Data Dating

Description

What does it mean to love with technology? Does data improve our emotional interactions? The collection approaches the query with critical essays and works of new media art to look into the construction of love and its practices in the time of digitally mediated relationships. With expertise coming from recognized researchers, critics and artists in the field of media and cultural studies, it analyses relationship trends and affect cultures that have emerged from technological acceleration.

Data Dating: Love, Technology and Desire is a comprehensive study of love and intimacy under digitalism that reflects on the structure of feeling(s) and libido environments in the high-tech and media-bound landscapes of contemporary technocracies. Organized around ten chapters and ten works of new media art, the collection offers an extensive critical analysis of technologized romance (and other emotional relations), as well as provides an insight into the codification, execution, deployment, and evolution of the patterns of togetherness in the so-called Tamagotchi era.

The chapters engage in the problems of new material planes that have emerged from the abstraction of networked communication and dispersion of traditional notions of physicality. They close-read the templates of contemporary fantasy, fetish and eroticism, as shaped by platform capitalism, datafication, and new commodity cultures, in which self-promotion for bonding relies on the new possibilities that are coming in with new media self-mediation formats. Central to the analysis is the carbon-silicon dynamics of love’s contemporary DNA and libidinal techne – practiced in the environment where screens, interfaces, algorithms, data protocols and non-organic objects of affection and affect delineate, organize and program the trajectories of encounter, limerence and erotic pleasure. All the chapters are authored by recognized researchers in the field of love, emotion, media, technology and cultural studies, and they critically explore various aspects of love/intimacy under technocracy, approaching them with expertise the goes beyond the typical high-modernist and post-structural reading of the media-ridden life practices and environments.

More importantly, the collection includes landmark works of new media art coming from prominent new media artist gathered around 'Data Dating' – new media art exhibition, curated by Valentina Peri (co-editor of the collection) and presented in Paris, Tel Aviv and London. As such, the collection proffers a unique and original critical approach – one that combines artistic practice and cultural criticism – to comment upon the transformation of human relationships and emotional standards under technological development with reference to the social change and cultural condition.

The collection of essays, each accompanied by a work of media art, that provides a comprehensive insight into the construction of love and its practices in the time of digitally mediated relationships.

Primary readership will be among educators, researcher and students in disciplines including cultural studies, media and communications, philosophy, sociology, psychology and gender, LGBTQ+ and sexual studies. It will be an extremely valuable resource for those in these fields.

It will be of interest to other groups including art curators, online platform designers, social media content managers and designers and data specialists.

List of Figures

Acknowledgements

INTRODUCTION

Introduction: Dating (the) Data and Other Intimacies

Ania Malinowska and Valentina Peri

1. WIRED LIMERENCE (feat. Deep Love by Antoine Schmitt)

Technology, Commerce and the Intimacy Revolution

Lauren Rosewarne

2. LOVE INFO-STRUCTURES (feat. Glaciers by Zach Gage)

Romance in a Time of Dark Data

Lee McKinnon

3. MEDIATED MATCHMAKING (feat. A Truly Magical Moment by Adam Basanta)

Fast Love. Temporalities of Digitized Togetherness

Ania Malinowska

4. EMOTIONS WITH THE MACHINE (feat. Ashley Madison Angels at Work by !Mediengruppe Bitnik)

‘Emotoys’: Ethics, Emotions and Empathic Technologies

Andrew McStay and Gilad Rosner

5. SELF-FASHIONING DESIRE (feat. Kill Your Darlings by Jeroen van Loon)

The Greatest Love of All: Recognition, Self-Love and the Imaging of Desire

Derek Conrad Murray

6. DIGITAL ONSCENITIES (feat. Peeping Tom (Porn Version) by Thomas Israel)

The New Onscenity. Navigating Digital Desires in the Twenty First Century Pornoscape

Lynn Comella

7. LIBIDINAL TECHNO-SCAPES (Webcam Venus by Addie Wagenknecht and Pablo Garcia)

The Proxemics of Digital Intimacy

Kyle Machulis

8. TOUCHLESS EMBRACES (feat. VR Hug by Tom Galle and Moises Sanabria)

Virtual Hugs and the Crises of Touch

David Parisi

9. SOUNDS OF FEELING (feat. Digital Synaesthetic E.E.G. Kiss by Karen Lancel and Hermen Maat)

I Can Hear Your Feelings

Andrew Blanton

10. INTERFACES OF EMOTIONAL SURVEILLANCE (feat. Face Messenger by Tom Galle and John Yuyi)

Timestamp Anxieties

Kristin Veel and Nanna Bonde Thylstrup

Notes on Contributors

Sujets

• Arts visuels
• Arts visuels
• ART
• Technologie
• Agriculture
• General
• Anthropology
• Engineering
• Media studies
• Technology
• General officer
• List of industrial processes
• Sociology

Informations

• Publié par: Intellect Books
• Date de parution: 12 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781789384970
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Data Dating
First published in the UK in 2021 by
Intellect, The Mill, Parnall Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3JG, UK
First published in the USA in 2021 by
Intellect, The University of Chicago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
Signed texts, their authors
Rest of the book, the editors
Copyright 2021 Intellect Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Copy editor: MPS, Limited
Cover designer: Aleksandra Szumlas
Cover image: Ania Malinowska and Valentina Peri
Production manager: Laura Christopher
Typesetter: MPS, Limited
Print ISBN 978-1-78938-495-6
ePDF ISBN 978-1-78938-496-3
ePUB ISBN 978-1-78938-497-0
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This is a peer-reviewed publication.
Data Dating
Love, Technology, Desire
Edited by
ANIA MALINOWSKA AND VALENTINA PERI
Contents
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Dating (the) Data and Other Intimacies
ANIA MALINOWSKA AND VALENTINA PERI
1 Wired Limerence
Technology, Commerce and the Intimacy Revolution
LAUREN ROSEWARNE
2 Love Info-Structures
Romance in a Time of Dark Data
LEE MACKINNON
3 Mediated Matchmaking
Fast Love : Temporalities of Digitized Togetherness
ANIA MALINOWSKA
4 Emotions with the Machine
Emotoys : Ethics, Emotions and Empathic Technologies
ANDREW MCSTAY AND GILAD ROSNER
5 Self-Fashioning Desire
The Greatest Love of All: Recognition, Self-Love and the Imaging of Desire
DEREK CONRAD MURRAY
6 Digital Onscenities
The New Onscenity: Navigating Digital Desires in the Twenty-First-Century Pornoscape
LYNN COMELLA
7 Libidinal Techno-Scapes
The Proxemics of Digital Intimacy
KYLE MACHULIS
8 Touchless Embraces
Virtual Hugs and the Crises of Touch
DAVID PARISI
9 Sounds of Feeling
I Can Hear Your Feelings
ANDREW BLANTON
10 Interfaces of Emotional Surveillance
The Uncertainties and Anxieties of Timestamps and Read Receipts in Online Messaging
KRISTIN VEEL and NANNA BONDE THYLSTRUP
Notes on Contributors
Index
Figures
0.1: Tom Galle, John Yuyi and Moises Sanabria, Tinder VR, 2016. Acrylic print and video (documentation of the performance in NYC)
0.2: Olga Fedorova, The Myth of Female Solidarity, 2017. Lenticular print and animated GIF
0.3: Olga Fedorova, Green Room, 2017. Print
1.1: Antoine Schmitt, Deep Love, 2017. Website
1.2-1.4: Antoine Schmitt, Deep Love, 2017. Website
2.1-2.2: Zach Gage, Glaciers, 2015/2016. Electronic sculptures, custom wood enclosure, Raspberry Pi, Adafruit pervasive visions 2.7 display kit, ribbon cable extender, edimax 150mbps adaptor, 5.1v 6 microusb power cable, 10ft premium ultraflat cat 6 patch cable, 16gb Sandisk microsd card, 12.7 17.8 5.1 cm
3.1-3.2: Adam Basanta, A Truly Magical Moment, 2016. Interactive kinetic sculpture, 2 iPhones 4S, selfie sticks, aluminium, electronics, Bluetooth chips, FaceTime video chat software, 1 m 1 m 1 m
3.3: Adam Basanta, A Truly Magical Moment, 2016. Interactive kinetic sculpture, 2 iPhones 4S, selfie sticks, aluminium, electronics, Bluetooth chips, FaceTime video chat software, 1 m 1 m 1 m
4.1: !Mediengruppe Bitnik, Ashley Madison Angels at Work, 2016. Multi-channel video installation, full-HD, 16:9, sound, 40 LCD screens, trolley stands, video players, cables, pink neon light (exhibition view Jusqu ici tout va bien at CCS Paris, 2016)
4.2: !Mediengruppe Bitnik, Ashley Madison Angels at Work in London, 2017. Five channel video installation, full-HD, 16:9, sound, 40 LCD screens, trolley stands, video players, cables, pink neon light
5.1-5.2: Jeroen van Loon, Kill Your Darlings, 2012. Installation, 97 LCD displays, 10 USB hubs, wood, plexiglass, 120 cm 120 cm 18.8 cm
5.3-5.12: Jeroen van Loon, Kill Your Darlings, 2012. Installation, 97 LCD displays, 10 USB hubs, wood, plexiglass, 120 cm 120 cm 18.8 cm
6.1: Thomas Isra l, Peeping Tom (Porn Version), 2006. Interactive installation, computer, video projector or screen, camera, specific software
6.2: Thomas Isra l, Peeping Tom (Porn Version), 2006. Interactive installation, iMac, specific software
7.1: Addie Wagenknecht and Pablo Garcia, Webcam Venus (sexcutrix as La Fornarina, Raphael, 1518), 2013. Video
7.2: Addie Wagenknecht and Pablo Garcia, Webcam Venus (ricadoll as Mona Lisa - La Gioconda, Leonardo da Vinci, 1503), 2013. Video
7.3: Addie Wagenknecht and Pablo Garcia, Webcam Venus (kimisquirtx as The Venus of Urbino, Titian, 1538), 2013. Video, 02:41
7.4: Addie Wagenknecht and Pablo Garcia, Webcam Venus (lollyroo as Milkmaid, Vermeer, 1658), 2013. Video
7.5: Addie Wagenknecht and Pablo Garcia, Webcam Venus (boobz_4_play as Reclining Nude, Amedeo Modigliani, 1917), 2013. Video
7.6: Addie Wagenknecht and Pablo Garcia, Webcam Venus (frogmann as Whistlers Mother, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1871), 2013. Video
8.1: Tom Galle and Moises Sanabria, VR Hug, 2016. Acrylic print
9.1: Lancel/Maat, Digital Synaesthetic E.E.G. Kiss, 2016. Audiovisual performative installation
9.2: Lancel/Maat, E.E.G. Kiss Portrait, 2018. Print
9.3: Lancel/Maat, Digital Synaesthetic, E.E.G. Kiss Portrait, 2016. Audiovisual performative installation, frascati Theaters
10.1: Tom Galle and John Yuyi, Face Messenger, 2016. Acrylic print
10.2: Illustration from Klassen 2012 et al. Patent No.: US8,301,713B2
Acknowledgements
We owe a sincere gratitude to many people, institutions and experiences that inspired and supported the book s gestation. First, we would like to thank Galerie Charlot and its founder Val rie Hasson-Benillouche for hosting the Data Dating exhibition in Paris and Tel Aviv and for supporting our efforts to extend the exhibition s ideas beyond the gallery space. A big thank you to the Polish-US Fulbright Commission for sponsoring part of the book-related research and to the New School in New York for hosting Ania s research project that significantly influenced the book s development. We would like to thank all our contributors - artists and authors - for their trust, commitment and patience.
From Valentina Peri, a deep expression of gratitude to ZKM in Karlsruhe and curator L via Nolasco-R zs s for inviting her to present the ideas of Data Dating in the framework of the exhibition project Open Codes ; to Watermans in London and its head of new media art Klio Krajewska for hosting the Data Dating exhibition; to professor Manuela de Barros at University of Paris VIII for organizing the lecture Data Dating. Love in the Age of Internet as part of the Sciences Fictions cycle and to her family, friends and collaborators for their affection, encouragement and support (you know who you are). A special thanks to Ania Malinowska for her unrelenting optimism and perseverance throughout the process of book production. And from Ania to Valentina Peri for her impressive professionalism, artistic insight and invaluable support and to anyone who has offered assistance and aid to the book at private and institutional levels.


Figure 0.1: (pages x-xi): Tom Galle, John Yuyi and Moises Sanabria, Tinder VR , 2016. Acrylic print and video (documentation of the performance in NYC). Courtesy of the artists.
Introduction: Dating (the) Data and Other Intimacies
ANIA MALINOWSKA. VALENTINA PERI
What does it mean to love in the age of the internet? How are digital interfaces reshaping human interactions? What implications do new technologies carry for the future of our romantic relationships? How does mediation affect our sexual conduct? Or to be more specific, how do screens, gadgets, add-ons, platforms, wearables and other high-tech media artefacts - including technological subjects, like (ro)bots - determine emotional and intimate behaviours that are clearly being remodelled to the demand of new communication formats? Are new digital technologies shifting the old paradigms of love and erotic expression? And with respect to that, can we talk about a change in the ways we practice love or rather we should speak about reformulations of the age-old codes of loving under the new media regimes?
Those questions have been in the landscape since the advent of online media. They became hot-button in March 2020, when a global pandemic placed millions of people under the coercion of a total lockdown, enforcing a transfer of most of our activities to the virtual plane. From online working to online teaching to online voting, humans all over the planet manoeuvred the discontents of social distancing, trying to live the no-contact reality as the new normal. Inefficient for all the ways of living, those efforts turned out particularly futile for intimate interactions: hookups and dating, inspiring both frustration and failed inventiveness. The follow-up debates about the future of romance inquired after the role of technology for human relations in circumstances when the non-contact status is not an alternative but a default. At the same time - as if in response to those discussions - Shinoda and Makino Lab at the University of Tokyo announced the release of the first haptoclones - touchable holograms that enable human interactions at long distances without any equipment. The holograms are likely to revolutionize online communication by allowing touching through haptics across the continents. They also present themselves as solution for social distancing or physical separation - pressured or self- imposed. But will they preserve the essence of contact that makes all forms of emotional and intimate bonding a truly magical experience?
DATING
Modern cultural theory censures high technolog