An article about animal mummies in the latest National Geographic got me thinking about death and culture. There's nothing quite like death rituals to boil down the essence of a culture. The way we treat and honor the dead, the things we keep, the things we don't, the things we care to remember, the things we try desperately to forget--these all reflect basic human needs and basic cultural values.
Facebook is to give people the option to "memorialise" the profile pages of friends and relatives who have died.
The site invited family members to report when one of its users had died, to enable it to remove sensitive information such as updates and contacts.
Dido had a funeral pyre, Basho had a death poem, Farrah Fawcett had a television special. We prepare for death with the most familiar elements of how we lived our lives.
I remember getting chills when, a few years after a friend of mine died suddenly, I happened upon her old Facebook page. Like the abrupt ending of Anne Frank's diary, her profile was perfectly preserved in time, a snapshot of a life that would unexpectedly end a few days later. But unlike Anne Frank's diary, her Facebook page was just as active as ever. Friends could still post and chat to her as if she were still alive, with updates about their goings-on and "check-ins" on how she's doing in the afterlife.
I do wonder how her profile would look today, if she knew she was about to die. In the Zen poetic tradition, the jisei, or death poem, is a deep and honored practice, a final thought in a culture steeped in the way of poetry. I think back to Michael "Ohenrosan", a very kind Buddhist blogger, poet and photographer I met a few years back, shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer. His blog became an incredibly moving and powerful meditation on life, and he posted his own jiseia few days before the cancer took his life. But in some sense, the entire blog was a death poem, not just the final poem itself. It remains active today, with the torch carried on both by his family and his readership.
Might the memorialized Facebook profile become the 21st century jisei, a carefully-constructed and carefully-crafted digital epitaph? We are born online, we find love online, we grow up, we think, we live our lives online. It only makes sense, I think, that we are also finding ways to die online.
"The next billion people who will be getting online will be using cellphones, not computers," Anderson said. "That gets you thinking about how you can leverage this."
With developed markets now saturated, the developing world’s rural poor will account for most of the growth in the coming years. The total will reach 6 billion by 2013, according to the GSMA, an industry group, with half of these new users in China and India alone.
All this is transforming the telecoms industry. Within just a few years its centre of gravity has shifted from the developed to the developing countries. The biggest changes are taking place in the poorest parts of the world, such as rural Uganda.
For one reason or another, I've been thinking a lot about mobile phones lately. I remember when I first had a cell phone, in late high school before I could drive. Minutes back then were insanely expensive, so my ride would call me, let it ring a few times, and hang up, to let me know I should wait by the curb in about 15 minutes. A year or two later, I found myself in the Philippines, where almost everyone I saw, even those who clearly didn't have much money, was texting and tapping away. It would be a few more years till texting became mainstream to the same level in the US.
When Mt. Pinatubo erupted, I had to rely on television, frantic, unreliable phone calls, and a letter that would arrive weeks later with assurances; and worse, given our limited resources at the time and limited ways to send money, we weren't able to send much more than good will. Now, I can text, tweet, Facebook and YouTube my way to news and, importantly, galvanize aid for a country that is almost literally on the other side of the world.
I do wonder how different the world will look in a few years, when not just the developed world but the developing world is connected and online. I think and talk a lot about the game changing impact of e-books, augmented reality and Twitter Lists, but none of these strike me as game changers on the same level as something like Avaaj Otalo, a program giving farmers in India access to important agricultural information:
Avaaj Otalo ("voice-based community forum") is a system for farmers to access relevant and timely agricultural information over the phone. The system was designed in the summer of 2008 as a collaboration between IBM India Research Laboratory and Development Support Center (DSC), an NGO in Gujarat, India.
By dialing a phone number and navigating through simple audio prompts, farmers can record questions, review and respond to others, or access content published by agricultural experts and institutions. In addition to the Q&A forum, Avaaj Otalo includes an announcements board of headline-like snippets updated regularly by DSC staff, and a radio archive to listen to past episodes of DSC's popular weekly radio program.
Until recently, I've been using a five year-old Nokia candy bar phone, a model similar to what now sells for under US$20 in China. With it, I was able to update my Facebook and Twitter accounts, check Google, receive subway service alerts and send text messages to the Philippines. Except for checking my email and getting GPS, what I'm able to do with my new Blackberry isn't too much different--it's just more organized. And I could always use my computer to check email and figure out directions.
Putting a Blackberry in my hand makes it easier for me to get online anywhere, to keep in touch with friends, to tweet on the fly. But putting a phone in the hand of someone who's never had a computer before and who may not even be literate? Oh, this century is just getting started.
In the grand scheme of telecoms history, mobile phones have made a bigger difference to the lives of more people, more quickly, than any previous technology. They have spread the fastest and proved the easiest and cheapest to adopt. It is now clear that the long process of connecting everyone on Earth to a global telecommunications network, which began with the invention of the telegraph in 1791, is on the verge of being completed. Mobile phones will have done more than anything else to advance the democratisation of telecoms, and all the advantages that come with it.
Our society is changing from consumers to creators.
Great piece in Seed Magazine that holds that, "Nearly universal literacy is a defining characteristic of today’s modern civilization; nearly universal authorship will shape tomorrow's." In other words:
International concern for the minority who can’t read may soon extend to those who can’t publish. Reading—a defining characteristic of civilization as far back as ancient Greece when all Athenian citizens were expected to know how to read—is now taken for granted in industrialized democracies. Publishing by the few Athenian authors brought us drama, philosophy, science, mathematics, literature, and history. As readers, we consume. As authors, we create. Our society is changing from consumers to creators.
I've been exploring this issue a good deal when it comes to art, mostly through the @Platea collective. Right now, we're doing a "cover" of Vito Acconci's Following Piece, using social media and new technology. Can anyone do art? If anyone can publish, and if everyone will publish (according to this article), it seems reasonable that there's a paradigm shift occurring in how we engage with media in general. But what would a world of art-by-anyone look like?
"Our society is changing from consumers to creators." This is already a familiar issue in the contemporary haiku world, where everyone jokes that there are more writers than readers. Quality is maintained, journals flourish, dialogue ensues.
I remember it was a few years ago in Classical Chinese class. There was a moment that's stuck with me all this years. Our class had just finished a translation of Lie Zi and started talking about it. One of my classmates raised his hand and brought up a point:
I’ve noticed there’s a big difference between Eastern and Western artists. In the West, we want to create something that moves the masses, that inspires everyone. People like Lie Zi, on the other hand, are more concerned about connecting with those few people who understand, and they don’t really care about the rest.
And my professor replied:
Yes, a Lie Zi-like artist would sell 5 CD’s and be happy, because even if he’ll never reach platinum status, he connected with those five people, with their xin (heart/mind/soul/etc.), and that’s all that matters.
From the original Chinese:
Bo Ya then relinquished his lute and sighed: ”Excellent! Excellent! You can listen to the mountains and rain! You can listen to me! Your aim, your thoughts, your images are just like my xin.
Seems to me like the goal of any artist is to connect with others, whether it be 5 or 5 million. It's in the common experience that we find something meaningful in the work.
And speaking of art in the 21st century, I highly highly recommend season 5 of Art:21. The premiere last night at MoMA (alongside 600 other premiere events around the world thanks to their excellent Access '09 setup) was fabulous, with Season 5 artists Jeff Koons, Mary Heilmann and Florian Maier-Aichen in conversation with Glenn D. Lowry.
My favorite to hear speak was Mary Heilmann, a total hoot. Frankly, I could listen to her all day.
Check it out now on the PBS video portal, or check your local listings.
I've been having lots of late night conversations about the role of artists in the 21st century. What is the role of the artist? What is our function? Why do we do what we do, and what do fellow artists and non-artists look for in our work? It wasn't that long ago when art had a clear meaning and function. East or west, art typically fell under some manifestation of painting or sculpture, and it had some kind of spiritual element.
But these days, the variation in what falls under the purview of the word "art" can be overwhelming. On the one hand, you'll find classical painters, working with brush and canvas, just as artists have done since humans figured out how to get colors to stick to a wall. On the other hand, you'll find artists nailing themselves to cars and organizing hair cuts by children in Chinatown.
Contemporary art is a classic example for Wittgenstein's notion of family resemblance. The meaning of a word, especially an abstract concept like art, is difficult to pin down. You can't point at one thing and say that it sums up the word "art". But you can point at many things. And though the extremes have little in common (how does a Taos landscape painting have anything in common with being nailed to a Volkswagen?), they are like distant cousins. They resemble each other like members of a family, and you can draw a spectrum from one end to the other that makes the term more clear.
So I thought I'd open the floor for others' thoughts. Defining "art" is tough, but maybe it's a little easier to figure out what the role of artists is. I posted the question on Facebook and Twitter: "What is the role of artists in the 21st century (or any century, really)?" I got a number of responses, summed up in this Wordle. Few words jump out, but I could sense a theme: artists challenge our way of thinking.
via Wordle.net
Here's what a verbatim list of what folks said:
To push past the edges.
*“The job of the writer is to make revolution irresistible.”—Toni Cade Bambara
*“As a black lesbian writer, my advice to myself, academicians, and other lesbian writers is: say the least said and tell the least told.”—Cheryl Clarke
*"Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it."--Bertolt Brecht
To make me see things differently.
to never compare ourselves with others, a willingness to take chances, never relying on the past to shape your reputation. I am not out to change the world, although what I do do id different. I do what I do because it's me.
to make work that gives its audience connection to (a) truth (large or small "t")
to observe, communicate, stimulate the mind, evoke/provoke feeling
to deepen spiritual development
I would say: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/health/06mind.html?_r=1&em
Art 21st century will contend with building archives of art versus running faster computers with greater app complexity.
I don't know. I'm PMSing so very very deconstructive this week. I mostly see artist and wannabes like me as parasites. :/
To explore and experiment with relationships and behaviors "not ready for prime time". Cultural R&D?
Klee, as a trunk of a tree, they gather & pass on what comes 2 them from the depths.. artists-as-capillary-action?
Role of the artist in the 21st century? -think differently than non artists. Aren't we the balancing force (unbalancing force?)
Too many roles to count but one purpose of artists is to pick the scabs off society by examining taboos.
giving a different point of view of what we normally consider reality
artists keep a record of living history and impact and influence social change around the world.
Entertainment and Education. Galleries are Museums and museums are classrooms, but exciting classrooms.
I've always thought of art as a blend of intellect and aesthetic. A mixture of cognitive thought, sensory stimulation, and intuitive, nonconscious understanding. Philosophers, after all, challenge our way of thinking too, but they don't use much in the way of the senses to do so. Interior designers and chefs create sensually-pleasing objects, but the end results are meant to be enjoyed in and of themselves--a feast for the senses. But it strikes me as the goal of any artistic practice to challenge thinking and create something that is experienced with the senses, whether it be a painting or a performance. And in that blend
So what's the role of artists in the 21st century? It's no different from artists in the 11th century, or the 1st century. But in a century where society and media have become more diverse, from 300 channels on cable to a nearly infinite amount of content to be customized and curated on the Internet, so have our expressions of art. If art is a response to society, then it's no wonder that art is so varied and fragmented: we live in a world of niches and tribes.
Spotted in an East Village record store - empty CD cases. Rows and rows of empty CD cases. Obviously, the point is to prevent theft, but if the CD cases are empty, why do you need a store to display them? In a city of precious real estate, wouldn't it make sense to just set up a few display monitors that folks can click through?
Gets me thinking about the role of the physical, the need to have something tangible. I know a lot of people who still, in this age of iTunes or last.fm, prefer to own the CD/DVD.
About 24 hours ago, I woke up and realized that the typhoon I'd been hearing snippets about during the DUMBO Festival was worst than the usual. I've been through typhoons, both in Manila and here (though here they're called hurricanes of course!), but as I clicked through various news sources, scanned Twitter and listened to stories from my aunt, I realized it was the worst to hit the city in some 40 years, as hundreds of thousands of people, already struggling, were displaced, with most of their possessions washed away. There are predictions of two more storms on the way that will complicate relief efforts.
As aid was needed this past weekend, I posted a call for help, and within 5 hours, we surpassed the goal of $500 I had set, and by the next day, $760 has been pledged via Kickstarter, and a couple hundred more is being given directly to me in cash today. And we still have another 24 hours to go before the Kickstarter push officially ends. I know $760 doesn't seem like a lot to us here in the U.S. (that's less than my latest lens cost me), but that's already more than the average annual income of half the country (at least according to Wikipedia).
This whole experience, right off the heels of my DUMBO Festival work, has me thinking about fundraising in the social media/mobile phone landscape in general. In what other world would it be possible to raise so much in so little time from such a broad community? Money has literallly come in from three continents, all done with a few retweets, reposts and Amazon.com logins. And my efforts are tiny compared to what others are doing online. Just look at this stunning Google map, which is both innovative and heartbreaking. How is it powered? Google spreadsheets. And how are those in the Philippines giving money? Text messaging, which remained operational despite roads and power going down.
We saw it in Mumbai, in Iran, and now in the Philippines--the world is getting just a little bit smaller and a little bit closer thanks to social media and mobile phone technologies, and this is undeniably a Good Thing. It's particularly pertinent with the latter, as so many social media users in the Philippines speak fluent English and use Twitter and Facebook, so there are fewer linguistic and technological hurdles to connecting individuals with individuals. No translation necessary.
When Mt. Pinatubo erupted, I had to rely on television, frantic, unreliable phone calls, and a letter that would arrive weeks later with assurances; and worse, given our limited resources at the time and limited ways to send money, we weren't able to send much more than good will. Now, I can text, tweet, Facebook and YouTube my way to news and, importantly, galvanize aid for a country that is almost literally on the other side of the world.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support. People like you never cease to amaze me.
Frustrated by the lack of good ways for those abroad to give money to the Philippine National Red Cross (fax in your credit card number? seriously?), I'm setting up this Kickstarter page to make it easy for anyone with an Amazon account to send a donation. I'll then wire the money directly to the Red Cross.
The money was needed yesterday, so I'm being a little ambitious here, but I have faith. I'm trying to raise $500 in less than two days (yes, by the morning of the 30th) for victims of the typhoon. Please give what you can - even just five American dollars go a long long way over there. And spread the word. Fast. Thank you!
Hi there. I'm An Xiao, a photographer and digital media artist. I look at the Internet and the 21st century using a creative approach that is one part visual/conceptual and one part Zen. Recently listed in The Guardian’s “who’s who” of the Twitter art world, I've shown my award-winning photography and digital media in publications and galleries internationally, including the Brooklyn Museum, Yale/Haskins Laboratories, The New York Times and ARTNews. I founded and direct @Platea, a global online public art collective, and I blog on art and social media technology for Art21.
That Was Zen, This Is Tao is my journey in haiblog -- brief, crisp prose about everything and anything that crosses my mind (which is a lot!), as I try to make some sense of the 21st century and bring a little Zen into it. In no particular order, I enjoy writing about the contemporary art world, Web 2.0 and the Internet, Zen and poetry, modern marketing, fashion and style, GTD (Getting Things Done), American politics and anything else of interest. I lead a hectic life, and I often use my iPhone to make updates in subways and parking lots. I also regularly post my most recent photography. I do hope you enjoy your stay! Below are some news updates from my web site.
