A Conversation with an Imperfect and Mutable Being
27 September 2007
Media expands human dreams and helps human beings reflect on themselves. I believe digital media, programmed by humans, possesses human qualities. These qualities are revealed not in the representation or imitation of humans, but in unpredictable phenomena such as errors, defects, and glitches. This may stem from the inherent imperfection of human beings. Because humans are not perfect, the media they create makes mistakes, just as humans do. In such moments, media is human.
Humans and media share an a priori premise. Science has sought to understand human beings through the structure of DNA and the workings of the brain. Various signs suggest that humans, too, may have been programmed for some purpose. Yet it is difficult to clearly grasp what that purpose is. Media, likewise, has been programmed for human purposes. However, it often makes unpredictable mistakes and strays from its original purpose. Ultimately, human life may have been programmed for something, but its outcome is not predetermined.
Drawing on this line of thought, my works present both a virtual world that extends the human body and the reality that sustains it. As a viewer interacts with the illusion of the body and experiences various sensory responses, elements such as pixels or a wireframe emerge as if by chance. Through this, the viewer may come to realize that the operating image is not reality but an imperfect virtuality. Unreal and imperfect moments matter to us. For it is when we step outside reality that we can imagine something new, and when we feel a sense of lack that we seek to become better.
Humans equipped with media seem to strive to become perfect beings. Conversely, media that makes mistakes seems to strive to become like human beings. I hope that interacting with my work becomes an unfamiliar yet intriguing conversation with an imperfect and mutable being.
