20041008
what are transient realities
changes in everyday reality (behaviour of matter, expectations, understanding)
intrusions from other realities
complete replacement or mutation of reality
temporary autonomous zones
amplification of invisible phenomena (micro and macro)
how can we generate transient realities
changes inside bodies (drugs, endurance, motoric restriction)
changes in the environment (modifying sensory input, destabilising the space-time continuum)
intrusion of the unexpected
in order to coherently generate tr-s, we should look into different conceptual models of reality
reality tuning (what are we transiting between)
initially: physical and virtual
tuning scale: micro ↔ macro
tuning density: thick ↔ sparse
tuning risk: comfort ↔ unease
tuning abstraction: photorealistic ↔ impressionistic
tuning sensory input: liminal ↔ sensory overload
The tuning needs a model of reality to develop these parameters consistently, maybe Eight Circuit Model
qualities of transient realitites
generating the world from the balance/inbalance of the forces that shape it
growth and form of shapes depends on their interaction with the environment (shaping structures from outside in)
interplay between physical structures and media should create an additional element of strangeness (feeling that you have been transported to a different reality)
a lot more thought should be paid to this topic as this is the substance, the aesthetics, the experience we want to provide
components with which we can/want to generate transient realities
modular, scalable physical structures (starting from body scale and inflating/deflating the worlds)
wearable technologies for on body augmentation
tangible media (integrating responsive media into physical structures, inflating flat media into volumes)
media that can incite physical responses
whatever components we make, we have to spend more time thinking and developing them, rather than working panically at the last moment; also, the integration of the different components should be felt by all makers, this will eventually transfer to the imagination of the public
output
most attention was paid to temporary responsive environments as public experiments (as opposed to public entertainment) in- and outdoors (controlled lab setups and uncontrolled small TAZs and public interventions), where all participants have to commit to engage in the experience and give feedback
the output should have the atmosphere of continuous generation and development that encourages involvement, rather than being a public presentation of finished results
audience
general audience is good in small doses (public testing and experimental situations)
peer review is necessary and should be encouraged to become an exchenge of ideas and a discussion on processes and outcomes, rather than being unproductive 5 minute viewing and 50 minute nagging behind our backs afterwards
a good publication afterwards, including our ideals (as fictional environments), working experiments, reflections and results is a must
why trg?
TRG is an attempt to make a transporter between the 4th and the 5th circuit of consciousness (see the EightCircuitModel). One way to be 'transported': becoming aware of the interconnectedness of everything with everything else through amplification/deprivation of sensory input. A possible manner to affect sensory input is to change normalised perception from:
inside: drugs, extreme physical conditions, induced hallucinations…
outside: change of environmental sensory input (environment should become more malleable and responsive to human action (in our case by using media and soft architectures), on a human scale (visual and sonic spectrum, haptic stimuli (including awareness of spatial positions), smell and taste)
Bringing the inperceptible phenomena to respond on a human scale - unfold or compact micro and macro frequencies into a scale that human senses can perceive as 'reality' (usually 4d universe).
What kind of reality is the one we want to make?
It is a place where seemingly separate things become entangled (see global scaling and gcom). A place where everything is in constant fluctuation and interaction (a charged space). A place where rigid boundaries become semi-permeable membranes, sensitive to both stimuli from inside and outside. An infinite space, unfolding from interactions in different dimensions.
Qualities:
Compacted (magnification of perception, instantaneous travel, temperamental change of moods)
alive (breathing, aware, active, engaging)
entangled (interconnected, symbiotic)
charged (in constant tension and fluctuation, shaped by 4 fundamental forces)
infinite (semi-permeable, continuously unfolding resolutions and dimensions, possibly cyclical)