History and theory and multimedia practice

How can history and theory relate to the practice of multimedia design?


history and context

retrieved from http://mk23.image.pbase.com/u34/wangi/upload/41304247.P1150832small.jpg

Studying history and theory helps me to realise the context that I am entering as a multimedia designer. It helps me to think about why things have developed the way they have, and to see reasons behind why things are, and the ways they are developing.

Studying the history makes me appreciate some of the big questions that I need to think about. Everything that I make is in a cultural context even if I am not aware of my cultural context. I would like to be more aware of the context that I am designing in, because I want to benefit from the rich history of ideas and practice, and continue on rather than re-inventing the wheel. I would also like to be able to be critical of my context, and to be critical requires awareness first.

Studying theory can also help redefine design problems, and help you question why things are done in a certain way, and if other ways are possible and preferable. It also helps you re-think possibilities and more traditional ideologies.

Pippa Norris – Civic Society – Digital divide

Aspects of developing a civic society through the diffusion of communication technology (the internet). Do technologies provide a democratisation process for society? Are information and communication technologies such as the internet an equaliser in power?


the digital divide?
Retrieved from http://techrepublic.com.com/i/tr/cms/contentPics/FUTURE.JPG

Some argue that the internet helps equalise power by providing wider access to information, communication and participation in the public sphere. Protest movements have the ability to put out information in a way never possible before. Others argue that the internet can often be a source of unreliable and unverifiable information. Some fear that the internet may even strengthen those already in power rather than being a great equaliser, for example as being just another commercial arena that is commoditised.

Information technologies can tend towards equalising power, but at the same time the powerful are able to gain more control, and undo any equalising power. Also the internet, although becoming easily accessible in developed countries is still undemocratic in terms of world equalisation of power, when the vast majority of the world’s poorest most powerless people don’t have any access to the internet at all. Also using the internet in a way alternative and resistant to current power structures is usually unequally divided because less educated people are less likely to harness the democratising power of the internet. So the democratising power of the internet is possible in theory, but in practice I don’t think the internet is the great equaliser, but it can be helpful to civic society.

Fiona Macmillan – copyright and corporate power.

Recent development in copyright legislation has an adverse effect of hindering cultural development. Do you agree? What are implications of copyright and intellectual property legislations for multimedia designers?


Andy Warhol probably wouldn’t be allowed to do this today – retrieved from
http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/irvinem/visualarts/Image-Library/Warhol/Warhol-200_Campbells_Soup_Cans-1962-NGA-MI-lg.jpg

I agree that recent developments in copyright legislation can hinder cultural development, because there is less and less ability to use cultural artefacts in any way other than to consume in the way intended by the copyright owner. All power over intended use is given to the copyright owner, and fair-use is eroded. There is becoming less and less ability to culturally engage with copyrighted things, for example in parody or criticism, or to use cultural narratives or ideas and extend them in another work. For example in the case of the “string of puppies” a sculpture was judged to be infringing on the copyright of a photograph.

Implications of copyright and intellectual property for multimedia designers are that there are less common images and cultural products like music and films that are able to be referred to or used in a multimedia work. There is less ability to engage with different cultural products that are copyrighted. Multimedia design practice needs to not continue to perpetuate the power of copyright to continue to comodify and stop fair-dealing cultural engagement with cultural products. Private power needs to be more publicly accountable as Fiona Macmillan suggests. Multimedia design could be part of dispersing the growing power of the few over cultural production.

Robins and Webster - cyberwars - the military information revolution

Most technologies are not neutral in their design. Especially technologies developed for warfare remain tainted with their original intention of destruction. Contrary to this view, many retort with the phrase, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” Whose view do you agree with and why?


it isn’t the gun that kills people, it’s the bullet – retrieved from
http://www.lickthelight.com/quick/img_sept11/1__se_guns_c_juaxss.jpg

I agree with Robins and Webster that technology is not neutral in its design. A designed object has been made for a purpose. Technology cannot be neutral because in being made for a purpose, by people, it is a tool made to be used in a certain way. Guns and warfare technologies are especially not neutral because they are made specifically to be able to kill and destroy, to be an extension of people’s abilities. Guns are not just a neutral object that can in some bad circumstances be used to kill – they are designed to kill.

Although it can be argued that some technologies are more neutral than others, that some technologies like medicine technologies, are designed to save people. In this case I would argue that they are still not neutral, that they are infact designed to be good.

Technologies are always designed for a purpose and not all the purposes of design will ever be neutral or good. In the example of medical technologies, often the design of treatments for diseases, although good in purpose, can often be driven by aims of profit (over pure wellbeing of people.) Also even if there were some technologies that are neutral, even they could have unintended negative side-effects, and the decision to still use them, despite negative side effects, would make even a ‘neutral’ technology less ‘neutral.’

I think that guns, (which are designed and used by people,) are designed and used to kill people. And although people kill people with whatever tools they have, guns are a non-neutral technology that are designed to be efficient powerful killing machines.

Peter Lunenfeld - The myth of interactive cinema

What is the myth of interactive cinema? Why is the promise of interactive cinema so enticing? How can multimedia design further develop the potential to achieve more interactive environments?


Waves by Kumiko Kushiyama. Interactive sculpture - touch-screen display, which then shows an image of water moving in reaction to the viewer's touch. Retrieved from http://silicon-valley.siggraph.org/MeetingNotes/ArtGallery2003/waves.jpg

The myth of interactive cinema is that there could be a non-linear narrative that was chosen by the viewer of the film. The promise of interactive cinema is exciting because the viewer would be in control of their own cinema experiences rather than just watching a narrative being told. It is a myth because when you try to make non-linear narratives, that the viewer has control over, it is never possible, because all choices have to have been pre-planned and pre-filmed and there isn’t real choice and creativity on the part of the viewer, but just limited choices that have been created to choose from.

Multimedia design can further develop the potential to achieve more interactive environments by creating hyper-contexts that allow real choice and creativity and involvement by viewers. Examples of how multimedia can design more interactive environments are found in art that distil narrative to make the viewer/listener participate in constructing the narrative and making meaning in the work. Another example is in constructing a larger narrative, with many simultaneous narratives that therefore allow the viewer to be part of the experience, and not to fully be able to see all the possibilities and to have to make choices about what to view.

Dorothy Kidd – Indymedia.org : a new creative commons.

Importance of alternative news sources. How successful are independent news sources such as indymedia.org? How can multimedia platforms truly provide an effective alternative to mainstream media?


retrieved from http://www.jmk.su.se/global03/project/mediaday/Images/alternative.jpg

Independent news sources are very successful in presenting alternative views and broad discussion of issues from different perspectives. When mainstream media seems to present similar points of view, independent media are successful in hearing voices of activists, minorities, and opinions that need a voice but are not represented in mainstream media. Alternative media sources are also successful in being able to criticise and question power structures; which would be impossible for mainstream media sources that are owned and run by the powerful people who may need to be questioned or criticised.

Multimedia platforms have provided an effective alternative to mainstream media by enabling people themselves to “be the media” and share their views and discussions. Digital technologies, multimedia platforms, open-source and volunteer-run independent media can be an effective alternative, because they are decentralised and have the ability at little cost to offer alternative views and alternative presentations. Because digital technologies and access to digital image creating and editing equipment is much more available, sharing of alternative news sources is able to have a much larger number of contributors. Potentially anyone can contribute and use the alternative medias. They are a new creative commons that is run by the people for the people, independent and alternative.

Sounds like techno

What roles do experimentation and deliberate misuse of technologies play in creative practice? How would you apply this to your own multimedia design process?



retrieved from - http://geeseven.com/blog/wp-photos/20060622-203635-1.jpeg

“Play” is an important part of creative practice because it involves combining things in unexpected and unconventional ways to discover new solutions. Without experimentation, the solutions I come up with for multimedia design problems would be the most obvious solutions, but not necessarily the best. By experimenting, deliberately misusing technologies and playing, often creativity is inspired, and new solutions and things are discovered. If I didn’t try new things, experiment with how technology could be used rather than how it “should” be used, I would be a lot less creative, a lot more obvious and a lot more dull.

I incorporate experimentation into my multimedia design process by pushing past the obvious solutions I first think of, by trying to keep thinking and playing, even when I think I know what I could do. I experiment with combining things, I try to define the problem, and experiment with how I want to solve it. I try not to be limited by how technologies are supposed to be used, or how things are meant to be done.