"

Crlglnally publlshed ln: Coldberg, ken (LdlLor). !"# %&'&( )* ("# +,-.#*/ !#0#-&'&()12 ,*. !#0#3)2(#4&0&56 )*
("# 75# &8 ("# 9*(#-*#( (Cambrldge: Ml1 ress, 2000), pp. 180-196.

:97;<+9=7; !>;>?%>@>A=> 7%! 7A: A>! >=<;<+B
>.C,-.& D,1 EFGGGH


9*(-&.C1()&*

1elepresence can be summarlzed as Lhe unlon of LelemaLlcs and remoLe physlcal acLlon.
1elepresence arL ralses Lhe quesLlon: whaL are Lhe effecLs of physlcal dlsLance on aesLheLlc
percepLlon? hyslcal dlsLance ls aL once erased and reafflrmed by new Lechnologles. Lrasure
resulLs from Lhe sudden famlllarlLy wlLh and access Lo ldeas and ob[ecLs once beyond reach.
8eafflrmaLlon of dlsLance ls clear once one becomes aware of one's own sub[ecL poslLlon,
prompLed by Lhe reconLexLuallzaLlon of ldeas and ob[ecLs and Lhe culLural fllLers lnevlLably
used ln Lhelr recepLlon. 1hls new condlLlon lmplles LhaL LelecommunlcaLlons Lecnologles--
lncludlng LeleroboLlcs, Lhe lnLerneL, and Lhe coupllng of boLh--profoundly affecL our sense of
self and oLher.

1he quesLlon ls noL how do Lhese Lechnologles medlaLe our exploraLlon of Lhe world, local or
remoLe, buL how Lhey acLually shape Lhe very world we lnhablL. 1hls ls Lhe same as saylng
LhaL any Lechnology embeds culLural and ldeologlcal parameLers whlch, ln Lhe end, glve
shape Lo Lhe sensorlal or absLracL daLa obLalned Lhrough Lhls very Lechnology. 1elescoplc
and LelecommunlcaLlve Lechnologles are no excepLlon. ln facL, one of Lhe mosL lmporLanL
aesLheLlc lmpllcaLlons of remoLeness ls maklng evldenL LhaL mulLlple processes always fllLer
or shape one's experlence. ln Lelepresence arL, dlglLal sysLems such as compuLers, modems,
roboLlc devlces, and neLworks, ulLlmaLely polnL Lo Lhe role of culLure ln creaLlng boLh
lndlvldual and collecLlve experlences. CulLural parameLers such as language, behavloral
convenLlons, eLhlcal frameworks, and ldeologlcal poslLlons are always aL work ln arL and
sclence.

ln sclence, Lhe selecLlon of a research Loplc and Lhe exLracLlon, accumulaLlon, and processlng
of daLa, as well as Lhe lnLerface Lhrough whlch Lhe daLa are laLer explored are Lhemselves an
lnLegral parL of Lhe naLure of Lhe daLa. 1hey are noL a deLached elemenL LhaL causes no
lnLerference ln whaL ls experlenced. CulLe Lo Lhe conLrary: Lhe knowledge we acqulre
Lhrough lnsLrumenLs and medla ls always modulaLed by Lhem. 1hey are noL separable. Whlle
ln sclence we observe Lhe drlve Lo bulld lnsLrumenLs capable of ever more "preclse"
measuremenLs, ln arL we can freely explore Lhe ways ln whlch Lhese lnsLrumenLs and medla
help deflne Lhe naLure of Lhe reallLy Lhus produced. ln lnLeracLlve Lelepresence arLworks
creaLed slnce 1986, l have been lnvesLlgaLlng mulLlple aspecLs of Lhls phenomenon. ln oLher
words, my Lelepresence work has never been abouL whaL lL would be llke lf we could be
Lhere (l.e., aL Lhe remoLe slLe). lnsLead, lL lnvesLlgaLes how does Lhe facL LhaL we are
experlenclng Lhls remoLe slLe ln a glven way (l.e., Lhrough a parLlcular LeleroboLlc body, wlLh
a glven lnLerface, and ln a speclflc neLwork Lopology) modulaLe Lhe very noLlon of reallLy we
con[ure up as we navlgaLe Lhe remoLe space.


#
We are now undergolng culLural percepLual shlfLs due Lo Lhe remoLe pro[ecLlon of our
corporeal sense of presence. ln arL, Lhe dynamlc lnLerplay beLween presence and absence on
LeleroboLlc bodles ralses new lssues and escapes from rlgld formal dlchoLomles, such as
flguraLlon versus absLracLlon, or formallsm versus concepLuallsm. Lxpanded Lhrough Lhe
synergy of organlc and cyberneLlc sysLems, bodles (human, roboLlc, zoomorphlc, or
oLherwlse) now become Lhe focus of renewed aLLenLlon ln arL--beyond sLyllsLlc plcLorlal
concerns and represenLaLlon pollLlcs. 1elepresence arL offers dlaloglcal alLernaLlves Lo Lhe
monologlcal sysLem of arL and addresses our belng-ln-Lhe-world Lhrough llved experlence
(noL Lhrough represenLaLlon), as lL converLs LelecommunlcaLlons llnks lnLo a physlcal brldge
connecLlng remoLe spaces. 1eleroboLs and LeleoperaLed humans (whlch l call "Leleborgs")
become physlcal avaLars, as Lhey enable slngle or mulLlple lndlvlduals Lo acLlvely explore an
envlronmenL or a soclal conLexL.

ln Lhls new arL, lmmedlaLe percepLual encounLers are expanded by a helghLened awareness
of whaL ls absenL, remoLe. 1elepresence arL shows us LhaL from a soclal, pollLlcal, and
phllosophlcal polnL of vlew, whaL we cannoL see ls equally relevanL Lo whaL meeLs Lhe eye.
1elepresence arL reconclles Lhe meLaphyslcal propenslLy of cyberspace wlLh Lhe
phenomenologlcal condlLlon of physlcal space. ln oLher words, lL forms a new ecology whlch
harmonlze carbon and slllcon. As opLlcal flbers Lhread Lhe soll llke worms, and dlglLally-
encoded waves cross Lhe alr as flocklng blrds, a new ecology emerges. 1o survlve Lhe
lmbalances creaLed by lncreased sLandardlzaLlon of lnLerfaces (whlch promoLe
unlformlsaLlon of menLal processes) and cenLrallzed conLrol achleved by corporaLe mega-
mergers (whlch decreases cholce), and Lo Lhrlve emoLlonally and lnLellecLually ln Lhls hosLlle
medlascape, we need Lo do more Lhan subslsL as we adapL. Cur synergy wlLh LeleroboLs,
Lransgenlcs, nanoboLs, avaLars, bloboLs, clones, dlglLal bloLa, hybrlds, weboLs, and anlmaLs,
and oLher maLerlal or lmmaLerlal lnLelllgenL agenLs wlll dlcLaLe our ablllLy Lo endure fasL-
changlng envlronmenLal condlLlons ln a neLworked world. ln Lhls dlspersed neLwork ecology
we are globally bulldlng, Lelepresence arL can offer new cognlLlve and percepLual models.

I-&4 %= %&'&( (& !"# <-*)(&--)*1& ?-&J#1(

My early work wlLh Lelepresence arL was a naLural developmenL from my lnvesLlgaLlon of
LelecommunlcaLlons arL. ln 1986 l creaLed my flrsL work wlLh remoLe-conLrol roboLlcs, ln Lhe
conLexL of Lhe exhlblLlon "8rasll Plgh 1ech", reallzed aL Lhe CenLro Lmpresarlal 8lo, ln 8lo de
!anelro. lor Lhls show l used a 7-fooL Lall wlreless anLhropomorphlc roboL ln Lhe role of a
hosL who conversed bldlrecLlonally wlLh exhlblLlon vlslLors [1]. 1he roboL's volce was LhaL of
a real human belng LransmlLLed vla radlo waves. MoLlon conLrol was also achleved Lhrough a
radlo llnk. SLlll ln Lhe conLexL of Lhe exhlblLlon, Lhe roboL was also used ln a dlaloglcal
performance reallzed wlLh 8razlllan arLlsL CLavlo uonascl, ln whlch lL lnLeracLed wlLh
uonascl's vldeocreaLure (performer wearlng a cosLume LhaL hldes Lhe human head and
replaces lL wlLh a vldeo screen). 1hrough Lhe roboLlc body, a human lmprovlsed responses ln
real Llme Lo Lhe vldeocreaLure's pre-recorded uLLerances and Lo Lhe reacLlons of Lhe
audlence. lL was a raLher dramaLlc lnLeracLlon, whlch culmlnaLed wlLh Lhe "sulclde" of Lhe
vldeocreaLure. We mlghL say LhaL Lhls work could be characLerlzed as "local Lelepresence",
Lo dlfferenLlaLe lL from "remoLe Lelepresence" (l.e., works ln whlch llnks are made beLween
Lwo or more geographlcally dlsLanL places). 1hls was a Lelepresence work noL because of Lhe
remoLe-conLrol componenL alone buL preclsely because Lhe roboL became a hosL Lo a human
$
belng, and because Lhls human -- who was ouL of slghL -- conversed wlLh oLher humans
Lhrough Lhe roboLlc body.

AfLer Lhls work, l sLarLed Lo Lhlnk of ways ln whlch lL mlghL be posslble Lo comblne my
LelecommunlcaLlons experlence wlLh wlreless LeleroboLlcs. 1he LeleroboL CrnlLorrlnco
(plaLypus, ln orLuguese) came Lo llfe ln 1989 ln Chlcago [2], as a resulL of my collaboraLlon
wlLh hardware deslgner Ld 8enneLL. 1he CrnlLorrlnco ro[ecL used sLandard u1Ml slgnals
(Louch-Lone sounds) produced by a regular phone Lo conLrol Lhe LeleroboL's body wlrelessly
from afar ln real Llme. lL also used u1Ml slgnals Lo reLrleve vldeo sLllls Lhrough Lhe same
phone llne from Lhe LeleroboL's polnL of vlew. When no moLlon or lmaglng commands were
lssued, Lhe llne was open and envlronmenLal sounds could be heard ln real Llme from
CrnlLorrlnco's vanLage polnL. 8orn ouL of Lhe deslre Lo creaLe LelepresenLlal experlences LhaL
lnvolved geographlcally dlsLanL places, CrnlLorrlnco experlenced several changes slnce 1989.
1hls fully moblle, wlreless LeleroboL grew ln slze, hosLed mulLlple remoLe sub[ecLs,
hybrldlzed wlLh dlfferenL sysLems, reached Lo and was reached from several counLrles, and
evolved lLs sensorlal apparaLus lnLo more complex sLrucLures. ln 1994 lL lnhablLed Lhe
lnLerneL ln a plece enLlLled "CrnlLorrlnco ln Lden", whlch merged Lhe neL wlLh Lhree physlcal
spaces ln Chlcago, LexlngLon (k?), and SeaLLle. ln Lhls work, remoLe parLlclpanLs ln LexlngLon
and SeaLLle shared Lhe body of Lhe LeleroboL slmulLaneously and ln real Llme vla a Lhree-way
call, whlle CrnlLorrlnco lLself was ln a Lhlrd remoLe space ln Chlcago. CrnlLorrlnco's vlslon
sysLem was dlssemlnaLed on Lhe neL vla llve vldeoconferenclng.

%,-, 7K)2

ln 1996 l creaLed 8ara Avls, an lnLeracLlve neLworked Lelepresence lnsLallaLlon reallzed aL
nexus ConLemporary ArL CenLer, ln ALlanLa, as parL as Lhe Clymplc ArLs lesLlval.[3] ln 8ara
Avls, Lhe parLlclpanL saw a very large avlary as soon as he or she walked lnLo Lhe room. ln
fronL of Lhls avlary Lhe parLlclpanL saw a vlrLual reallLy headseL. lnslde Lhe avlary Lhe vlewer
noLlced a sLrong conLrasL beLween Lhe LhlrLy flylng blrds (zebra flnches, whlch were very
small and mosLly gray) and Lhe large Lroplcal macaw, whlch was perched and lmmoblle. 1he
vlewer was lnvlLed Lo puL on Lhe headseL. Whlle wearlng Lhe headseL, Lhe vlewer was
LransporLed lnLo Lhe avlary. 1he vlewer now percelved Lhe avlary from Lhe polnL of vlew of
Lhe Macowl (conLracLlon of macaw and owl, due Lo Lhe forward poslLlon of lLs eyes) and was
able Lo observe hlmself or herself ln Lhls slLuaLlon from Lhls dlsplaced polnL of vlew.

1he Lroplcal blrd's eyes were Lwo CCu cameras. When Lhe vlewer, now a parLlclpanL, moved
hls or her head Lo lefL and rlghL, Lhe head of Lhe LeleroboLlc Macowl moved accordlngly,
enabllng Lhe parLlclpanL Lo see Lhe whole space of Lhe avlary from Lhe Macowl's polnL of
vlew. 1he real space was lmmedlaLely Lransformed lnLo a vlrLual space. 1he lnsLallaLlon was
permanenLly connecLed Lo Lhe lnLerneL (slmulLaneously vla Lhe Web, Cu-SeeMe, and Lhe
M8one). 1hrough Lhe neL, remoLe parLlclpanLs observed Lhe gallery space from Lhe polnL of
vlew of Lhe LeleroboLlc Macowl (as acLlvaLed by a local vlewer). 1hrough Lhe lnLerneL remoLe
parLlclpanLs also used Lhelr mlcrophones Lo Lrlgger Lhe vocal apparaLus of Lhe LeleroboLlc
macaw heard ln Lhe gallery (and Lhus affecLed local blrds and humans). neLwork ecology and
local ecology muLually affecLed one anoLher. l expecLed LhaL Lhe small blrds would be
frlghLened wlLh Lhe blg colorful roboL. Powever, ln facL Lhey became so comforLable wlLh lL
LhaL Lhey excreLed all over lL LhroughouL Lhe exhlblLlon. 1hls unlque comblnaLlon of organlc
%
wasLe and clean elecLronlcs furLhered a sense of lnLegraLlon beLween carbon and slllcon. 1he
body of Lhe LeleroboLlc Macowl was shared ln real Llme by local parLlclpanLs and lnLerneL
parLlclpanLs worldwlde. Sounds ln Lhe space, usually a comblnaLlon of human and blrd
volces, Lraveled back Lo remoLe parLlclpanLs on Lhe lnLerneL.

8y enabllng Lhe local parLlclpanL Lo be boLh vlcarlously lnslde and physlcally ouLslde Lhe
cage, Lhls lnsLallaLlon creaLed a meLaphor LhaL revealed how new communlcaLlons
Lechnology enables Lhe effacemenL of boundarles aL Lhe same Llme LhaL lL reafflrms Lhem.
1he lnsLallaLlon also addressed lssues of ldenLlLy and alLerlLy, pro[ecLlng Lhe vlewer lnslde
Lhe body of a rare blrd who noL only was Lhe only one of lLs klnd ln Lhe avlary buL was also
dlsLlncLly dlfferenL from Lhe oLher blrds (ln scale, color, and behavlor). 1he plece can be seen
as a crlLlque of Lhe problemaLlc noLlon of "exoLlclsm", a concepL LhaL reveals more abouL
relaLlvlLy of conLexLs and Lhe llmlLed awareness of Lhe observer Lhan abouL Lhe culLural
sLaLus of Lhe ob[ecL of observaLlon. 1hls lmage of "Lhe dlfferenL", "Lhe oLher", embodled by
Lhe LeleroboLlc Macowl, was dramaLlzed by Lhe facL LhaL Lhe parLlclpanL Lemporarlly adopLed
Lhe polnL of vlew of Lhe rare blrd.

<-*)(&--)*1& 4C(,(#. )* I)*0,*.

lor Lhe exhlblLlon "MeLamachlnes: Where ls Lhe 8ody?", reallzed ln 1996 aL CLso Callery, ln
llnland, Lhe LeleroboL CrnlLorrlnco suffered a muLaLlon: lL hosLed componenLs of ulrapuru
[4], parLlcularly a new chlp, a new camera, and a cusLom-deslgned board LhaL enabled lL Lo
Lake on new behavlors. 1he lnsLallaLlon enLlLled "CrnlLorrlnco, Lhe WeboL, Lravels around
Lhe world ln elghLy nanoseconds, golng from 1urkey Lo eru and back" was dlvlded beLween
Lwo remoLe spaces, whlch were llnked Lo Lhe Web ln unexpecLed ways. 1he publlc flrsL
encounLered Lhe work from CLso Callery's ground level, whlle CrnlLorrlnco navlgaLed ln lLs
subLerranean nesL. CrlLlcally examlnlng Lhe bllnd LrusL and Lhe expecLaLlons we pro[ecL over
lnformaLlon neLworks, Lhls plece appeared sLralghLforward buL noLhlng really was as lL
seemed.

ln Lhe space upsLalrs parLlclpanLs saw a Web page lnLerface (neLscape browser) pro[ecLed on
Lhe wall wlLh embedded llve, real-Llme (30 fps) color vldeo feedback. Anybody famlllar wlLh
Lhe currenL sLaLe of developmenL on Lhe Web knows LhaL Lhls ls Lechnlcally lmposslble
because of bandwldLh llmlLaLlons. SLlll, Lhere lL was [3]. Cllcklng ouLslde Lhe vldeo wlndow
(lefL/rlghL, forward/backward) enabled parLlclpanLs Lo navlgaLe Lhe nesL ln real Llme, and
lnLeracL wlLh Lurkeys and humans from CrnlLorrlnco's polnL of vlew. 1he publlc parLlclpaLed
acLlvely, Lhlnklng LhaL Lhey were on Lhe Web. 1hey weren'L. Lvery move Lhey made
conLlnually resulLed ln fresh lmages, and whaL Lhey dld noL reallze aL flrsL was LhaL Lhese
lmages were auLomaLlcally grabbed and uploaded Lo a Web slLe (Lo whlch Lhey Lhemselves
dld noL have access from Lhe gallery, only from home). 1he Lopology of Lhls work was
lnLenLlonally concelved Lo reveal LhaL communlcaLlons medla allenaLe us from our very own
uLLerances and acLlons. [6]

As parLlclpanLs explored Lhe plece Lhelr role changed subLly and slgnlflcanLly. Whlle Lhey
were ln conLrol on Lhe flrsL floor, Lhey experlenced Lhe work as acLlve sub[ecLs. 1hey
navlgaLed ln Lhe remoLe space, Lhey made cholces, Lhey lnLeracLed wlLh Lhe Lurkeys.
uescendlng Lhe sLalrcase LhaL led Lo Lhe basemenL of Lhe gallery, Lhey found Lhemselves
&
behlnd a 4-fooL hlgh glass wall. AL Lhls polnL Lhey unwllllngly rellnqulshed Lhe role of acLlve
sub[ecLs and became ob[ecLs of conLemplaLlon--Lhey Lhemselves became Lhe focus of
mulLlple gazes. 1hey were conLemplaLed by lncomlng parLlclpanLs on Lhe flrsL floor who
were now on CrnlLorrlnco's body, by Lhe Lurkeys, and by remoLe Web vlewers who logged
on from dlfferenL parLs of Lhe world.

1he elemenLs LhaL consLlLuLed Lhe nesL made a meLacrlLlcal, and aL Llmes humorous,
commenLary on Lhe currenL sLaLe of developmenL of Lhe Web. 1he space was Lopped by an
all-encompasslng coarse mesh neL suspended halfway beLween floor and celllng. SLandlng
local vlslLors had Lo look Lhrough Lhls neL Lo see Lhe nesL. Spread Lhrough Lhe space,
lndlcaLlve grafflLl made a humorous commenLary on Lhe "lnformaLlon hlghway" meLaphor.
lor example, "1urn LefL" and "1hls Way" arrows boLh polnLed Lo a corner, and "Wrong Way"
was flanked by arrows polnLlng lefL and rlghL.

CoexlsLlng and lnLeracLlng wlLh CrnlLorrlnco ln Lhe same space, Lwo real Lurkeys, blrds
known for noL belng among Lhe mosL lnLelllgenL creaLures, wenL abouL Lhelr buslness
slmulLaneously represenLlng, as colloqulal Amerlcan Lngllsh has lL, Lhe lnepLlLude of
Lechnophobes and Lhe apaLhy of Lechnophlles [7]. 1he Lurkeys also resonaLed, ln subLle and
comlcal manner, wlLh Lhe words 1urkey and eru ln Lhe LlLle. 8oLh words represenL dlfferenL
counLrles and Lhe same blrd, Lhe flrsL ln Lngllsh and Lhe second ln orLuguese: Lhe Lwo
languages l use Lhe mosL. 1he dlsplacemenL of culLural references and dlspersal of sub[ecLs
LhaL has always lnformed CrnlLorrlnco's llfe was experlenced anew ln Lhls plece. As
CrnlLorrlnco muLaLed ln llnland, lL explored Lhe deLachmenL of Lhe sub[ecL from a slngle
body as well as relaLlve and lmaglnary geographles, accompanled as lL was ln lLs hay-fllled
nesL by a large plasLlc globe. CrnlLorrlnco qua weboL clrcumnavlgaLed Lhe globe, occaslonally
movlng lL by means of dlrecL physlcal conLacL.

Cne very lmporLanL aspecL of Lhls work was Lo be sure LhaL Lhe Lurkeys would be
comforLable ln Lhe space and feel aL home ln Lhe nesL Lhey shared wlLh Lhe weboL. AfLer
consulLaLlon wlLh Lhe llnnlsh farmers who bred Lhe Lurkeys, Lhey sLaLed LhaL slnce Lhe
Lurkeys llve ln a very small cage wlLh sevenLy oLher Lurkeys, and wlLh pracLlcally no space Lo
move around, Lhey would be very happy wlLh Lhe unprecedenLed freedom and Lhe unusually
large room. An offlclal vlslL durlng Lhe show by clLy and provlnclal governmenL veLerlnarlans
conflrmed LhaL boLh were ln excellenL shape.

As happy as Lhey were, Lhe Lurkeys spenL Llme looklng aL Lhe plcLures on Lhe wall, ln a
manner somewhaL slmllar Lo a human belng (Lo everyone's surprlse). [8] 1he grafflLl on Lhe
wall were boLh an lronlc commenLary on Lhe lnformaLlon hlghway and a means Lo adorn Lhe
nesL, alLhough no one expecLed Lhe Lurkeys Lo acLually care much abouL Lhem. Cn occaslon,
Lhe Lurkeys would sLop ln fronL of Lhe grafflLl (Lhey were all elLher slgns or carlcaLures l made
of Lhe Lurkeys, Ld 8enneLL and myself), and spenL some Llme conLemplaLlng lL. 1he
emergence of Lhls behavlor was as lnLrlgulng as Lhe behavlor of humans ln relaLlon Lo Lhe
Lurkeys once humans were embodled on Lhe weboL.

hll and hoebe also helped organlze Lhe space Lo Lhelr saLlsfacLlon by spreadlng hay
anywhere Lhey felL llke lL. AnoLher clear slgn LhaL Lhey felL aL home was Lhe abundance and
quallLy of Lhe fecal maLLer Lhey spread all over Lhe space. 1hls creaLed a pecullar slLuaLlon,
'
slnce Lhe LeleroboL CrnlLorrlnco never shared a space wlLh llvlng anlmals before. Whlle mosL
people LhoughL LhaL Lhls would be a problem, ln facL Lhe weboL dld welcome Lhe excremenL.
1he wasLe maLLer ellmlnaLed from Lhe bowels of Lhe Lurkeys made Lhe floor a llLLle more
sllppery, whlch made Lhe weboL's moLlons smooLher. 1hls decreased Lhe sLress on Lhe
weboL's moLors, and Lherefore demanded less from lLs baLLery, conservlng more energy for
a whole day's acLlvlLy. 1he weboL, [usL llke Lhe Macowl before lL, felL qulLe aL home wlLh
feces. ln Lhls Lale of feaLhers, clrculL boards, web servers, and dung, Lhe moral ls LhaL Lhere ls
more Lo neLllfe Lhan meeLs Lhe eye onscreen when Lhe harmony beLween humans, roboLs,
anlmals and Lhe lnLerneL ls aL sLake.

!"# !#0#3-#2#*1# +,-4#*(

l flrsL concelved Lhe 1elepresence CarmenL ln 1993. 1hls work, whlch l flnlshed ln 1996,
came ouL of Lhe necesslLy Lo explore ways ln whlch Lechnology envelops Lhe body,
suppresses self-conLrol, and shlelds lL from dlrecL sensorlal experlence of Lhe envlronmenL.
lnsLead of a roboL hosLlng a human, Lhe 1elepresence CarmenL presenLs a roboLlclzed
human body converLed lnLo a hosL of anoLher human. lar from uLoplan or escaplsL
porLrayals of Lhe poLenLlal of Lhese Lechnologles, Lhe 1elepresence CarmenL ls a slgn of Lhelr
problems.

A key lssue l explore ln my work as a whole ls Lhe chasm beLween opLlcallLy and cognlzance,
l.e., Lhe osclllaLlon beLween Lhe lmmedlaLe percepLual fleld, domlnaLed by Lhe surroundlng
envlronmenL, and whaL ls noL physlcally presenL buL noneLheless sLlll dlrecLly affecLs us ln
many ways. 1he 1elepresence CarmenL creaLes a slLuaLlon ln whlch Lhe person wearlng lL ls
noL ln conLrol of whaL ls seen, because he or she cannoL see anyLhlng Lhrough Lhe
compleLely opaque hood. 1he person wearlng Lhe CarmenL can make sounds, buL cannoL
produce lnLelllglble speech because Lhe hood ls Lled very LlghLly agalnsL Lhe wearer's face.
An elasLlc and synLheLlc dark maLerlal covers Lhe nose, Lhe only porLlon of flesh LhaL
oLherwlse would be exposed. 8reaLhlng ls noL easy. Walklng ls lmposslble, slnce a knoL aL Lhe
boLLom of Lhe CarmenL forces Lhe wearer Lo be on all fours and Lo move slugglshly.

1he CarmenL ls dlvlded lnLo Lhree componenLs. 1he 1ranscelver Pood has a CCu aLLached Lo
a clrculL board, boLh sowed Lo Lhe leaLher hood on Lhe lefL slde, and an audlo recelver sowed
on Lhe rlghL slde. 1he CCu ls llned up wlLh Lhe wearer's lefL eye. underneaLh Lhe CarmenL,
Lhe wearer dons ln dlrecL conLacL wlLh Lhe skln whaL l call a 1ransmlLLer vesL, whlch ls wlred
Lo Lhe Pood and whlch enables wlreless Lransmlsslon of 30 fps color vldeo from Lhe polnL of
Lhe vlew of Lhe wearer's lefL eye. Lnveloplng Lhe body ls an opaque Llmbless SulL, so called
because one cannoL sLand or sLreLch one's arms, Lemporarlly reduclng or ellmlnaLlng Lhe
funcLlonallLy of Lhe llmbs.

1he emerglng fleld of wearable compuLlng suggesLs LhaL Lhe very meanlng of cloLhlng ls
changlng ln Lhe medlascape. lnsLead of adornlng or expandlng Lhe body, however, Lhe
1elepresence CarmenL secludes lL from Lhe envlronmenL, suggesLlng some of Lhe mosL
serlous consequences of Lechnology's mlgraLlon Lo Lhe body. 8ody sensaLlons are
helghLened once Lhe wearer removes Lhe garmenL. 1hls preL-a-porLer foregrounds Lhe oLher
meanlngs of Lhe verb "Lo wear": 1o damage, dlmlnlsh, erode, or consume by long or hard
use, 1o faLlgue, weary, or exhausL. 1he 1elepresence CarmenL was experlenced publlcly for
(
Lhe flrsL Llme ln Lhe conLexL of "CrnlLorrlnco ln Lhe Sahara", a dlaloglcal Lelepresence evenL
Ld 8enneLL and l presenLed aL Lhe lv SalnL eLersburg 8lennale, whlch Look place ln SalnL
eLersburg, 8ussla, ln 1996 [9].

<-*)(&--)*1& )* ("# @,",-,

ln Lhe case of CrnlLorrlnco ln Lhe Sahara, Lhe phrase "dlaloglcal Lelepresence evenL" refers Lo
a dlalogue beLween Lwo remoLe parLlclpanLs who lnLeracLed ln a Lhlrd place Lhrough Lwo
bodles oLher Lhan Lhelr own. 8eallzed ln a publlc area of a downLown bulldlng ln Chlcago,
1he School of Lhe ArL lnsLlLuLe, wlLhouL any prlor announcemenL Lo faclllLles users, Lhe evenL
menLloned above conslsLed baslcally of Lhree nodes llnklng Lhe downLown slLe ln real Llme
Lo 1he SalnL eLersburg PlsLory Museum (a 8lennale sponsor) and Lhe Aldo CasLlllo Callery,
locaLed ln Lhe well known Chlcago gallery dlsLrlcL. 1hrough Lhese LelecommunlcaLlons porLs
of enLry human remoLe sub[ecLs lnLeracLed wlLh one anoLher by pro[ecLlng Lhelr wllls and
deslres onLo equally remoLe and fully moblle, wlreless LeleroboLlc and Leleborg ob[ecLs.

Cne of Lhe SalnL eLersburg 8lennale dlrecLors, umlLry Shubln, used a black and whlLe
vldeophone Lo conLrol (from Lhe SalnL eLersburg PlsLory Museum) Lhe wlreless LeleroboL
CrnlLorrlnco (aL 1he School ln Chlcago) and Lo recelve feedback (ln Lhe form of sequenLlal
vldeo sLllls) from Lhe LeleroboL's polnL of vlew. 1he use of Lhe vldeophone was necessary
because Lhe 8lennale losL all lnLerneL connecLlons aL Lhe lasL mlnuLe. AL Lhe same Llme, my
own body was enveloped by Lhe wlreless 1elepresence CarmenL. 1he dlspossessed human
body was conLrolled, vla a Lelephone connecLlon, by arLlsL and arL hlsLorlan Slmone CsLhoff
from Lhe Aldo CasLlllo Callery. ConslderaLe of my sensorlal deprlvaLlon, CsLhoff spoke slowly
and paused lnLermlLLenLly, commandlng Lhe body as lf vla a LelempaLhlc sense of Louch [10].
1he color vldeo feed from Lhe Leleborg (ln Lhls case, Lhe CarmenL wearer) was LransmlLLed
llve Lo anoLher space ln Lhe downLown Chlcago bulldlng, enabllng local vlewers, surprlsed
and unaware of Lhe slLuaLlon, Lo see Lhe dlaloglcal experlence ln real Llme (from Lhe polnL of
vlew of Lhe Leleborg, whlch lLself could noL see). uurlng Lhe evenL, whlle boLh Lhe LeleroboL
and Lhe Leleborg were remoLe-conLrolled, a unlque dlaloglcal Lelepresence slLuaLlon
unfolded.


=&*10C2)&*

1he works dlscussed ln Lhls paper creaLed dlaloglcal Lelepresence experlences. 1hey suggesL
Lhe need Lo nurLure a neLwork ecology wlLh humans and oLher mammals, wlLh planLs,
lnsecLs, arLlflclal belngs, and avlan creaLures, as was Lhe case wlLh 8ara Avls and wlLh Lhe
warm-blooded, egg-laylng, feaLhered verLebraLes lncluded ln CrnlLorrlnco's llnnlsh neLnesL.
neLwork ecology, wlLh lLs shorLcomlngs, drawbacks, and pollLlcal ramlflcaLlons, as well as lLs
laLenL expanslon of human poLenLlallLles, ls a moLlve power of our dlglLal nomadlsm. 1here
ls Loday a general feellng of arLlsLlc openness ln Lhe one-world of global lnformaLlon
exchange, parLlally shaped by pervaslve elecLronlc medla, commuLaLlon of polnLs of vlew,
greaLer vlsa-free moblllLy, and lmmlgraLlon. ln Lhls scenarlo lL ls unforLunaLe Lo observe LhaL
mosL culLural lnsLlLuLlons reslsL elecLronlc arL aL Lhe same Llme LhaL Lhey express Lhe urgenL
need Lo aLLracL larger, newer, and reLurnlng audlences. 1hls overzealous aLLlLudde ls
grounded on Lhe fallaclous posL-modernlsL credo LhaL lnnovaLlon ls no longer posslble,
)
meanlngful, or deslrable. 1he serlous danger of Lhls poslLlon ls Lo bllndly dlsmlss Lhe
dlfferenLla speclflca of mosL radlcal dlrecLlons ln elecLronlc arL as anomalles ln a global free
markeL of posLmodernlsL polyphonlc sLyles.

ln Lhls sense, lL ls lmperaLlve Lo asserL alLernaLlves LhaL promoLe dlglLal-Lo-analog lnLegraLlon
and whlch lead Lo unprecedenLed hypermedla, LelemaLlc, and posL-blologlcal experlences
[11]. 1elepresence ls one such alLernaLlve. 1elepresence creaLes Lhe experlence of havlng a
sense of one's own presence ln a remoLe space (and noL only Lhe sense of somebody else's
remoLe presence, as ls common on Lhe Lelephone). 8eflecLlng on Lhe passage lnLo dlglLal
culLure and escaplng from rubrlcs LhaL caLegorlze pasL dlrecLlons ln conLemporary arL -
such as body arL, lnsLallaLlon, wearable arL, happenlng, vldeo arL, performance, and
concepLual arL - Lelepresence works have Lhe power Lo conLrlbuLe Lo a relaLlvlsLlc vlew of
conLemporary experlence and aL Lhe same Llme creaLe a new domaln of acLlon and
lnLeracLlon for Lhe human body.



A<!>@

1- 1he roboL was bullL by CrlsLovo 8aLlsLa da Sllva.

2 - kac, Lduardo. "CrnlLorrlnco: Lxplorlng Lelepresence and remoLe senslng", Leonardo, vol. 24, no.
2, Speclal lssue on ArL and 1elecommunlcaLlon, ergamon ress, Cxford, uk, 1991, p. 233, "1owards
Lelepresence arL", lnLerface, vol. 4, no. 2, november 1992, Advanced CompuLlng CenLer for Lhe ArLs
and ueslgn, 1he Chlo SLaLe unlverslLy, 1992, pgs. 2-4, "1elepresence arL", LnLgrenzLe Crenzen ll
(book), 8. krlesche and . Poffman, eds., kulLurdaLa and ulvlslon of CulLural Affalrs of Lhe ClLy of
Craz, Craz, AusLrla, 1993, pgs. 48-72, "CrnlLorrlnco and 8ara Avls: neLworked 1elepresence ArL"
(wlLh a Lechnlcal appendlx by Ld 8enneLL), ln Lhe ulglLal Salon speclal lssue of Leonardo, vol. 29, n. 3,
1996, pp. 389-400, See also: Polz, kelLh. "Lduardo kac's ulalogues", ln Leonardo LlecLronlc Almanac,
vol. 2, no. 12, uecember, Ml1 ress, and ln ?LLM's ArL Cn-llne lssue, vol. 13, no. 2, Aprll 1993, p. 7,
CsLhoff, Slmone. "Cb[ecL Lessons", World ArL magazlne, #1, 1996, pp. 18-23, robus, !oyce. "Lduardo
kac: ulalogues", ulalogue - ArLs ln Lhe MldwesL, !an/leb, vol. 18, no. 1, 1993, pp. 14-16.

3 - See Maschke, kaLhy, ed., CuL of 8ounds, exhlblLlon caLalogue, nexus ConLemporary ArL CenLer,
ALlanLa, 1996. See also: lox, CaLherlne. "1echnology as a canvas", 1he ALlanLa !ournal-ConsLlLuLlon,
!uly 26, 1996, p. 33, nance, kevln, "lL's All AbouL ercepLlon", LexlngLon Perald-Leader, !une 23,
1996, l1, l3, 8olLer, !ay uavld. ?ou Are WhaL ?ou See", Wlred, !anuary 1997, pp. 113, 114, 116,
Coodman, CynLhla, "Worklng Lhe Web", ArLlsL's MarkeL, l&W ubllshers, 1997, pp. 22-23, Levy,
lerre, CyberculLure: 8apporL au Consell de l'Lurope (ed. Cdlle !acob, arls, 1997), pg. 103, CsLhoff,
Slmone, "Lduardo kac: 1elepresena problemaLlza a vlso", Cadernos da s-Craduao do lnsLlLuLo
de ArLes da unlcamp, So aulo, 1997, vol. 1, n. 1, pp. 7-12, Coldberg, ken, "v8 ln Lhe age of
Lelepresence," Convergence (Sprlng 1998). 8ara Avls was also shown aL Lhe PunLlngLon ArL Callery, ln
AusLln, 1exas (!anuary 1997), Lhe CenLro CulLural de 8elem, Llsbon, orLugal (Aprll 1997), and Lhe l
8lenal de ArLes vlsuals do Mercosul, orLo Alegre, 8razll (CcLober/november 1997). See: lrvlne,
Madellne. 1esLlng Lhe 8ounds", AusLln Amerlcan-SLaLesman, !anuary 30, 1997, p. 47, CaLes,
uomlnlque. "CmnlpresenL ln Cyberspace" and "8are 8lrds ln Cyberspace," publlshed onllne on
MlcrosofL's lnLerneL Magazlne on lebruary 24, 1997, 1avelra, Carlos, ed., Cyber: A Crlao na Lra
ulglLal, exhlblLlon caLalogue, CenLro CulLural de 8elem, Llsbon, 1997, Penrlques, AnLnlo, "Lduardo,
o ensador ulglLal", Lxpresso, xxl SecLlon, Llsboa, Aprll 19, 1997, p. 10, Morals, lrederlco, ed., l
8lenal de ArLes vlsuals do Mercosul, exhlblLlon caLalogue, orLo Alegre, 8razll, veras, Lduardo, "C
*
mundo pelos olhos de uma arara-rob," Zero Pora, orLo Alegre, CcLober 7, 1997, p. 6, CsLhoff,
Slmone, "kac lembra que o lpls [ fol revoluclonrlo," !ornal da unlversldade, unlversldade federal
do 8lo Crande do Sul, CcLober 1997, orLo Alegre, p. 13.

4 - "ulrapuru" was evenLually reallzed aL Lhe lnLerCommunlcaLlon CenLer, 1okyo, beLween CcLober
13 and november 28, 1999. lor more lnformaLlon, see Lhe caLalogue of lCC 8lennale '99, and
www.ekac.org/ulrapuru.hLml.

3 - Cn Lhe one hand, Lhls apparenLly conLradlcLory effecL operaLed a crlLlque of how Lhe soclal
credlblllLy of mass medla ls derlved, ln parL, from lLs Lechnlcal rellablllLy. Cn Lhe oLher hand, lL
polnLed Lo Lhe Lechnlcal fuLure of Lhe Web, when LerablLs of bandwldLh comlng lnLo households wlll
merge Lhe neL wlLh broadcasLlng. 1he effecL was achleved by encloslng lnslde a pedesLal Lhree
componenLs: a compuLer, a dual-lnpuL vldeo edlLor and processor, and a pro[ecLor. 1he edlLor
embedded Lhe llve lnpuL comlng from CrnlLorrlnco lnslde a mulLlmedla appllcaLlon slmulaLlng Lhe
neLscape browser. An openlng on Lhe pedesLal enabled Lhe slmulaLed lnLerface Lo be pro[ecLed on
Lhe wall. Cllcklng on Lhe lnLerface senL wlreless moLlon-conLrol slgnals LhaL were decoded ln real Llme
by CrnlLorrlnco. lL was crlLlcal Lo Lhe success of Lhls sysLem LhaL no wlres were seen by Lhe publlc.

6 - 1wo ordlnary lnsLances lllusLraLe Lhls polnL. As we Lalk on Lhe phone, for example, we do noL
know lf our words go up Lo a saLelllLe, down Lo an underwaLer cable, or [usL above our heads vla a
mlcrowave llnk (or all of Lhe above ln a slngle call). As we sllde a credlL card Lo purchase a producL,
we do noL know ln whaL klnds of daLabases lnformaLlon abouL Lhe LransacLlon ls sLored (amounL,
daLe, naLure of selecLed producLs, brand of cholce, eLc.).

7 - ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes, Lhe word "Lurkey" ls slang for a person consldered lnepL or undeslrable, and
for someLhlng LhaL falls.

8 - lor a dlscusslon of plcLorlal compeLence ln anlmals and lLs relevance Lo arL, see: uanLo, ArLhur C.
"Anlmals as ArL PlsLorlans: 8eflecLlons on Lhe lnnocenL Lye", ln 8eyond Lhe 8rlllo 8ox : 1he vlsual
ArLs ln osL-PlsLorlcal erspecLlve (new ?ork: larrar, SLraus & Clroux, 1992), pp. 13-31. lor a
dlscusslon of alLernaLlve "posslblllLles for our lnvolvemenL wlLh compuLer Lechnology based on varled
deLermlnaLlons of how Lhe world ls known", see: ClglloLLl, Carol. "WhaL Chlldren and Anlmals know
1haL We uon'L", ln lSLA'94 roceedlngs, onllne publlcaLlon of Lhe unlverslLy of ArL & ueslgn Pelslnkl,
1994. u8L:
hLLp://www.ulah.fl/bookshop/lsea_proc/hlgh&low/[/18b.hLml

9 - ln addlLlon Lo an exhlblLlon caLalogue, Lhe 8lennlal publlshed a book wlLh crlLlcal wrlLlngs on
elecLronlc arL. See: kac, Lduardo. "CrnlLorrlnco and 8ara Avls", ln Collnko-volfson, umlLry. ed.,1he
vlsuallLy of Lhe unseen (SL. eLersburg, 8ussla: 8orey-rlnL, 1996), pp. 111-122.

10 - l colned Lhe word "LelempaLhy" Lo deslgnaLe Lhe ablllLy Lo have empaLhy aL a dlsLance.

11 - See: kac, Lduardo. "AspecLs of Lhe aesLheLlcs of LelecommunlcaLlons", Slggraph vlsual
roceedlngs, !ohn Crlmes and Cray Lorlg, edlLors, AssoclaLlon for CompuLlng Machlnery, new ?ork,
1992, pgs. 47-37, "1he lnLerneL and Lhe luLure of ArL", ln Lhe book MyLhos lnLerneL, SLefan Muenker
and Alexander 8oesler, eds., Suhrkamp verlag, lrankfurL, 1997, pgs. 291-318, "loundaLlon and
uevelopmenL of 8oboLlc ArL", ln ulglLal 8eflecLlons: 1he ulalogue of ArL and 1echnology, speclal lssue
of ArL !ournal, vol. 36, no. 3, lall 1997 (CuesL LdlLor !ohanna urucker), pp. 60-67.