TRANSHUMANCE, 2003
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| Is there such a thing as ‘a nomadic brain
neuron’? In Transhumance, Eng searches for a cerebral pattern
that suggests that particular tribes view the world with an infinite horizon.
Using projected video, ‘data x-rays’ of internet journeys
and the nomadic tent architecture, Transhumance parallels the
survival of the ancient nomadic tribe with the digerati’s constant
search for new territory.
On the basis of the theory that neurons can be locked into place resulting in a non-performative static state, then on the opposite of the spectrum is the ability for the brain to continually recreate new patterns in response to ever-changing perspectives. The catalyst for change is the elements or stimulus of one’s environment. For the African Rendille nomad, it could be the slight change of weather or the growth of a tree. For the digerati (one who finds comfort in cyberspace), it is the discovery of information via a link. For both, the impetus to keep moving is the need to survive. For the duration of the two month art residency at Art in General,
the artist inhabits the gallery space inside a temporary semi-transparent
architecture. The nomadic tent mimics ‘shelter technology’1
to enable the artist to simultaneously travel on-line and experience
the physical environment.
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The Art in General Artist Residency was made
possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the National
Endowment for the Arts, the Greenwall Foundation, general operating
support of Art in General, and in-kind donations from mediaThe foundation
inc. |
| As contemporary societies become immersed in
technology-dependent lifestyles, subcultures adopt patterns of behavior
reminiscent of primitive nomadic people. For the digerati (those who find
comfort within cyberspace), their desire for temporal mobility within
a borderless community is akin to the African desert nomad. The survival
of the Tuareg of the Sahara is based upon continuous movement in an open
environment. To an anthropologist the two groups would be in opposite
categories: the sedentary and the nomadic. For the ethnoscientist however,
the psychology of the cyborg in his digital environment is analogous to
the Tuareg’s peripatetic existence; survival is dependent upon constant
interaction with new horizons.
A forward momentum is maintained through cinematic environments. Video is a gateway to moving pictures that represent both the real and the imaginary. When modern Western life becomes too confined to one place, frame by frame one is transported to another realm. The rectangular projection of the image, similar to the window, becomes a divider. Interaction with an endless horizon is constructed with tools of convenience. The camera lens is the extension of the analytical eye. With delicate scrutiny it captures the subtleties of everyday existence. It is always some kind of journey. In the video the witness may recognize a place or object, however the path is never quite the same where chance and chaos is an integral part of a nomadic environment. Architectonics define
how we experience the world. For nomads the tent is a symbol of mobility
and freedom. The shape of our homes reflects the shape of our minds.
The transformation of objects into moving pictures is projected onto
collapsible structures. A video tent constructed as to move through
space reflects the projected images that move through time. Within this
sanctuary another world is mapped out, exploiting the freedom that new
media allows in a place that welcomes the nomad again. |