View of The Virtual-Image and the Real-Time Interval

The Virtual-Image and the Real-Time Interval

Introduction

O n e c o u ld a rg u e th a t virtual reality a n d cyberspace a re m erely fash io n ab le passw ords to c o n te m p o ra ry c u ltu re ; how ever, this p a p e r takes th e po sitio n th a t a d d re ssin g q u e stio n s o f virtuality m ay e n a b le a fu ller u n d e rsta n d in g o f so m e o f th e c h a n g e s w h ich d ee p ly affect th e n o tio n o f ae sth e tic s today.

W o lfg a n g W elsch, in his b o o k Undoing Aesthetics, asserts th a t aesthetics is u n d e r g o in g a p ro c ess o f e p istem o lo g izatio n , re fe rrin g n o lo n g e r only to q uestions o f th e b eau tifu l a n d the sublime. Welsch argues th a t we are witneses to a p ro f o u n d a e sth eticizatio n o f know ledge an d reality, tim e a n d space, an d even tr u th itself (W elsch, pp. 20-22). O n th e o th e r h a n d , a sim ilar shift in th e d e f in itio n o f th e p a ra d ig m s o f reality, tim e a n d sp ace can b e tra c e d t h r o u g h th e f u n c tio n (i.e ., d e f in itio n , m e a n in g a n d sig n ific a n c e ) o f cyberspace a n d v irtual reality. Issues such as th e n a tu re o f the h u m a n being, th e d if f e r e n c e b e tw e e n re a lity a n d th e re a l, a n d th o s e o f th e c h a n g e d p a ra m e te rs o f space a n d tim e, seem to b e n o t only m o re deeply, b u t above all, d iffe re n tly q u e s tio n e d by th e th e m e o f virtual reality with its p o stu lated c o n s tru c tio n o f p e rfe c t, sim u la te d en v iro n m en ts.

In th e p re s e n t p a p e r I in te n d to ex p lo re th e c h an g es in th e space-tim e p a ra d ig m p ro d u c e d by cyberspace a n d virtual reality.

If I a tte m p t, as a n in tro d u c tio n , to d e lin e a te in a drastically re d u c e d fo rm , th e tra n sfo rm a tio n s in th e p arad ig m o f space in a r t from R enaissance to th e p r e s e n t day, a b i r d ’s-eye w o u ld trac e o u t a p a th th a t b eg in s w ith p ersp ectiv al sp ac e in p a in tin g , co n tin u es th ro u g h th e illusionist spaces o f p a n o r a m a s a n d d io ra m a s t h a t w e re so p o p u la r in th e e ig h te e n th a n d n in e te e n th centuries, rig h t u p until the space created by th e cinem atic m oving p ic tu re . T h is lead s all th e way to th e virtual space o f th e n in eties a n d in to cyberspace. D espite th e p re v a le n t criticism declarin g th a t all it takes to e n te r a cy b ersp ace is th e click o f a b u tto n o n a re m o te c o n tro l server, th e la tte r re m a in s lo calize d a n d spatially lim ited, u n lik e th e In te r n e t, w hose totally virtual n a tu re (e x c lu d in g th e only possible m ateria l side o f th e In te rn e t, th e c o m p u te r co n so le) m ean s it is based o n com m unicative non-lim itation. Ken H illis m akes a usefu l d istin c tio n b etw een cyberspace a n d virtual reality, o r

VR for sh o rt. »To d ate, n o single te c h n o lo g y o r m a c h in e c irc u m sc rib e s this e m e r g in g te c h n o lo g y /m e d iu m o f v ir tu a l re a lity - a te r m c o n f u s in g ly in te rc h a n g e d with cyberspace, b u t h e r e u n d e r s to o d as th e te c h n ic a l m ean s o f access to th e ‘p a ra lle l’ d ise m b o d ie d a n d in creasin g ly n e tw o rk e d visual

‘w o rld ’ n a m e d cyberspace« (Hillis, p. 5).

T h e essential p o in t to grasp is th a t all o f th ese p a ra d ig m s o r c o n c e p ts o f space in th e sp h e re o f th e visual a re r e la te d to a b r o a d e r c o n te x t o f co n c ep tio n s o f tim e a n d space a n d th e su b je c t w ith in th e m . F o r e x a m p le , th e in d u stria l a n d te ch n o lo g ica l re v o lu tio n a n d th e asso c ia te d in d u s tria ­ lization a n d u rb a n iz a tio n o f towns a n d th e e n v iro n m e n t tu r n e d o n its h e a d th e p arad ig m of visuospatial e x p e rien ce a t th e tu rn o f th e tw e n tie th centu ry.

In his b o o k The Production o f Space (1974), H e n ry L efebv re c h a ra c te riz e s th e p e rio d a ro u n d 1910 as a w atersh ed in th e c o n s titu tio n o f th e p a ra d ig m o f space. It was a ro u n d th a t tim e th a t th e space o f classical p e rsp e c tiv e a n d geom etry, w hich d ev elo p ed from th e R enaissan ce on w ard s in th e tra d itio n o f G reek E u clid ean logic, b eg an to d isin te g rate. U n til th e n , a c e rta in s h a re d space o f k n ow ledge a n d p o litical p o w er, g r o u n d e d b o th in th e everyday discourse a n d in abstract th o u g h t, was s h a tte re d as a re su lt o f ever in cre asin g in d u stria liz a tio n . T his d isa p p e a ra n c e o f e m b o d ie d spatiality , o f th e very co n c e p t o f space, h a d far-reach in g c o n se q u e n c e s fo r a sh ift in th e field o f re p re se n ta tio n . Classical m odels o f vision w ere s h a tte re d to g e th e r w ith th e stable spaces o f re p re se n ta tio n th a t h a d previously b e e n fo rm e d by vario us tech n iq u e s o f p erspective co m p o sitio n - te c h n iq u e s fo r d ec eiv in g th e eye a n d im itatin g n atu re .

It was this c h a n g e in th e p ro d u c tio n o f space a n d th e sp atial m o d e l, w hich m e a n t an ever g re a te r m e d ita tio n o f sp ace a n d , a t th e sam e tim e, th e loss o f d ire c t e x p e rien ce o f space, o f its sensory a p p r e h e n s io n by m ean s o f o n e ’s ow n body, th a t p e rm itte d th e various te c h n ic a l adv an ces in o b serv in g th e s u b je c t in sp ac e, o r th e view er in th e v isu al s p h e r e . T h e e x p lo siv e p ro life ra tio n o f optical, illusionist toys, e x h ib itio n s a n d settin g s (e.g., th e p an o ram as an d dioram as o f th e e ig h te e n th a n d n in e te e n th c e n tu rie s ) was also a k in d o f s u rro g a te fo r th e r e d u c e d ro le o f d ire c t s e n s a tio n fo r th e individual in co n tac t with space.

W h at h a p p e n s, fo r ex am p le, w ith th e p a ra d ig m o f space in th e field o f m oving pictures? If in film , ‘sp a c e ’ as a m o n ta g e o f a ttra c tio n s is b e a m e d o n to a re m o te w hite canvas, th e n th e sc re e n o f e le c tro n ic im ages, o r th e TV receiver, has e n a b le d th e space o f illusion to e n te r o u r living ro o m s. T h e m on ito rs o f the d a ta helm ets we m u st place over o u r h e a d s in o r d e r to e n te r th e virtual w orld have b r o u g h t space rig h t o n to o u r eyes. F o r M ark P o ste r,

»virtual reality takes th e im aginary o f th e w o rd a n d th e im a g in a ry o f th e

film o r v ideo im ag e o n e s te p fa rth e r by p lacin g th e ind iv idu al in sid e the a lte rn a tiv e w orlds« (P o ster, p. 189).

W h a t is im p o rta n t to c o m p re h e n d h e re is th a t in virtual reality data- e n v iro n m e n ts so m e o f th e issues th a t arise are those re la tin g to th e sense o f d ista n c e a n d w eight, a n d q u estio n s o f mass a n d tim e. T h e sam e is tru e fo r r e a l- tim e t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s , o p e r a t i n g a t th e a b s o lu te s p e e d o f e le c tro m a g n e tic waves, allow ing local users o f th e In te r n e t to co m m u n icate w ith any p o in t o n E a rth w ith o u t leaving - Tokyo, fo r ex a m p le - as if th e re is n o g e o g ra p h ic a l o r spatial distance. A t this p o in t, I can offer ju s t a h in t o f th e p o s s ib le f u r t h e r p o litic a l r e -re a d in g o f c y b e rsp a c e . S im u lta n e o u s collectiv e p ro cesses o f re c e p tio n a n d c o m m u n ic a tio n in cyberspace have b ec o m e th e c e n tra l d e te rm in in g m e ta p h o r for th e new m ed ia env iro n m en t.

T h a t w hich takes p lace o n th e In te r n e t is increasingly see n an d u tilized as th e ‘n ew ’ p u b lic space. T h e I n te r n e t a n d th e W orld W ide W eb are b eco m in g spaces th a t a re n o t o nly p a ra lle l to th e existing p ub lic o n e , b u t increasingly b e c o m in g a su b stitu te fo r it. So-called public o p in io n is fo rm u la te d via o u r ow n q u e s tio n in g , in th e m a n n e r o f F red ric Ja m e so n , »w hat space, w hich a c to rs, w hose ag e n ts a n d w h at subjects?«

As I i n t e n d to c o n d u c t a n analysis o f th e sig n ify in g a n d a e s th e tic p rin c ip le s g e n e ra te d by th e space-tim e p arad ig m , I will first d esc rib e th e m e c h a n ism s o f its c o n s tru c tio n a n d co n stitu tio n . Finally, precisely b ecause o f this c o n stru c te d c h a ra c te r o f th e p aradigm o f space, it is o p e n to co n stan t re -articu la tio n .

The Cinematic Image

T o u n d e r s ta n d th e significance o f a shift in th e space-tim e p arad ig m , I p ro p o s e a m a p p in g o u t o f a (historical) discursive tim eline; to in te rp re t the resu lts o f c h a n g e s in th e tim e /s p a c e p arad ig m , an d in its e x p e rien ce s an d sensations, as p ro d u c e d by th e various technologies o f the m oving a n d digital im ages, e.g., p h o to g ra p h y , th e film ap p a ratu s a n d v irtu al reality. T his is a n ecessary ste p also if we a re to go b ey o n d th e k in d o f th e o re tic a l stasis we c u rre n tly face in re -p h ilo so p h iz in g cyberspace a n d virtual reality. T his stasis is th e alm o st e x a g g e ra te d q u a n tity o f m ainly ex c ellen t d escrip tio n s aw aiting classification. O n e o f th e aim s o f this p a p e r is to b egin to articu late a possible a n d / o r h y p o th e tic a l a p p ro a c h to such a classification.

T o d o so, I will firs t m a k e use o f two p a ra d ig m s, o r tim e m o d e ls, d ev e lo p e d by G illes D eleu ze in the eighties w ithin two books: TheMovement- Image (first p u b lish e d in 1983) an d The Time-Image (first p u b lish e d in 1985).

T h e books ex a m in e m u tatio n s in th e h isto ry o f c in e m a tic sig n ificatio n . D.

N. R odow ick, in his co m p ellin g b o o k Gilles Deleuze's Time M achine e x p la in s that, fo r D eleuze, »the sem iotic h isto ry o f film is c o in c id e n t w ith a ce n tu ry - lo n g tra n sfo rm a tio n w h e rein we have c o m e to r e p r e s e n t a n d u n d e r s ta n d ourselves socially th ro u g h spatial a n d te m p o ra l a rtic u la tio n s f o u n d e d in cinem a, if now realized m o re clearly in th e e le c tro n ic a n d d ig ita l m ed ia«

(R odow ick, 1997, p. xiii). F or D eleu ze, it is n o t to p ro d u c e a n o th e r th e o ry o f film, b u t to realize how aesthetic, p h ilo s o p h ic a l a n d scien tific m o d e s o f u n d e rs ta n d in g converge to p ro d u c e c u ltu ra l strateg ies fo r im ag in in g . W h a t is specific to th e im age, writes D eleu ze, »is to m ak e p e rc e p tib le , to m ak e visible, relatio n sh ip s o f tim e w hich c a n n o t b e seen in th e re p re s e n te d o b je c t a n d do n o t allow them selves to be re d u c e d to th e p re s e n t« (D eleu ze, Time- Image, p. xii).

I w ou ld like to p re s e n t som e o f th e e le m e n ts o f th e two p rin c ip a l tim e- m achine paradigm s o f the im age conceived by D eleuze: th e m ovem en t-im age an d time-im age - in o rd e r to suggest a th ird m odel: th e virtual-im age - w hich w ould b e a p p r o p ria te fo r an u n d e r s ta n d in g o f th e te m p o ra l a n d sp a tia l characteristics o f cyberspace.

D e le u ze lin k e d th e n o tio n o f th e m o v e m e n t-im a g e to th e classical c in e m a , fo r e x a m p le , to th e film s o f E is e n s te in , K e a to n e tc .; in s h o r t, D e le u z e ’s m ovem ent-im age draws u p o n th e A m e ric a n s ile n t c in e m a , th e Soviet sch o o l o f m o n tag e, a n d th e F re n c h im p re ssio n ist c in e m a , w h e reas th e tim e-im age o rig in a te s in th e m o d e r n E u ro p e a n a n d N ew A m e ric a n c in em a, fo r ex am p le, th e films o f R esnais.

T h e follow ing o u tlin e o f th e two D e le u zian m o d els o f tim e — im ag es is e x trem ely schem atic, b u t fo r th e p u rp o s e o f th e thesis o f this p a p e r, I will sum m arize h e re th a t it is th e ir respective spatial r e n d e rin g o f tim e (i.e., tim e th ro u g h space) w hich divides the m ovem ent-im age fro m th e tim e-im age. T h e m ain p la tfo rm o f this u n u su a l id ea derives fro m D e le u z e ’s re -th in k in g o f th e interval - the space o r division b e tw e e n p h o to g ra m s , sh ots, se q u e n c e s - a n d how th e o rg a n iz atio n o f intervals in fo rm s th e sp atial r e p re s e n ta tio n o f tim e in cinem a.

A cco rd in g to D eleuze, in the m o v em en t-im ag e (e.g., in E isen stein a n d K eaton film s), tim e is re d u c e d to intervals d e fin e d by m o v e m e n t as ac tio n s, a n d th e lin k in g o f such m ovem ents is a c c o m p lish e d th ro u g h m o n ta g e . T h e m ovem ent-im age can only provide an in d ire c t im age o f tim e. O n th e contrary, w hen reality in th e film im age is re p re s e n te d in a d isp e rse d way, a n d th e lin e a r actio n s dissolve in to the fo rm o f alea to ry o r ra n d o m strolls, th e n , as re su lt o f this, the ac tio n -reactio n sch e m a o f th e m o v em en t-im ag e b e g in s to b re ak down, p ro d u c in g a change in th e n a tu re o f b o th p e rc e p tio n a n d affect.

S ince th e lin k in g o f im ages is n o lo n g e r m otiv ated by ac tio n , th e n a tu re o f space ch an g es, b e c o m in g d isc o n n e c te d o r em pty. Acts o f seein g a n d h e a rin g re p la c e th e lin k in g o f im ages th ro u g h m o to ric actions, as in th e case o f th e m o v em en t-im ag e . In th e tim e-im age, th e interval is n o lo n g e r p a r t o f th e im ag e o r se q u e n c e e ith e r as th e e n d in g o f o n e action o r as th e b e g in n in g o f a n o th e r . In th e tim e -im ag e, th e interval b ec o m e s an a u to n o m o u s value, giving us a d ire c t im age o f tim e. T h e interval n o long er facilitates th e passage fro m o n e im ag e to a n o th e r in any d etec tab le m an n er.

T h e m o v em en t-im ag e a n d the tim e-im age, how ever, ea ch m an ag e this re la tio n w ith tim e differently. T h e fo rm er provides us w ith an in d ire c t im age o f tim e, a n d th e la tte r, a d ire c t im age o f tim e. O n this basis, in th e tim e- im age m o d el, ac co rd in g to Rodowick, the interval fu n ction s as an irre d u cib le lim it, th e flow o f im ages o r se q u e n ces b ifu rc ate an d d ev e lo p serially, ra th e r th a n c o n tin u in g as a lin e , o r in te g ra tin g in to a w hole. T h e tim e-im ag e p ro d u c e s a serial r a th e r th a n o rg a n ic fo rm o f co m p o sitio n (R odow ick, p.

14), as is th e case in th e m ovem ent-im age.

W h e rea s th e cin em a tic m ovem ent-im age presents an in d ire c t im age o f tim e as exteriority, o r extensiveness, in space (Rodowick, p. 48), the cinem atic tim e -im a g e p re s e n ts a d ir e c t im ag e - th e a n te rio rity o f tim e as creativ e e v o lu tio n , th e p u r e fo rm o f tim e as c h a n g e o r B eco m in g (R odow ick, pp.

48-49). W h a t h a p p e n s , we have to ask ourselves, w h en ac tio n s n o lo n g e r m aster time? Deleuze, th ro u g h Rodowick, argues that the im age m ust tu rn from exteriority in space tow ard a process o f genesis in m ental relations o f time.

The Virtual-Image

H e re , in p ro p o s in g th e th ird im age — th e virtual-im age - 1 w ould a rg u e th a t w h a t o cc u rs h e r e is, first a n d fo rem ost, th e reversal o f th e D eleuzian estab lish ed basic re la tio n o f tim e a n d space: instead o f th e spatial re n d e rin g o f tim e (i.e., tim e th ro u g h space) we e x p e rie n c e in th e cin em a tic im age, my thesis is th a t in th e virtual-im age, space is re n d e re d th ro u g h tim e.

T o c o m p r e h e n d th e tim e-space featu res o f this p o ssib le th ird m o d el, o r p a ra d ig m , o f th e virtual-im age th a t I w ould like to p ro p o se h e re , I will m ak e u se o f its tim e-space ch aracteristics as describ ed by E d m o n d C ou ch o t.

In C o u c h o t ’s su m m a ry : »In fact, v irtu a l sp ac e a n d tim e o b e y laws d iffe re n t fro m th o se o f th e reality we perceive w ith o u r senses. D ata space is a n exclusively sym bolic space: n e ith e r largely substrate in m ateria l, n o r in en e rg y , even th o u g h th e c o m p u te r circuitry (h ard w are) itself is a p a r t o f o u r physical reality; it is m a d e u p o f in fo rm atio n . It has n o d im en sio n s p e r

se, n o s e t p e r m a n e n t p la c e o r to p o s . H e n c e its f u n d a m e n ta lly u t o p i e c h a ra c te r. Y et it can also m erg e w ith re a l s p a c e as in te rfa c e d . L ikew ise, c o rre s p o n d in g to this u to p ie space is a sim u la te d v irtu al tim e , itself w ith its own ex trao rdin ary properties. T h a t is, ‘it seem s’ (p h rase a d d e d by th e a u th o r, M .G .), an a u to n o m o u s tim e w ith o u t p ast, p re s e n t o r fu tu re , w holly b e y o n d any determ inistic o r non-determ inistic b eco m in g , o r again, o f any living sense o f b e c o m in g . A tim e th a t partakes n o t o f c h ro n o s , b u t is an u c h r o n ic (o r b e tte r to say, a c h ro n ic - a d d e d by th e a u th o r, M .G .) tim e, h e n c e its ability to also m e rg e - hybridize - w ith th e tim e w h e re dwells th e m a n ip u la to r o r observer. (...) U c h ro n ic tim e com es in to its ow n in th e im m e d ia cy o f im age- calcu latio n s an d sim ulatio n al-m o d el p a r a m e te r m o d ific a tio n s w ith o u t any delay in th e u n fo ld in g o f th e visualized p h e n o m e n o n . C h an g es in p a ra m e te r v alu e ta k e e ffec t th e very m o m e n t th e e q u a tio n s a r e b e in g c a lc u la te d , in te rv e n in g in ‘real-tim e,’ as th e tech n ic ia n s say, u p o n successive o p e ra tio n s a n d displaying th e results in sta n ta n e o u sly via realistic o r a b s tra c t im ages a c c o rd in g to th e m o d els sim u la te d , giving th e se s im u la tio n te c h n o lo g ie s fantastic effectiveness. U n d e r such c o n d itio n s, we can th u s sp eak o f c re a tin g a reality a n d m odifying it at the ra te o f c re a tio n , as if ‘r e a l’ c o m p u te r tim e to o k th e place o f te m p o ra l reality, in su ch a way th a t re fe re n c e tim e loses - a t least partially - its pre-existence. In a sense, synthesized v irtu al tim e m arks th e e n d o f time. In these virtual tim e-space re la tio n s, th e d e te r m in a n t fa c to r is n o lo n g e r the sp ee d o f in fo rm a tio n tran sfer, b u t r a th e r th e sp e e d o f d a ta c a lc u latio n time. I t ’s as if th a t invisible b a rrie r, th e sp e e d o f lig h t a t w hich te le v isio n a n d ra d io in fo rm a tio n c irc u la te , w e re a t th e p o i n t o f b e in g o v erta k en by th e im m o b ile sp ee d o f ca lc u latio n « (C o u c h o t, p p . 16-17).

In sh o rt, changes in p a ra m e te r values take e ffec t th e very m o m e n t th e equations are b eing calculated, in terv en in g in real-tim e. A n d real-tim e, w hich is tim e e n tire ly p ro c e sse d by th e c o m p u te r , is e q u a l to z e ro sp ac e. F o r ex a m p le , fo r M ark P o ster too, this p o in t o f th e real-tim e in terv a l in virtual reality is crucial. V irtual reality is close to real-tim e, w hich arose »in th e au d io ­ re c o rd in g field w hen splicing, m u ltip le-track re c o rd in g a n d m u ltip le sp e e d re c o rd in g m ad e possible tim es ‘o t h e r ’ to th a t o f clock-tim e o r p h e n o m e n o ­ logical tim e« (Poster, p. 189). In virtual reality, th e n o rm a l o r c o n v e n tio n a l sense o f tim e has to b e preserv ed by th e m o d ifie r ‘r e a l,’ exactly as in th e coinage: real-time. Real-time is, ac co rd in g to Kac, an im m e d ia te transm ission a n d re c e p tio n o f a signal as it is p ro d u c e d by a device, w ith o u t delays; live television is a c o m m o n ex am p le o f real-tim e tran sm issio n s (Kac, 1998).

In th e virtual-image, the interval disappears; real-tim e is n o t d ire c t tim e, b u t a tim e w ith o u t intervals, w h e re sp ac e has th e value zero . M o reo v er, th e n o n -p la c e , w hich m ay b e d e f in e d as a c y b e rsp a c e in te rv a l, p r o d u c e s a

m e a n in g in w hich th e d istrib u tio n o f in fo rm atio n is a re su lt o f a synthesized process o f ca lcu latio n . T his is n o t th e m ovem ent-im age’s d ifferen tiatio n an d in te g ra tio n o f m ean in g , n o r th e tim e-im age’s relink ing o f irrational divisions, b u t a sim u la tio n a l process. In ste a d o f th e o rg an ic fo rm o f com p o sitio n th a t b e lo n g s to th e m o v em en t-im ag e, a n d th e serial form o f com p o sitio n th a t b elo n g s to th e tim e-im age, th e virtual-im age p ro d u c es a synthetic one.

I w ould like to p ro p o se th e following m odels o f tim e-im ages, accordin g to th e fo llo w in g t e m p o r a l, s p a tia l a n d c o m p o s itio n a l c h a ra c te ris tic s , respectively:

th e m o v em en t-im ag e - in d irect-tim e interval - ex terio rity o f space — o rg a n ic fo rm

th e tim e-im age - d irect-tim e interval - an terio rity o f space - serial form th e v irtual-im ag e — real-tim e interval - non-space — synthetic form I t is i m p o r t a n t to e m p h a s iz e th e a lre a d y m e n tio n e d c o n s tru c te d c h a ra c te r o f th e d isco u rse o f space, as th e space p a ra d ig m is, so to speak, n ev e r g ro u n d e d in space, b u t is always ex-, an- o r non-space. »The non-place o f c y b e rs p a c e tim e ,« as N g u y e n a n d A le x a n d e r p o in te d o u t, » c o n ta in s in n u m e ra b le netw orks re stin g o n logical lattices abstracted from unthinkably co m p le x d a ta fields th a t u n fo ld across an endless virtual void« (N guyen an d A le x a n d e r, p. 102). A n o n -sp a ce can be u n d e rs to o d h e r e a n d now, n o t as a fo rm o f u to p ie space, b u t above all, as a co n c ep tu al m atrix, a p arad ig m o f su ch a space.

A t this p o in t, a p a th to follow m ig h t also be ex a m in e d in reverse m od e, by tak in g spatial m o d alitie s in h e r e n t in cyberspace as a startin g p o in t a n d tran sp o sin g th e m b ack in to reality. T h a t m eans th a t som e o f these paradigm s ca n p e rh a p s b e fu n c tio n a l o u tsid e th e realm o f the co m p u ter. O r vice versa, we m ig h t ask how ra d ic alized spatial organizations m anifested in reality may serve as m odels fo r active in tervention in cyberspace. Such a case is the project o f th e S lo venian visual a r t g ro u p IRWIN, e n title d NEU E SLOW ENISCHE KUNST (NSK) STATE IN TIME. O n e o f the m ost attention-grabbing projects o f th e NSK m o v e m e n t in th e 1990’s has b e e n the »State in Tim e« project, w h ich is p rim a rily c a rrie d o u t by th e ab o v e -m en tio n ed g ro u p , IRWIN. It was w ith in th e c o n te x t o f a p arad ig m o f this s o rt th a t th e NSK Em bassies a n d NSK C o n su lates w ere realized. NSK Embassies w ere realized in Moscow (1992), G en t, B elgium (1993), etc. NSK consulates were o p e n e d in Florence, Italy (1 9 9 3 ), a t th e H o te l A m basciatori, a n d in U m ag, C ro atia (1994), in th e k itc h e n o f th e p rivate a p a rtm e n t o f gallery ow ner M arino C ettina.

T h e g ro u p IRW IN estab lish ed th e NSK Embassy in Moscow in a private a p a r tm e n t (address: L eninsky P ro sp ec t 12, apt. 24) in May an d J u n e 1992.

T h e fa cad e o f this re sid e n tia l dw elling was em b ellish ed with th e artistically

artic u la te d insignia o f a state em bassy. T h e p ro je c t to o k p la c e w ith in th e co n te x t o f th e in te rn a tio n a liz a tio n o f o n e o f th e g re a te st E a ste rn E u ro p e a n p h e n o m e n a , A pt-Art (A p artm ent-A rt), w hich was a p h e n o m e n o n o f artistic c r e a tio n a n d e x h ib itio n in p riv a te a p a r t m e n ts w ith in th e M o sco w a r t u n d e rg ro u n d . T h e Moscow Apt-Art e m p h a siz e d th e statu s o f p riv ate space an d ch a n g ed it in to a c e n te r o f co m m u n icatio n th ro u g h th e self-organization o f those m o st exclu ded. T h e NSK M oscow EMBASSY p ro je c t r e p r e s e n te d a n ew a c tu a liz a tio n o f th e p h e n o m e n o n o f life a n d c r e a t i o n in p riv a te a p a rtm e n ts d u rin g the e ra o f C o m m u n ist to talita rian ism .

In his b o o k , Spectres de Marx, J a c q u e s D e rrid a p u t in to play th e te rm

‘sp e c tre ’ to in d icate th e elusive p seu d o -m a te riality th a t sub verts th e classic ontolo g ical o p p o sitio n s o f reality a n d illusion. Slavoj Žižek arg u es th a t »We sh o u ld reco g n ize th e fact th a t th e re is n o reality w ith o u t th e s p e c tre , th a t th e circle o f reality can b e closed o n ly by m e a n s o f a n u n c a n n y s p e c tra l s u p p le m e n t.... ‘S p ectre’ is n o t to b e c o n fu sed w ith ‘sym bolic fic tio n ’... reality is n e v e r d ire c tly ‘itse lf,’ it p re s e n ts its e lf o n ly via its in c o m p le te - f a ile d sym bolization, a n d sp ectral a p p a ritio n s e m e rg e in this very g ap th a t fo rev er sep a rates re ality fro m th e re a l, a n d o n a c c o u n t o f w h ic h re a lity h a s th e ch aracter o f a (symbolic) fiction: th e sp ec tre gives b o d y to th a t w hich escapes (th e sym bolically s tru c tu re d ) reality« (Žižek, p p . 26-28). In a n a tte m p t to em phasize th e synthetic dialectical m o m e n t d e v e lo p e d in th e NSK S tate in T im e, we a re c o m p e lle d to ask o u rselv es ho w c a n we la b e l th is s p iritu a l e le m e n t o f co rp o reality (NSK State In T im e ) a n d this c o rp o re a l e le m e n t o f spirituality (em bassies in c o n c re te p riv ate spaces)? I p ro p o s e we c o n c lu d e : SPECTERS. Allow m e to state the follow ing: th e NSK S tate in T im e is th e specter o f th e state, NSK Embassies are th e specters o f Em bassies. As R ich ard B eardsw orth has show n in his im p o rta n t b o o k Derrida & the political. »Any c o u n try , an y locality, d e te r m in e s its u n d e r s ta n d in g o f tim e , p la c e a n d c o m m u n ity in r e l a t io n to th is p r o c e s s o f ‘g l o b a l ’ s p e c i a l i z a t i o n «

(B eardsw orth, p. 146).

O n th e o th e r h a n d , we can re -a rtic u la te th e N SK STATE IN T IM E also as a precise a rtic u la tio n o f th e ev a cu atio n o f th e specific h isto rical, social an d political space o f the fo rm e r E astern E u ro p e , a fte r th e fall o f th e B erlin Wall. As P e te r C am b o rn W ilson, alias H a k im Bey, s ta te d in his le c tu re at th e N ettim e m e e tin g e n title d »B eauty a n d T h e East« in L ju b lja n a in 1997, th e S eco n d W orld has b e e n erased , a n d only th e F irst a n d T h ird W orlds are left. In place o f the S eco n d W orld, Bey a rg u e d , th e re is a big h o le fro m w hich o n e ju m p s in to th e T h ird (Cf. Bey, 1997). NSK STATE IN T IM E is a tran sp o sitio n , as m uch as it is also a sp e c tra liz a tio n , o f th e ev a cu atio n o f th e specific h istorical, social a n d p o litical space o f th e fo r m e r E a ste rn E u ro p e ,

o f th is n o n -sp a ce c o n d itio n . It is possible to fin d th e sam e co n d itio n in th e c e n te r o f th e m yth o f lib era tin g a n d in n o c e n t cyberspace. »W hatyou discover (in cy b ersp ace — a d d e d by th e a u th o r, M .G.) is always,« acco rd in g to O livier M a rc h a rt, »your own im ag e in a reversed form . (...) T his sen ten c e - since obviously, it p a ra p h ra se s th e L acan ian c o m m u n ic a tio n fo rm u la - has an ax io m atic status. W h e re v e r you go, you are always alread y there« (M archart, 1998). A n d this is exactly to w h a t the IRWIN NSK STATE IN TIM E p ro jec t is p o in tin g a fin g er. T h e g ro u p IRWIN has th e pow er to articu late its p ro p e r p o sitio n u sin g th e sam e m ech an ism s a n d m atrices th a t seem , a t first glance, to b e p a r t o f a n o th e r »absolutely virtual« territory.

Contestational Errors

S in c e w h a t I am p r o p o s in g h e r e is a r e s e a rc h in to th e d iscu rsiv e c o n stru c tio n s a n d a rtic u la tio n s o f the chan g es o f tim e a n d space p aradigm s p ro d u c e d by im age technology, to look also at the characteristics o f th e time- space p a ra d ig m d e v e lo p e d a n d su stain ed in th e p h o to g ra p h ic im age w ould o ffe r m o re in s ig h t in to th e la tte r stages o f such a p ro p o se d research.

In his » S h ort H istory o f P hotography«, W alter B enjam in focuses o n how th e p ro b le m o f tim e c h a ra c te riz e d the evolution o f early p h o to g rap h y . I will s u m m a r iz e b rie f ly B e n j a m i n ’s in s ig h ts , re ly in g o n D. N. R o d o w ic k ’s p re se n ta tio n :

» N e ith e r th e in d e x ic a l q u a lity o f th e p h o t o g r a p h n o r its ic o n ic c h a ra c te ristic s fa sc in a te d B en jam in as m u ch as th e in terval o f tim e m ark ed by ex p o su re. In th e technological transition from an ex p osu re tim e requ irin g several h o u rs to only fractio n s o f a seco nd, B enjam in m a rk e d th e grad u al ev a p o ra tio n o f a u ra fro m th e im age. T h e id ea o f au ra in vo ked h e re is clearly re la te d to B erg so n ’s durée. F or B enjam in, the lo n g er th e interval o f exposure, th e g r e a te r th e c h a n c e th a t th e a u ra o f an e n v iro n m e n t - th e c o m p le x te m p o ra l re la tio n s w oven th ro u g h its re p re s e n te d figures - w ould seep into th e im ag e, e tc h in g itself o n th e p h o to g ra p h ic plate. (...) M ore concretely, th e te m p o ra l value o f th e in terv al d e te rm in e s a qualitative ratio betw een tim e a n d space in th e p h o to g ra p h . In the evolution from slow to fast exposure tim es, se g m e n ta tio n s o f tim e yield ed qualitative chan g es in space: sensitivity to lig h t, c le a re r focus, m o re extensive d e p th o f field, a n d significantly, the fixing o f m ovem en t. Paradoxically, fo r B enjam in, as th e iconic an d spatial characteristics o f p h o to g rap h y becam e m ore accurate by decreasing the interval o f exposure, the im age lost its tem poral anchoring in the experience o f duration, as well as th e fascinating am biguity o f its ‘a u ra ’« (Rodowick, pp. 8-9).

R o d o w ick a tte m p te d su c h a s u m m a ry b e c a u s e h e is i n t e r e s t e d in B en jam in ’s co m m en tary o n th e p h o to g ra p h ic e x p o s u re tim e, w h ich ca n b e seen sim ultan eo u sly as th e a c c u m u la tio n o f d u ra tio n a n d as a re d u c tio n o f th e tim e intervals, as a k in d o f a p ro to ty p e o f b o th o f D e le u z e ’s tim e-im ag e m odels. In face o f this, I m yself am in te re s te d in th is c o n tr a c tio n o f th e interval o f e x p o su re tim e b ecause it d e p ic ts a p ro c ess o f e ra s u re , th e d e sire to rid ourselves o f th e u n co n tro llab le m ovem ents a n d m istakes th a t can o cc u r o v er su c h lo n g e x p o s u re tim es. F u r t h e r m o r e , to d a y we a r e w itn e ss to, m etap h o rically speaking, th e c o n sta n t d e c re a sin g , th e c o n s ta n t s h o rte n in g , th e c o n d e n sa tio n o f th e interval o f e x p o s u re , o n th e traje cto ry m o v in g fro m p h o to g ra p h y th ro u g h cin e m a to cyberspace. T h is a m o u n ts to a p ro c ess o f cleaning a n d leaving b e h in d the m istakes. W ith th e virtual im ag e a n d its real­

tim e interval - w hen th e speed o f lig h t at w hich television a n d ra d io circu late in f o r m a tio n is o v e r ta k e n by th e im m o b ile s p e e d o f c a lc u l a t io n — we e x p e rie n c e an ever m o re e x a c t a n d ra d ic a l p ro c e s s o f c o m p le te im a g e evacuation, o r em ptying. T h e result is an ae sth etic process o f th e sterilization o f the im age. W ith th e arrival o f th e new m e d ia , a n d w ith d ig ita liz a tio n , a physicality o f the co n n e c tio n o f the im age w ithin reality-tim e is lost. M istakes in the im age, w hich w ere evidence o f its re ality -te m p o rality e x iste n c e , are traum atically lost. W ith m istakes, o n e m ig h t say, th e s u b je c t fin d s ways to m ake a p lace in tim e. W ith th e virtual im a g e ’s real-tim e c o n tra c tio n , with th e c o n tra c tio n o f th e tem p o ra l-rea lity in terv a ls, th e im a g e u n d e r g o e s a process o f co m p lete ‘em ptying o u t.’

In sh o rt, I w ant to em phasize th e te c h n ic a l c o n stitu tio n o f tem p o rality .

»The te m p o ra liza tio n o f tim e thus c h a n g e s w ith a c h a n g e in th e te c h n ic a l process th a t form s it« (Beardsw orth, p. 161 ). M oreover, it is possible to d e te c t a process o f c o n sta n t ten sio n b etw een th e n a tu re o f th e te c h n ic a l tools th a t allows th e m ediation o f tim e an d th e h u m a n e x p e rie n c e o f tim e. T his tension c a n b e n a m e d , a g a in , as s p e c tr a l i z a tio n . A t s ta k e in th is p r o c e s s o f spectralizatio n lies the h u m a n e x p e rie n c e o f tim e. »M ost im m e d ia tely , it is clear th a t w ith the digitalization o f m em o ry support-system s, o u r e x p e rie n c e o f tim e is b e in g rapidly fo re s h o rte n e d , c re a tin g , a m o n g o th e r th in g s (...) th e ten sio n betw een th e in te rn a tio n a l n a tu re o f th e e le c tro n ic a n d d ig ital gaze a n d th e c o rp o ra l re alities th a t m a k e u p m u c h o f h u m a n life. Less im m e d ia tely , b u t m o re p ro fo u n d ly , it is also c le a r th a t f u tu r e te c h n ic a l in te rv e n tio n o n th e g e n e tic ‘in g r e d ie n ts ’ o f th e h u m a n will a c c e le r a te processes o f evolution a t such a sp e e d (if this re m a in s th e rig h t te rm ) th a t p re se n t co n c ep tio n s o f history, in h e rita n c e , m em o ry a n d th e b o d y will n e e d to be dram atically re o rg a n iz e d , if th e ‘s e le c tio n ’ o f w h a t is ‘h u m a n ’, a n d w hat is n o t, is n o t to b ec o m e the m o n o p o ly o f an o rg a n iz a tio n b e tw e e n th e

t e c h n o s c i e n c e s a n d c a p ita l. J u s t as th e s e t e c h n i q u e s t o g e t h e r w ith d e v e lo p m e n ts in m a c h in e in te llig e n c e will soon wish to su p p ress h u m a n

‘f a i l u r e ( s ) ’ (p re c is e ly o u r su b m issio n to tim e ), so th e re a l tim e o f th e te le te c h n o lo g ie s risks re d u c in g the différanceoï tim e, o r th e a p o ria o f tim e, to a n e x p e rie n c e o f tim e th a t forgets time« (B eardsw orth, p p .147-48).

T h is p ro c ess o f ev a cu atio n re a c h e d its lim it o f absurdity, fo r exam p le, w ith th e v irtualized visual scenarios o f the G ulf W ar, w hich can b e co n tra ste d w ith th e lack o f in fo rm a tio n a b o u t th e ‘d irty ’ a n d very re al war in Bosnia- H e rzeg o v in a . In s te a d o f th e d ire c t im ages from th e w ar in BiH, we w ere, in m o s t cases, via th e so -c a lle d live, re a l-tim e p r o g r a m m in g c o n n e c tio n s , c o n f ro n te d , o n th e o n e h a n d , with old televised im ages, a n d on th e o th e r w ith th e voice o f th e ra d io a m a te u r re p o rtin g live, in real-tim e.

D im itris E le fth e rio tis n o te s a sim ilar process in a d iffe re n t, th o u g h c o m p le m e n ta r y , fie ld . A c c o rd in g to E le fth e rio tis, »’T h e D igital Im ag e S ta b ilize r’ is a p o p u la r fe a tu re o f m any new cam corders: it o p erates th ro u g h a d ig ita l analysis o f e a c h fra m e w hich d etec ts a n d elim in a te s ‘a b n o r m a l’

m ovem ents. In a sim ilar fashion, visual surveillance technology dep en d s u p o n th e id en tific a tio n o f ‘a b n o r m a l’ o r ‘irre g u la r’ m ovem ents w hich d is ru p t th e

‘n o r m a l ’ flow o f p e o p le in a stre e t, a sh o p p in g c e n te r o r s u p e rm a rk e t - re s e a rc h c u r re n tly u n d e r ta k e n looks fo r ways in w h ich th e d e te c tio n o f a b n o r m a l m o v e m e n t c a n b e c o m e an a u to m a to n b u ilt in to th e system « (E leftheriotis, p. 105). B oth processes can b e u n d ersto o d as th e opposite parts o f th e sam e m a th e m a tic a l, legal, as well as aesthetical o p e ra tio n , em ptying o u t a n d sterilizatio n o f th e im age. As M ark Lajoie has stated , »The d istance b etw e en th e u se r o n o n e side, a n d the seem ing space o n th e o th e r is absolute.

I t sh o u ld c o m e as n o su rp rise th a t m any o f th e tech n o lo g ies involved in the v ir tu a l r e a lity i n t e r f a c e h a v e th e ir o rig in in m a c h in e r y d e s ig n e d fo r p e rfo rm in g tasks in e n v iro n m e n ts in h o sp itab le to h u m a n beings - chem ical fa cto ries, n u c le a r p o w er p lan ts, vacuum space. C yberspace offers to d o the sam e w ith all re la tio n s to th e m aterial, tre a tin g th e m aterial as a toxic agent, o r p o iso n e d e n v iro n m e n t, to place an im perceptible yet o m n ip re se n t b a rrie r b e tw e e n all m a te ria l re la tio n s w ith others« (Lajoie, p. 163).

In c o n tr a s t to th e c le a n , p u re sp ac e o f v irtu al reality , th e m a te ria l b e c o m e s an o b ject o f h o rro r a n d disgust because it ca n n o t b e integrated into th e m atrix. In o th e r words, th e m aterial becom es an abject. As Ju lia Kristeva has p o in te d o ut, »It becom es w hat culture, the sacred, m ust purge, separate a n d banish so th at it may establish itself as such in the universal logic o f catharsis«

(Kristeva, »Psychoanalysis a n d the Polis,« p. 102, in Lajoie, p. 165). M ateriality is entirely ex tra cted from cyberspace, an d red u ced from o b ject to ab ject - a senseless, o b sc e n e in te rv e n tio n (Cf. C ritical A rt E n sem ble an d Pell, 1998).

T h e e n tra n c e o f m istakes in p e rfe c t, s im u la te d e n v iro n m e n ts ca n b e viewed, th e re fo re , as a p o in t o f d e v e lo p in g new a e sth e tic a l a n d c o n c e p tu a l strategies, as the m istake as object o f h o r r o r a n d disg ust c a n n o t b e in te g ra te d in to th e m atrix. A n tio rp , a m ysterious D a n ish c o m p o s e r w hose g e n d e r - o r even h u m a n ity — is u n k n o w n , p ro m o te s th e id e a th a t te c h n o lo g y u s e d to create a rt inevitably becom es the subject o f th e a r t itself. E rrors, fo r ex am p le.

A n tio rp w rites, »G enerally, (p e o p le ) a r e n ’t a n tic ip a tin g e r r o r s , b ro w s e r d e c o n stru c tio n o r denials o f service. In c o rp o ra tin g th ese in to p ro g ra m m in g generates an e lem e n t o f intrigue, sed u c tio n a n d fru stratio n . E rro r is th e m ark o f the h ig h e r organism , a n d it p re se n ts a n e n v iro n m e n t w ith w h ich o n e is invited to in te ra c t o r p e rh a p s co n tro l« (Cf. antiorp@tezcat.com / = cw 4 t7 a b s/

(1998)).

W h a t m a tte rs in c y b e rsp a c e is n a m e ly th e p o s s ib ility to i n t e r a c t concretely, h e n c e m aterially, by m ean s o f d iffe re n t devices - fro m joysticks to datasuits - with th e virtual world. It is exactly a t this precise p o in t o f co n tact, a t the in terfa ce b etw een th e virtual a n d re al, th a t th e u s e r is ca lle d to in s e rt his o r h e r fin g erp rin ts, a n d ultim ately, his o r h e r m a te ria l b o d y also in th e fo rm o f a m ista k e . T h e in te rfa c e c a n b e c o n s i d e r e d a n o b s c e n e s ta in constantly re m in d in g th e user o f his o r h e r inability to b e c o m e fully su b je c t in cyberspace, a n d we m ig h t also say th e sam e w ith re g a rd to th e m istakes.

Mistakes in the im age are like a fin g e r p rin t o n th e film , a sc ra tc h o r scars o n the skin - th e evidence o f th e ex isten c e o f th e im age. T o m ak e a m istak e is to fin d a place in tim e. A m istake is like a w o u n d in th e im ag e; it is like an e r ro r in th e body, o r, as fo rm u la te d by B eard sw o rth , fa ilu re (s) re p re s e n t( s ) precisely o u r subm ission to tim e (cf. B eardsw orth, p. 148). T h is is a situ a tio n o f p ro d u c in g a gap, a hiatu s, w h ere we ca n in s e rt n o t o nly a p r o p e r body, b u t also its in te rp re ta tio n .

We m u st continually engage to locate ourselves in th e w o rld in re la tio n to o thers - h u m a n a n d n on-hum an. »I am conscious o f my bo d y via th e w orld, th a t it is th e u n p e rc e iv e d term in th e c e n te r o f th e w orld tow ards w hich all objects tu rn th e ir face; it is tru e fo r th e sam e re a s o n th a t m y b o d y is th e pivot o f th e world: I know th a t o bjects have several facets b e c a u se I c o u ld m ake a to u r o f the w orld th ro u g h th e m e d iu m o f m y body« (M erleau-P onty, p. 82).

In D e c e m b e r 1997, T V T o k y o s u s p e n d e d t h e w e e k ly r e g u l a r l y broadcasting o f the p o p u lar ‘Pocket M o n ster’ c a rto o n , know n as ‘P o c k e m o n ,’

b e c a u se n e a rly 700 p e o p le n a tio n w id e , m a in ly c h ild r e n , w e re ta k e n to hospitals a fte r w a tch in g th e show o n 16 D e c e m b e r. T h e TV view ers w ere afflicted by a n o u tb re a k o f convulsions a n d fain tn ess, e n d in g w ith catalepsy.

T h e scen e from P o ck em o n , w hich was su sp e c te d o f s e n d in g h u n d r e d s to

h o sp itals, c a n b e d e s c rib e d as fo u r seconds o f flashing re d , b lu e, w hite a n d b lack lights. It was a k in d o f stro b e flash, like seco n d su n lig h t, s o m e th in g so h y p e r-b rig h t th a t it re s u lte d in b o th b lin d n ess a n d catalepsy.

T h r o u g h this e x a m p le , we ca n discuss som e o th e r im p o rta n t p o in ts ra ise d in c o n n e c tio n w ith th e re la tio n sh ip betw een o u r physical b o d y a n d th e im age. W h ile I wish to avoid falling in to th e trap o f m ass psychological hysterical re ad in g s o f th e etern ally b ad an d d an g ero u s in flu en ce o f TV u p o n g e n e r a t i o n s o f v ie w e rs , I w ill try to e s ta b lis h a n a lm o s t h e r e t i c a l in te r p r e ta tio n o f th e event. W e co u ld say th a t the T V -induced epilepsy-like illness b r o u g h t b a c k to a m ass o f TV viewers th e reality o f th e ir physical b o d ies. T h e h u m a n b o d y has b e e n , fo r m o re th a n a centu ry, c a p tu re d o r fro z e n as im ages via p h o to g ra p h y . It has b e e n approx im ately 120 years since 1877-80, w h e n th e p sy ch iatrist M artin C harcot, at the S alpêtrière H ospital in P aris, p h o to g r a p h e d his hysterical p atien ts with the in te n tio n o f m ak in g th e ir illn e ss visible ( d u e to th e u n d e rly in g p a th o lo g y o f h y steria b e in g in v isib le ). N ow , in th e 1 9 9 0 ’s, th e b o d y fights back! W ith th e h y sterical su ffe rin g b o d y o f P o c k e m o n , we witness a re actio n , a d iso b ed ien c e, to the u n til n o w im m o b ile, o r fro zen , b o d y ’s re la tio n to th e im age. T h e success o f p h o to g ra p h y in c a p tu rin g h ysteria h a d to do precisely w ith th e m echanism s in te rn a l to p h o to g ra p h y , w hich are c o n n e c te d with its »reality effect,« a n d w ith th e p h o to g ra p h ic a p p a r a tu s ’ p o te n tia l to freeze th e convulsive a n d hy sterical body.

It seem s th a t today, in a w orld s u p e rsa tu ra te d w ith im ages, to m ake th e b o d y visible - to sim ply re m in d ourselves th a t we have a physical bo dy - th e b o d y h a d to fall back again into hysteria, into an o u tb rea k o f convulsions a n d faintness. O n th e o th e r h a n d , P ockem on allows us to discuss th e idea o f to ta l visibility co n stan tly p ro d u c e d by th e mass m edia. B u t this k in d o f total visibility is ju s t m edia-processed; it is simply a n o th e r form o f m isconstruction.

In reality, we have, as P e te r W eibel o n ce n o te d , zones o f visibility a n d zones o f invisibility. T h e P ock em o n ‘C ataleptic Tuesday’ event (P ockem on has b een a ire d every T uesd ay since A pril 1997) b ro u g h t us n o t only to th e co re o f th e processes o f re p re se n ta tio n , a n d to the so-called zero-point o f rep resen ta tio n in r e la tio n to th e p h y sical b o d y , b u t it re p re s e n ts a n a lm o st p sy ch o tic a p p e a ra n c e o f these p h e n o m e n a , by the constantly h id d e n zones o f invisibility in m ass m ed ia. T h e se zones flash ed for a m o m e n t so b rig h tly o n th e surface o f th e im age, th ey allow ed th e bo d y to b ec o m e b lin d a n d hysterical.

T his p h e n o m e n o n m ay also b e d escrib ed th ro u g h th e p ersp ectiv e o f P aul V irilio, w h o claim s th a t th e in tro d u c tio n o f c o m p u te riz e d tech n o lo g y sim ply m akes visible w h a t h a d b e e n assu m ed o r, I use th e w ord overtak en, - th e fle e tin g tim e o f e x p o su re in in sta n ta n e o u s p e rc e p tio n , w hich results

in »a co llap se o f m n e m o n ic co n so lid a tio n « (V irilio, p. 7 ). It is a p ro c e ss show ing th a t the o b serv er’s m o m e n t o f p e rc e p tio n is n o lo n g e r in synch, n o lo n g er in teg ra te d in to the tim e o f ex p o su re, in th e to p o g ra p h ic a l p e rc e p tio n a n d m em o riza tio n processes im p ressed in th e tim e o f ex p o su re . F o r V irilio, w hat characterizes th e re p la c e m e n t o f th e d e p th o f sp ac e by th e d e p th o f tim e, is a splitting o f viewpoint, th e sh a rin g o f p e rc e p tio n o f th e e n v iro n m e n t betw een th e an im ate (th e living sub ject) a n d th e in a n im a te (th e o b ject, th e seein g m a c h in e ). T h e vision (s) o f this view point, its v isualizations, a re w h a t is already th e re in th e eye o f th e c a m e ra (s ), re m a in in g in »a state o f la te n t im m e d ia c y in th e h u g e j u n k h e a p o f th e s tu f f o f m e m o ry , w a n tin g to re a p p e a r, inexorably, w hen th e tim e com es« (V irilio, p. 43).

T o re a p p ro p ria te th e place o f this m em o ry , o f v irtu al m em o ry , in th e m o d e rn way m eans, th erefo re, n o t to use any m o re traces - as virtual m em o ry is n o lo n g e r in a fu n c tio n o f th e past, b u t o f th e fu tu re - b u t in ste a d to u se m istakes, as the sp e e d o f lig h t a t w hich TV a n d ra d io in fo rm a tio n c irc u lates are a t th e p o in t o f b e in g overtak en by th e im m o b ile sp e e d o f ca lc u latio n s.

Acknowledgments

I w ould like to th a n k A dele E isen stein , C 3 B u d ap est, fo r e d itin g this p ap e r.

I re c e iv e d h e lp f u l th e o r e tic a l in s ig h ts fr o m M a c h ik o K u s a h a r a , U niversity o f Kobe; K ikuko T oyam a, Y am agu chi U niversity; Keiji A san u m a , Seijo University, Tokyo; C h ih iro M inato, T a m a U niversity, Tokyo; T o sh iy a U e n o , W ako University, Tokyo; T rin h T. M inh -ha, U niversity o f C alifo rn ia, Berkeley; a n d L in d a W allace, M elb o u rn e .

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