The article General Introduction To The Practice Of Everyday Life by Michel de Certeau inspired me to think more about our relations to ourselves and to the environment, especially when the author says:
“our society is characterized by a cancerous growth of vision, measuring everything by its ability to show or be shown and transmuting communication into a visual journey.”
We read, we receive all sorts of information everyday, yet we are only able to remember part of them. In terms of reading texts, as the author used as an example — to my understanding– we will remember the information that we have thought about or have created some memorable points with.
To me, this is the conversation with the self.
So how to invent memory, how to grasp information especially when reading?
- ability to think and link from memory
(we use the same part of the brain when creating and remembering..?)
It will be easier to understand and memorize if we try to link the information to our experiences or to have conversation with ourselves.
Other than the self alone — the self to the environment:
What information do we receive about the environment at that time through other senses. For example,
- Smell. When I took bubble bath during last winter break I always watch a certain entertainment show that I have stopped watching after semester started. I also have not taken bubble baths since this semester started. Yet when I use that bubble bath gel for shower, scenes of the show pops to my mind automatically. Because of the smell, and its linkage to my memory.
- Sound. I also explored this in my somatic diary. Sounds can help you focus and can also generate surprising effects. I visited a secret sound installation in Times Square. The sound created a monistic feeling of infinity, and the contrast sensing by eyes — visually super rich — and ears — mainly cohesive and repetitive pattern with traffic and human noises as background, leads to a feeling of being inside a big bubble that protects the bodies from the seemingly noisy, unprotected environment with the information explosion.
- Touch. Rather than one-way communication (shows, movies), – interactive movies e.g. Sleep no more . The information delivered by bodies and movements directly to the audience.
Political aspect of altered senses caused by environmental changes
- Hormonorium– experimental form of architecture using lights, dynamic flow and oxygen level.
Yet this can be seen as controlling the senses and altering consciousness of oneself. Can be linked with bio-weapons, drugs, sound frequency…
CO-LAB: URBAN TACTICS & PERFORMANCE 