“Physical Facebook And User Generated Art” presented by Davies
Symposium:
Session Title:
- Modes of Communication
Presentation Title:
- Physical Facebook And User Generated Art
Presenter(s):
Venue(s):
Abstract:
The installation Map Me is a tactile version of a social networking page like myspace or facebook. You create a profile for yourself using of bits of paper, drawings, business cards or photos then hyperlink to the profiles of people you know using coloured wool (yarn). Map-Me brings virtuality back into reality, making the act of networking, the connections and the people appear in ‘real’ time and space.
Map Me playfully allows new interactions for social networking as participants combine and evolve rituals and tactics developed from previous exchanges in both digital and physical space. But the work also raises questions about the significance of relationships and creativity in physical and digital spaces. Can social networking applications truly foster new communities or do they just re-enforce old ones? Does a physical presence invest creations with a heightened value or can a drawing on someone’s super wall achieve the status of a work of art? Can interacting within these applications truly nurture meaningful human connection and creativity?
Using images and footage from recent presentations of the work in Australia and the US, I will present and discuss the social and creative implications of Map Me. Following the talk, the audience will be invited to participate in a Map Me event in order for them to experience the work first hand in its physical platform.
