Remediation Understanding New MediaWord格式文档下载.docx

Remediation Understanding New MediaWord格式文档下载.docx

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remediation'

fromthebook:

DefinedbyPaulLevensonasthe"

anthropotropic"

processbywhichnewmediatechnologiesimproveuponorremedypriortechnologies.Wedefinethetermdifferently,usingittomeantheformallogicbywhichnewmediarefashionpriormediaforms.Alongwithimmediacyandhypermediacy,remediationisoneofthethreetraitsofourgenealogyofnewmedia.

PartI:

Theory

Chapter1.Immediacy,Hypermediacy,andRemediation

Thetwologicsofremediationhavealonghistory,fortheirinterplaydefinesagenealogythatdatesbackatleasttotheRenaissanceandtheinventionoflinearperspective.Wedonotclaimthatimmediacy,hypermediacyandremediationareuniversalaesthetictruths;

rather,weregardthemaspracticesofspecificgroupsinspecifictimes.[N1]AlthoughthelogicofimmediacyhasmanifesteditselffromtheRenaissancetothepresentday,eachmanifestationineachagemaybesignificantlydifferent,andimmediacymaymeanonethingtotheorists,anothertopracticingartistsordesigners,andathirdtoviewers.The

diversityisevengreaterforhypermediacy,whichseemsalwaystoofferanumberofdifferentreactionstothecontemporarylogicofimmediacy.Remediationalwaysoperatesunderthecurrentculturalassumptionsaboutimmediacyandhypermediacy.

Wecannothopetoexplorethegenealogyofremediationindetail.WhatconcernsusisremediationinourcurrentmediainNorthAmerica,andherewecananalyzespecificimages,texts,anduses.Thehistoricalresonances（toRenaissancepainting,nineteenth-centuryphotography,andtwentieth-centuryfilm,andsoon）willbeofferedtohelpexplainthecontemporarysituation.Atthesametime,thepracticesofcontemporarymediaconstitutealensthroughwhichwecanviewthehistoryofremediation.Whatwewishtohighlightfromthepastiswhatresonateswiththetwinpreoccupationsofcontemporarymedia:

thetransparentpresentationoftherealandtheenjoymentoftheopacityofmediathemselves.

Thelogicoftransparentimmediacy

Virtualrealityis"

immersive,"

whichmeansthatitisamediumwhosepurposeistodisappear.However,thisdisappearingactismadedifficultbytheapparatusthatvirtualrealityrequires.InStrangeDays,usersofthewirehadonlytoputonaslenderskullcap,butintoday'

svirtualrealitysystems,theviewermustwearabulky"

head-mounteddisplay,"

ahelmetwitheyepiecesforeacheye（Figure1.2）.Inothersystemsknownas"

caves,"

thewalls,（andsometimesthefloorandceiling）arethemselvesgiantcomputerscreens.Althoughlesssubtlethanthewire,currentvirtualrealitysystemsalsosurroundtheviewerwithacomputergeneratedimage.Withthehead-mounteddisplayinparticular,virtualrealityisliterally"

intheviewer'

sface."

Theviewerisgivenafirst-personpointofview,asshegazesonagraphicworldfromastationpointthatisalwaysthevisualcenterofthatworld.Ascomputerscientiststhemselvesputit,thegoalofvirtualrealityistofosterintheviewerasenseofpresence:

theviewershouldforgetthatsheisinfactwearingacomputerinterfaceandacceptthegraphicimagethatitoffersasherownvisualworld（Hodgesetal）.

Inordertocreateasenseofpresence,virtualrealityshouldcomeascloseaspossibletoourdailyvisualexperience.Itsgraphicspaceshouldbecontinuousandfullofobjectsandshouldfilltheviewer'

sfieldofvisionwithoutrupture.Buttoday'

stechnologystillcontainsmanyruptures,includingslowframerates,jaggedgraphics,brightcolors,blandlighting,andsystemcrashes.Someoftheserupturesareapparenteveninthesinglestaticimagesthatwesee,forexample,inFigures10.1,10.2,and10.3.Wenoticeimmediatelythecartoon-likesimplicityofthescene,whichnousercouldconfusewiththeworldthatgreetsherwhenshetakesoffthehelmet.Fortheenthusiastsofvirtualreality,however,today'

stechnologicallimitationssimplypointtoitsgreatpotential,whichforthemliesinafuturenotmuchfurtherremovedthanStrangeDays.Infact,LennyNero'

swordscouldalmosthavebeenwrittenbytheseenthusiasts.Inhisbookonvirtualreality,HowardRheingoldclaimsthat"

[a]ttheheartofVR[virtualreality]isanexperience-theexperienceofbeinginavirtualworldorremotelocation"

（VirtualReality46）.JaronLanier,adeveloperofoneofthefirstcommercialvirtualrealitysystems,suggeststhatinvirtualreality"

...youcanvisittheworldofthedinosaur,thenbecomeaTyrannosaurus.NotonlycanyouseeDNA,youcanexperiencewhatit'

sliketobeamolecule"

（quotedinDitlea97）.MeredithBricken,aninterfacedesigner,writesthatinavirtual

environment,"

Youcanbethemadhatteroryoucanbetheteapot;

youcanmovebackandforthtotherhythmofasong.Youcanbeatinydropletintherainorintheriver"

（Bricken372）.Alltheseenthusiastspromiseustransparent,perceptualimmediacy,experiencewithoutmediation,fortheyexpectvirtualrealitytodiminishandultimatelytodenythemediatingpresenceofthecomputeranditsinterface.Bricken'

spaperisinfactentitled"

VirtualWorlds:

NoInterfacetoDesign."

Thelogicoftransparentimmediacyisalsoatworkinnon-immersivedigitalgraphics-thatis,intwo-andthree-dimensionalimagesprojectedontotraditionalcomputer,film,ortelevisionscreens.Digitalgraphicshavebecometremendouslypopularandlucrativeandinfactareleadingtoanewculturaldefinitionofthecomputer.Ifeventenyearsago,wethoughtofcomputersexclusivelyasnumericalenginesandwordprocessors,wenowthinkofthemalsoasdevicesforgeneratingimages,reworkingphotographs,holdingvideoconferences,andprovidinganimationandspecialeffectsforfilmandtelevision.Withthesenewapplications,thedesireforimmediacyisapparentinclaimsthatdigitalimagesaremoreexciting,lively,andrealisticthanmeretextonacomputerscreenandthatavideoconferencewillleadtomoreeffectivecommunicationthanatelephonecall.ThedesireforimmediacyisapparentintheincreasingpopularityofthedigitalcompositingoffilmandinHollywood'

sinterestinreplacingstuntmenandeventuallyevenactorswithcomputeranimations.Anditisapparentinthetriumphofthe"

graphicaluserinterface"

forpersonalcomputers.Thedesktopmetaphor,whichhasreplacedthewhollytextualcommand-lineinterface,issupposedtoassimilatethecomputertothephysicaldesktopandtothematerials（filefolders,sheetsofpaper,in-box,trashbasket,etc.）familiartoofficeworkers.Themouse（andthepen-basedinterface）allowtheusertheimmediacyoftouching,dragging,andmanipulatingvisuallyattractiveideograms.Immediacyissupposedtomakethiscomputerinterface"

natural"

ratherthanarbitrary.And,althoughthestandarddesktopinterfacehasbeentwo-dimensional,designersareexperimentingwiththree-dimensionalversions-virtualspacesinwhichtheusercanmovein,around,andthroughinformation（Card,Robertson,andMacinlay）.Thesethree-dimensionalviewsaremeanttolendevengreaterimmediacytotheexperienceofcomputing.Whatdesignersoftensaytheywantisan"

interfaceless"

interface,inwhichtherewillbenorecognizableelectronictools-nobuttons,windows,scrollbars,oreveniconsassuch.Insteadtheuserwillmovethroughthespaceinteractingwiththeobjects"

naturally,"

i.e.asshedoesinthephysicalworld.Virtualreality,three-dimensionalgraphics,andgraphicalinterfacedesignareallseekingtomakedigitaltechnology"

transparent."

Inthissenseatransparentinterfacewouldbeonethaterasesitself,sothattheuserisnolongerawareofconfrontingamedium,butinsteadstandsinanimmediaterelationshiptothecontentsofthatmedium.

Thetransparentinterfaceisonemoremanifestationoftheneedtodenythemediatedcharacterofdigitaltechnologyaltogether.Tobelievethatwithdigitaltechnologywehavepassedbeyondmediationisalsotoasserttheuniquenessofourpresenttechnologicalmoment.Formanyvirtualrealityenthusiasts,thecomputersofarsurpassesothertechnologiesinitspowertomaketheworldpresent,thatthehistoryofearliermediahaslittlerelevance.Eventhose,likeRheingold,whodoacknowledgetechnologicalprecursors（particularlyfilmandtelevision）,stillemphasizethenoveltyofvirtualreality.Theirviewisthatvirtualreality（ordigitaltechnologyingeneral）completesandovercomesthehistoryofmedia.InthefilmStranaeDavs,thewireisthelastandmostpowerfultechnologycreatedbeforetheendofthemillennium.However,thedesireforimmediacyitselfhasahistorythatisnoteasilyovercome.AtleastsincetheRenaissance,ithasbeenadefiningfeatureofwesternvisual（andforthatmatterverbal）representation.Tounderstandimmediacyincomputergraphics,itisimportanttokeepinmindthewaysinwhichpainting,photography,film,andtelevisionhavesoughttosatisfythissamedesire.Theseearliermediasoughtimmediacythroughtheinterplayoftheaestheticvalueoftransparencywithtechniquesoflinearperspective,erasure,andautomaticity,allofwhicharestrategiesalsoatworkindigitaltechnology.

AsAlbrechtDiirernoted,andasPanofskyremindedusinPerspectiveasSymbolicForm（27）,perspectivemeansa"

seeingthrough,"

and,liketheinterfacedesignersoftoday,studentsoflinearperspectivepromisedimmediacythroughtransparency.Theytrustedinlinearperspectivetoachievetransparencybecausebymathematizingspaceitusedthe"

right"

techniquetomeasuretheworld.MartinJayandothershavearguedforacloseconnectionbetweenAlbertianperspectiveandDescartes'

sspatialma