For #TheSocialGraph, I proposed a look at the next step in social media — telepresence, which, in its simplest form is a large-scale video chat meant to mimic the presence of someone in the room, and at its most complex can take the form of a roving, camera-enabled robot.
Twitter pic of An Xiao’s “Telepresent” (2010) installation via @cynthialawson
Since almost as early as the invention of the telephone, human beings have imagined the possibilities of video communication. How amazing would it be to see each other over the phone? That technology now exists, as cameras become embedded in our computers and our smart phones. But even Apple has had trouble pushing it past niche uses. Video chat, for most people, is just too weird.
Beamed in from somewhere in Los Angeles, I was able to attend the opening virtually through Skype video (though I was a bit of a wallflower) and a large projection of myself. I chatted, took pictures, even traded cards, all via the screen, and I then posted the images onto Facebook.
By exploring this issue in the social setting of an art opening, where alcohol flows and certain social mores dominate, I hoped to explore the challenges of telepresence and the social uncanny valley of video conferencing technologies.
Chatting with performance artist Nate Hill and Outpost director Ruth Kahn
Meeting fellow Twitter-er Cynthia Lawson for the first time.
Hanging out with some of the gents behind Art21. We’d not seen each other in months!
It was a bit like Chatroulette, but situated in the real world with people I’d care to meet. Here, I share a beer with Julie Torres and Cojo Art
Trading cards in the virtual sphere with Martin Hoorweg of Times Square 2 Art Square
Admiring an original William Powhida piece with James Kalm, aka Loren Munk
Sometimes I felt excluded from the circles of conversation.
Some even gossiped about me right in front of my face.
But ultimately I received a warm welcome.
Maybe in some sense, we can indeed be telepresent.
See the rest of the images at the Hyperallergic photo album. Did you take pictures with me? Link to them here and I’ll be sure to place them online.
For an interview with the artist, please visit our post last week, “An Xiao Talks #TheSocialGraph, Social Media Art & Ai Weiwei.”
The Latest
Three Looted Antiquities at the Met Repatriated to Turkey
Nine other repatriated works were seized from Met Trustee Shelby White, whose collection was subject to a criminal investigation.
Required Reading
This week, the world’s lightest paint, Pakistan’s feminist movement, World Puppy Day, and were some of Vermeer’s paintings created by his daughter?
The Wider World and Scrimshaw
On March 28, join the New Bedford Whaling Museum online and in-person for a symposium on global carving traditions from across the Pacific Rim.
Who Will Decide on the Future of a Miami Native Burial Ground?
Native activists say sacred remains and objects dug up from a Brickell construction site should remain there, but mega-developer Jorge Pérez is pushing back.
How Can a Curator Approach South Asian Futurisms?
How do I acknowledge my shortcomings while reckoning with obscured histories and the exclusion of subaltern narratives in the fine art landscape? A working checklist for curators.
MCA Chicago Presents On Stage: Frictions
Will Rawls, Shamel Pitts | TRIBE, and Barak adé Soleil explore Blackness, queerness, movement, and dance in performances at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
The Complicated Legacy of Camilo Egas
The Ecuadorian painter, a leading figure of Latin America’s Indigenismo art movement, has been both praised and scorned for his representation of Indigenous peoples.
Tom Jones Zeroes in on Ho-Chunk Visibility
“I think about the young kids, the teenagers, and I think being able to see yourself represented in art is so powerful,” says the artist.
Haggerty Museum of Art Presents Tomás Saraceno in Dialogue With Dr. Somesh Roy
The artist and researcher will explore soot’s effects on climate change and public health in this online conversation.
Hundreds of Artworks by NYC Teenagers Go on View at the Met
The talented seventh through twelfth-grade students are recipients of the 2023 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
NYC’s Flatiron Building Sells for a Whopping $190M
The sale to outsider bidder Jacob Garlick puts an end to the protracted legal battle between the iconic skyscraper’s five former owners.
McKnight Visual Artist Fellows Discussion Series at the Minneapolis Institute of Art
The series features 2021 Fellows David Bowen, Mara Duvra, Rotem Tamir, Ben Moren, and Dyani White Hawk in conversation with renowned curators and critics.
The Best Memes Roasting the “We ❤️ NYC” Campaign
A graphic designer on Twitter created a hilarious send-up of the universally reviled logo, and the rest is history.
Did You Know These Museums Were Free for New Yorkers?
The “Free Admission” campaign is advocating to make ticket pricing information more transparent to visitors, who may be confused or misled by institutions’ language.
an, i loved this- it was so much fun!
Glad you enjoyed, Julie – thanks for being telepresent with me!