Telepresence by Eduardo Kac

Kac makes a clear and informative way to describing the idea of the telepresence and the emergence of the connectivity between telecommunications and the virtual space, or the computer. He gives clear definitions for terms that are used in the digital world such as, cyberspace, virtual reality, and telepresence. He shows the link between real time and real space as a new communication medium. He draws the attention that although the idea of telepresence and the virtual reality are new terms, they actually existed since the fourtees, which I think is pretty amazing. Kac explains that cyberspace is a synthetic space that provides the person with certain interactions with digital environments by equipping him with proper hardware. These terms are interchangable and relatively work together to form what he calls being "telepresent in cyberspace." I was really amazed by these concepts especially when applying them to my project "Shatila, the Inspired Village" because Kac states that being telepresent in cyberspace allows several people from different countries to meet in a remote database and interact through the using graphics and telecommunication systems. Then Kac differentiate between telepresence and the other forms of communication, where telepresence is basically a hybrid of robotics and telematics, in which the "participant's" decisions are affected by the remote environment. In terms of human senses, Kac explains that the sense of touch applies also to telepresence where people keep in touch remotely through communication mediums such as the phone or the computer. These concepts make real space and real time irrelevant and make speed expressed by bytes not miles. Furthermore, they make us unable to dominate a specific public space, but a public image. Kac describes his experience with the vitual simulated environment of riding a mountain bike and his installation "Ornitorrinco on the Moon" and how they make the mind and the body engage in the experience and seperate from the real world. In general, I found this article very similar to the Agency article we had to read in MMDD 400 especially with the use of key terms such as, choice, behavior, decisions, participant, interactor, vitual space and reality.

Related Links
http://www.ekac.org/
http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/03_02/bunny_art.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduardo_Kac