLPC, it highlights the project's mission to empower impoverished children through education but criticizes its reliance on English-centric technologies, which contradicts its goal of inclusivity. The article also examines biases in digital typography, including visible and invisible biases, particularly in rendering non-Latin scripts like Arabic, which often leads to illegible text due to assumptions made for Latin script. These biases reflect a disregard for linguistic and cultural diversity in computing, raising questions about inclusivity and the impact on marginalized communities. I found the discussion on the issue of non-Latin script interesting. It reflects a disregard for non-Latin cultures in the digital world and can be deeply hurtful to Arabic readers, reinforcing the notion that their culture is an afterthought. The article suggests that these failures often occur due to well-meaning but uninformed designers attempting to incorporate Arabic text without the necessary support in graphic design software. Some discussion questions I have include: How can designers and developers ensure inclusivity and cultural sensitivity in technology projects, particularly when it comes to language and script support? What strategies or best practices could be implemented to mitigate biases and improve accessibility for diverse users? What are the ethical implications of designing technologies primarily in English, especially for projects aimed at global inclusivity like OLPC? How might these biases affect the project's effectiveness in different cultural contexts?

Reading Week 9 Ben Duvall - Selections from New Modernism(s)

The article on New Modernism explored the Disney imagery within critical graphic design contexts and the complex relationship between the two. Ben Duvall discussed the historical convergence of Disney animations with Bauhaus design principles through the lens of Oskar Schlemmer's choreography. Schlemmer's work, notably pieces like "Gestures Dance" and "Triadisches Ballet," is dissected to reveal themes of labor, control, and absurdity, as exemplified by his geometrically stylized costumes and choreography. I found Walter Benjamin's Marxist interpretation especially interesting as he talked about Mickey Mouse as a symbolic figure of proletarian resistance against capitalist oppression, which is something I have never considered or perceived before. Mickey's character as a resourceful, resilient, and willing to challenge authority figures and popularity amongst working class does speak volume to this representation. Discussing design groups like Grapus and Metahaven, Duvall talked about Disney imagery emerges as a potent signifier within critical graphic design, serving as shorthand for critiques of capitalist hegemony and globalization. This usage of Disney icons represents a form of hypermodernism within graphic design, where unaltered symbols carry inherent associations with capitalist systems. Some discussion questions I have surround these topics: How does the interpretation of Mickey Mouse as a symbol of proletarian resistance challenge traditional notions of cultural icons and their socio-political significance? In what other ways can the portrayal of Mickey Mouse in early Disney animations be seen as reflective of broader societal tensions and struggles?

Reading Week 11 Dot Tuer - Beyond the New Media Frame The Poetics of Absence in Vera Frenkel’s String Games

The article discusses how "String Games" was ahead of its time in predicting key elements of future new media projects such as interactivity and emergent behavior. Despite its pioneering nature, the artwork did not receive widespread recognition until much later, with its significance being acknowledged through exhibitions and scholarly research in the 2000s and 2010s. The author also examines the exclusion of "String Games" from the canon of new media art history, attributing it to factors such as Frenkel's departure from her established artistic practice and the ephemeral nature of live transmission performances. However, the article suggests that there is something about "String Games" that transcends traditional definitions of new media art. The idea of it is interesting and it evokes a sense of absence and loss in viewers like me. One discussion question I have surrounds the exclusion of "String Games". Why was it overlooked initially, and what factors contributed to its recognition later on?

Reading Week 12 Paul Soulellis - Performing the Feed

The article "Performing the Feed" by Paul Soulellis discusses the pre-network world and the post-network world and the correspondence between the two. He maintains how it's almost like a performance of its kind in the process of replicating ancient or traditional gestures into new ones, on the internet. I find the example of watching live streaming video interesting. He coins it a state of "watching-togetherness", where we enter a politicized spaces, where it’s easy to find bias, bigotry, hate speech, and injustice. I find it as a new interpretation of something we, the new generation, have become so accustomed. He also talk about the idea of surveillance and how our tolerance has drastically increased with the exploration of the internet, and it is associated with a sense of safety. From this concept I came up with the discussion question: To what extent should be alarmed about our sensitivity to surveillance? How can be recognize that we enter a state of surveilled boredom?

Reading Week 13 Neta Bomani & Sabii Borno - Beyond Dark Matter from Logic Issue 15 Beacons

Neta Bomani and Sabii Borno's 'Beyond Dark Matter' presents a captivating narrative of a girl navigating a cyber world within a desktop application. Through this journey, they also introduce a thought-provoking framework that redefines our relationship with technology. The narrative delves into two main themes: 'the way' and 'the beyond.' 'The way' represents a historical regime characterized by the notion 'It is the way it is,' while 'the beyond' embodies a belief in change and the possibility of creating 'another world' that challenges the established narrative. What's intriguing about 'the beyond' is its integration approach, which emphasizes the role of individuals as initiators and collaborators in shaping technology with a community-centered mindset. From this perspective, individuals are empowered to voice unheard stories, uplift marginalized voices, and foster a new paradigm of love and equity. The authors skillfully explore technology as a neutral tool and underscore the importance of human agency in harnessing its potential for the collective good.

Reading Week 14 Boris Groys - Art on the Internet

The article "Art on the Internet" discuss arts and its formats of expression through an interesting lens. It explores how the internet, unlike traditional arts, facilitates the globalization of artists and authors, allowing them to reach a global audience directly. However, it also emphasizes the importance of local recognition in surviving within contemporary culture. Furthermore, the article discusses the internet as a space of surveillance, where users are subjected to constant monitoring and data collection by corporations. This surveillance data is monetized through targeted advertising, representing a form of economic exploitation of internet users. Therefore, arts on the internet expedites reach and diversity but at the expense of users' privacy. I think this is an interesting nuanced phenomenon to consider when we utilize the internet. How might this surveillance influence the content and style of artistic and literary expression in the digital age?