Synthesis

Hi Yanjun, Shomit, Ri, 

Yanjun’s already seen this table portal project.

Here’s the video of a Portals  project called Table of Content

collaboration between TML and Synthesis  2014-15

https://vimeo.com/105478904

The key is that we focus on mating furniture and objects on the table and stay away from video-conferencing.   It’s hard, but how about we try to avoid representing people telematically, at least not use video.    Suren, Seth and I are pursuing a stream on alternatives to ocularcentric thought and technology.  A profound reason is that the heavier the tech we throw into representing people telematically, the more people tend to be glassed-off from one another, resorting to cliche expressions.   Less can be more.

So, let's focus on objects that "exist in two places at once" serving as boundary objects* between not only locations but cultures.

Garrett was a principal member of the team on the Synthesis side, with Evan Montpellier in TML / Montreal.  ( Byron was one of the heroic fellow travellers :)

In this light, Yanjun’ss work with the cafe and our sociological study with Christy take on extra significance.    With Ri and Shomit, let’s strongly pursue the enchantment and theater of objects, with the added dimension of telematic mates, remote doppelgänger glasses, plates, foods and flavors and aromas.

There were many directions and questions left unexplored.   It’d be nice to build "on the shoulders of giants” and get a bit further with present techniques.

Xin We

*   Susan Leigh Star famously introduced this as a more subtle and supple concept in

"The Structure of Ill-Structured Solutions: Boundary Objects and Heterogeneous Distributed Problem Solving", in M. Hubs and L. Gasser (eds), Readings in Distributed Artificial Intelligence 3 (Morgan Kaufmann, 1989).

Xin Wei

TEDx I-We-World • Synthesis 2019 Research-Creation 

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Sha Xin Wei • Professor and Director • School of Arts, Media and Engineering + Synthesis

skype: shaxinwei • mobile: +1-650-815-9962

Founding Director, Topological Media Lab

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