Zachary Hardy
06/16/09
Technology and the Creative Artist
Dr. Gerald Lucas
Art and the Artist in a Digital Culture
A Play in One Act
By
Zachary Hardy
Characters (in order of appearance):
Hiro Protagonist
Emerson
Connie
Remy
Eli
Scene One
[Curtain up on bare stage. Hiro walks onto the stage and stands in the center. A shaft of light falls on him. He is dressed as described in the novel “Snow Crash,” for when he deals with matters of the Metaverse. Since Stephenson describes Hiro’s attire as “a black leather kimono” (Stephenson, 36), the actor portraying Hiro should be attired as such.]
HIRO[after pausing, surveying the audience, speaks in a normal and professional tone]: Good evening. My name is Hiro Protagonist. I was a character in the cyberpunk novel, “Snow Crash”, by Neal Stephenson. By trade, I am a hacker, an individual who works inside cyberspace to gather intelligence. [Pause] You may see me as an ordinary human being, but I am simply here tonight in the form of an avatar. As described by Stephenson, avatars are “the audiovisual bodies that people use to communicate with each other in the Metaverse” (36). In other words, I am physically not here; my actual body is on the West Coast, goggled into cyberspace. I am not real to you, just as you are not real to me. [Pausing to gauge audience effect] I can see that you are need in further explanation, judging by the look of puzzlement on your face. Let me do some explaining.
[Hiro clears his throat.]
HIRO: It all started a few hours ago. I was walking along a city street in the Metaverse, when a man came up to me. He was ordinary looking, the kind of guy you don’t look at twice when you see him on the street. Anyway, he handed me a slip of paper. I looked down, and read: “Go to the [name of venue] and learn about artists in the here and now; discuss the role of artists in the culture of the new Millennium.” It was signed with a single letter: Z. Maybe it was another hacker; maybe it was virus in human form. [pause] Please forgive me for my rambling. I must get my train of thought back on track.
[Hiro pauses to collect his thoughts]
HIRO: Anyway, I am here on this stage. And I plan to learn and try to understand what it means to be an artist in the digital age. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go meet my first contact.
[Hiro exists]
[Light fade. Close curtain]
END SCENE ONE
Scene Two
[Curtain rises on stage that has the feeling of a parlor or drawing room. There is fireplace in the center, a lavish rug on the floor, two comfy, high-backed chairs, and a Greco-Roman statue on the right of the fire place. At stage left, sits a man clothed like an 18th century British nobleman. He sits in one of the chairs, reading a copy of Tristram Shandy. Hiro walks in from stage right, stops, and looks at the man with a puzzled expression. The man looks up from his novel, and smiles at Hiro’s presence]
MAN: [in a British accent] Welcome, young man. I’ve been expecting you.
HIRO: [puzzled] Expecting me?
MAN: Yes. Expecting you. You are Hiro Protagonist, on a journey through the Metaverse, in search of a certain bit of wisdom. I am one of the avatars to help you understand. [motions towards chair] Sit, please. [Hiro sits] Before we go any further, I shall tell you my name. It is Emerson.
HIRO: Emerson?
EMERSON: Yes. Emerson. Now then, let’s get down to brass tacks. Artists in today’s digital culture operate very differently from artists such as Picasso or Shakespeare. Artists now have the ability to not just create art, but also to interact with it. The name of the artistic game in today’s world is “immersion.”
HIRO: Immersion?
EMERSON: Yes, immersion. It is defined by Janet H. Murray as “ a metaphorical term derived from the physical experience of being submerged in water” (Murray, 98). Art today, as well as much of our popular culture, features some form of immersion.
HIRO: Such as?
EMERSON: Well, for example, here and now. We are in the metaverse, a world that is not real, but seems that way to us. As avatars, we participate in physical activities, verbal communication, and other acts that require our involvement.
HIRO [beginning realization] So you mean I participated in an act of immersion and wasn’t aware of it?
EMERSON: Yes. Immersion in art is everywhere these days. People are not just content to sit on their duffs and watch a motion picture; they want to be a part of it. Would you like another example?
HIRO [showing interest] Yes, please.
EMERSON: It all has to do with a popular science fiction film from 1977. I believe it’s name was Star Wars. Anyway, this film was so popular, that fans wanted to be a part of the fictional universe that they saw on screen.
HIRO: How did they do that?
EMERSON: One way was by making their own Star Wars films.
HIRO: How did they manage to do that.
EMERSON: Well, by the 21st century, computers and the “Internet” were making it easier to indulge in the world of Star Wars. Fan sites, fan fiction, and even short animated fan films were being viewed across the globe. In 2005, several Star Wars fans got together, and created Star Wars: Revelations. Henry Jenkins quotes Shane Faleux as saying “‘Revelations was created to give artisans and craftsmen the chance to showcase their work, allow all those involved a chance to live the dream, and maybe-just maybe-open the eyes in the industry as to what can be done with a small budget, dedicated people, and undiscovered talent’” (Jenkins, 148).
HIRO: So immersion is a way for artists to create their own art, based on a popular franchise?
EMERSON: Exactly.
HIRO: But, shouldn’t the artist be concerned with creating something original?
EMERSON: [puzzled] How do you mean?
HIRO: Well, the Star Wars franchise is a well established icon. Isn’t it just an attempt for desperate wannabes to jump on the bandwagon?
EMERSON: I see why you are confused. The Star Wars franchise is, as you said, well established, but letting fans create their own versions of the Star Wars universe helps fuel their creativity. It will help them gain the creative maturity in order to create their own original realms of fantasy and adventure.
HIRO: I think I understand what you mean. Immersion fuels further creativity.
[Emerson nods]
HIRO: Well, I wonder what else has to do with art in the digital age?
EMERSON: [pointing off stage] The next avatar awaits you.
HIRO: Thanks. Take care of yourself, Emerson.
[Hiro gets up and walks off stage]
EMERSON: [waiving] God speed, Protagonist.
[Lights dim. Close curtain]
END SCENE TWO
Scene Three
[Curtain rises on a tableau of technology on pedestals. The far left pedestal has a victrola, the pedestal in the middle holds an 8-track player, and the pedestal on the far right holds a modern CD player. Standing amongst them is a woman dressed in blue jeans, Chuck Tailors, and an American Idol t-shirt. Two wooden bar stools are situated in the center of the stage. Hiro walks on stage and is taken aback by this odd presentation]
HIRO: Who are you?
WOMAN: I am Connie. Welcome to the Cloister of Convergence.
HIRO [stupidly] Cloister of Convergence?
CONNIE: Yes. Here, I shall give you a glimpse of modern culture and how art is changing to meet its needs.
HIRO: [in a slightly sarcastic tone] Do you have a trendy key word to rope me in, like the last avatar I spoke with?
CONNIE: Yes. The word that shall slip off your tongue for this scene is “convergence”.
HIRO: [aside] I’m starting to notice a pattern between names and key words. Whoever’s writing this escapade needs to have his head examined.
CONNIE: Convergence can be defined as “a word that describes technological, industrial, cultural, and social changes in the ways media circulates within our culture” (322). On display, here, are some examples of convergence culture. [Hiro walks around, observing what is own display] All of these have one thing in common.
HIRO: What?
CONNIE: Music. [pause] Music is the common denominator in all of these devices. Decades and years of technological improvements have redefined the way that humans listen to recorded sound. Would you like to hear the sound of evolution?
HIRO: [slightly uneasy] I…guess.
CONNIE: Okay. Hit it!
[Connie points her finger upwards and out towards the ceiling above the audience. Suddenly, a snippet of (popular song from an earlier decade) plays over a sound system. Hiro listens intently, hanging on the nuances of the acoustics. CONNIE watches Hiro’s reaction. Music suddenly stops]
CONNIE: That song was played using an old time record player. Want to hear a different version?
HIRO: Yes.
CONNIE: Hit it!
[As before, Connie points, and the song comes on again. This time, the sound is different, in a way that Hiro, and quite possibly, the audience, can’t put a finger on. Again, music suddenly stops]
CONNIE: Can you tell the difference?
HIRO: Yes.
CONNIE: That was the same song played on a CD player.
HIRO: There is a discernable difference. [pause] So an established medium is changed by convergence to fit the standards of a culture or generation?
CONNIE: [smiling] That’s correct!
HIRO [scratching his head] I wonder what else I should know about convergence?
CONNIE: Well, first take a load off. [Hiro and Connie sit on stools. Connie reaches into her pocket. She pulls out an iPod] Let me show you another convergence instance. [She fiddles with the dials for a minute, concentrating hard. Hiro watches her, wondering what she is about to show him. She then hands Hiro the iPod] Put the ear buds in and enjoy. [Hiro does what he is told. He watches intently for a while, watched by Connie. Soon, Hiro stops watching, removes the ear buds, and address Connie]
HIRO: Wow! That was amazing! I thought you could only watch TV on television.
CONNIE: Now with the iPod, watching television reruns has launched into the new millennium. Jenkins says that “the video iPod seems emblematic of the new convergence culture-not because everyone believes the small screen of the iPod is the ideal vehicle for watching broadcast content but because the ability to download reruns on demand represents a major shift in the relationship between consumers and media content” (264).
HIRO: [taking this all in] Convergence has caused everything to go topsy-turvy. TV shows can now be watched in cyberspace, movies can be watched on TV, and cyberspace can be viewed in the palm of ones hand. [pause] How does this relate to the artist?
CONNIE: Artists, thanks to convergence culture, can spread their work to a much larger scale. It used to be that an artist’s work was limited in ways of distribution; in the digital age, devices such as Blackberries, iPod’s, and smart phones, can expose people to both established and up and coming artists.
HIRO: So, in other words, artists are getting a boost in today’s digital media by way of different devices?
CONNIE: Absolutely.
HIRO: Well, I think I’ve wasted enough of your time.
CONNIE: Think nothing of it. I simply hope you’ve learned something.
HIRO: I sure have. [pause] Well, I have to go and meet the next avatar. [Hiro exits]
CONNIE: [calling off stage] See you around!
[Light dims. Close curtain]
END SCENE THREE
Scene Four
[Curtain rises on a professional looking desk in center stage. In front is a simple, wooden seat. Behind the desk, sits a man who looks like a well dressed, yuppie entrepreneur. His hair is slicked back, and his body is swathed in a designer suit ensemble. He is typing intently on a computer keyboard, looking at the screen with intense concentration. Hiro walks on stage, approaches the yuppie, and address him]
HIRO: And just might your name be?
YUPPIE: Remy.
HIRO: Are you French or something?
REMY: By extraction, yes. I am nothing like this avatar. For one, I still live with my parents.
HIRO: [wincing] Ouch!
REMY: [rolling his eyes] I know, I know.
HIRO: What can you contribute to my general understanding of artists in the digital age?
REMY: Intellectual properties.
HIRO: Say what, now?
REMY: Oh, that’s just a fancy term for what an artist produces. For example, if a person writes a play or novella, then that is something that they have created. They have the power to do whatever they want with it. It is their property.
HIRO: How’s that relate to what I’m learning?
REMY: Well, artists these days seem to be concerned more with profit than product. The biggest fire storm on artists rights and the rights of the public currently reside in the music industry. There is a lot of controversy about musicians borrowing snippets of other established songs to use in their works, downloading song files, and copying music CDs.
HIRO: I see. The music industry is afraid of loosing properties, and artists are afraid of being plagiarized.
REMY: Yes. Of course, their seems to be no clear cut solution to the problem that is known as “music piracy.” Lawrence Lessig makes an interesting suggestion about copyright law reform. He says that the law should “regulate uses-like public distributions of copies of copyrighted work-that connect directly to the economic incentive copyright law was intended to foster” (Lessig, 268). Copies should be looked at differently and handled differently, in other words.
HIRO: How so?
REMY: Well, let’s say that someone makes a copy of a new CD by a popular alternative rock band. They then lend it to a friend, or give it to him at no charge. In those cases, since no money has changed hands, there has not been any crime committed whatsoever. But, if a cash transaction is made, then the money is not going directly to the artists. That’s a crime that is punishable by law.
HIRO: But aren’t today’s musicians making megabucks?
REMY: Yes. It seems to be just about money these days. Artistic vision appears to have been thrown out the window.
[pause]
HIRO: I think I have some two cents to add to this discussion. Borrowing snippets of another song or other artistic composition, can help an artist expanded their own creative potential. Maybe borrowing, as long as the proper acknowledgements are made, can enhance the creativity of a new generation.
REMY: [smiling] That’s what this has to do with artists in the digital age.
HIRO: Well, it’s nice to know that I can find things out for myself. [chuckles slightly] I better not take up to much more of your time. Can you direct me to the next avatar?
REMY: [looking at his computer screen] Yes; down the hall and to the left. He’s the last one you’ll have to meet with.
HIRO: [as he leaves] Thanks.
[Remy goes back to working on his computer]
[Lights dim. Curtain down]
END SCENE FOUR
Scene Five
[Curtain rises on a figure sitting at a café table. He looks like an artist transplanted from the Bohemian scene of Paris’ left bank, and certainly looks the part. He nurses an espresso and smokes a cigarette. Hiro walks onstage]
HIRO: Something tells me you’re the last avatar I will meet on today’s journey.
MAN: Yes. I am your last avatar. I am also the last of a dying breed.
HIRO: You are?
MAN: [bows head in sadness] Yes. I was one of the greats; the one who put some of the best word’s to paper.
HIRO: You’re a writer?
MAN: [bitterly] Oh! How that word as been cannibalized. Yes, I wrote. But on the most pure and sensuous material known to man kind. [pause] Paper.
HIRO: I always thought paper to be kinda stiff and abrasive.
MAN: [sadly] To me, it was as soft as Iranian silk.
HIRO: May I ask what your name is?
MAN: Elias. But you can just call me Eli.
HIRO: I think Eli will be easier to remember.
ELI: As you wish. [pause] I know I sound bitter about the death of written literature. It’s just that…well…I seem to have conservative views about what it means to be an author.
HIRO: Doesn’t an author write books and stuff?
ELI: Yes; also poetry, drama, criticism, and commentary.
HIRO: You said something about conservative views on literature. Could you elaborate on that?
ELI: Yes. [pause] The world of art and the artist is changing. With digital technology, we don’t just see writing with words formed into sentences and paragraphs; people are wanting literature to come with lots and lots of bells and whistles. N. Katherine Hayles says that “anecdotal evidence as well as brain imaging studies indicate that ‘Generation M’…is undergoing a significant cognitive shift, characterized by a craving for continuously varying stimuli, a low threshold for boredom, the ability to process multiple information streams simultaneously, and a quick intuitive grasp of algorithmic procedures that underlie and generate surface complexity” (Hayles, 117).
HIRO: [amazed at this recitation] Wow. [pause] So in other words, readers of today want to have some form of active entertainment value with literature?
ELI: Yes. Let me show you can example. [Eli pulls a small stack of index cards out of his coat pocket, along with an ink pen] I am going to write a word on this card, and I want you to read it out loud. [Hands card to Hiro]
HIRO: [reading card] “Satire”
[projection of word that has just been spoken appears on the bare background. Hiro is stunned, while Eli watches calmly]
ELI: See what I mean? It’s all about holding the audiences interest.
HIRO: That’s amazing! I can’t see how something this amazing could get you so down in the dumps.
ELI: Well, change can be scary. The world is changing its views about literature. It’s all about being fancy and trendy. It’s all about digital literature.
HIRO: Well, think about it in this light. A person who knows how to create a program that can be considered “digital literature” is an artist of the next generation. I believe that we need to start accepting the fact that digitally produced literature, with interactive icons and cut scenes, is the way that art will have appeal to the masses.
ELI [sighs] I guess you’re right. It’s just still very difficult to accept change.
HIRO [smiling] Sometimes change is a good thing.
ELI: That’s true, that’s true. [pause] Well, I do believe you better get back to the main stage and wrap this production up.
HIRO: I guess so. [Begins to walk off stage. Turns and looks back at Eli] Nice meeting you.
ELI: Same to you, mon ami. [Hiro walks off stage]
[Lights dim. Curtain down]
END SCENE FIVE
Scene Six
[Curtain rises on bare stage. Hiro stands, looking oput at the audience]
HIRO: Well, from the looks of it, it seems that artists and art in general will have to find ways to make art appeal to citizens of the 21st century. With so much concern about turning a profit and obeying legal regulations, artistic quality and integrity tends to be shoved into the back seat of the corporate cab. But if artists try to use the digital age to their advantage, they can create works that will be the new definition of “art.”
[pause]
Well, I guess that’s the end.
[Light fade. Curtain down]
END SCENE SIX
END PLAY
Works Cited
Hayles, N. Katherine. Electronic Literature: New Horizons For The Library. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame. 2008. pp. 117.
Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old And New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press. 2006. pp. 148-322.
Lessig, Lawrence. Remix: Making Art And Commerce Thrive In The Hybrid Economy. New York: The Penguin Press. 2008. pp. 268.
Murray, Janet H. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Cambridge: The MIT Press. 2000. pp. 98.
Stephenson, Neal. Snow Crash. New York: Bantam Books. 1992. pp. 36.
