Sep 11 2008
BabelSwarm: Art in the Virtual
Exegesis:
This critical exegesis of my podcast, ‘BabelSwarm’, will briefly explore how the interactive, audiovisual, virtual art project of BabelSwarm exemplifies certain aspects of participatory culture, those of collective intelligence, interactivity and community. The internet has given rise to new communities that are connected across the globe, and with it the potentials for gaming, social networking and other activities, such as art, have expanded. BabelSwarm connects with ideas of community through the virtual, amongst other things, but the breadth of possible discussion – and the complexity of the art project itself – also presented me with a challenge when creating my podcast.
In ‘Interactive Audiences?: The ‘Collective Intelligence’ of Media Fans’, Henry Jenkins identifies three key characteristics of participatory culture. While the second and third are less specifically relevant to my project, the first – new tools and technologies that enable consumers to archive, annotate, appropriate, and recirculate media content (Jenkins, 2002) – is fundamental to a project such as BabelSwarm. The potential for interactive experiences is hugely amplified by digital technology, and particularly the connecting nature of the web. BabelSwarm fits into participatory culture both as an artwork that is created with digital technology, and because of its location within Second Life.
Second Life is a virtual world that attempts to literally give people a ‘second life’. While still restricted by technological limitations and the economic concerns of the company that controls it (Clemens, 2008: 15), Second Life sees people re-creating themselves as avatars, making friendships, buying land, decorating homes, getting married, being buried, and numerous other simulations of real-life activities. Constructing art in Second Life is one such pastime, and is now being supported in the real world. BabelSwarm, as an art installation in the virtual world, was funded by the largest grant yet seen for a Second Life project (Clemens, 2008: 2).
Second Life – and other similar virtual worlds and forums – fosters community on a global scale. Members are from all around the world, and accessing the same online world from innumerable locations. It’s a prime site for communities to form in ways never possible before. Pierre Levy predicted this result from the impact of internet technologies in stating that, ‘we are passing from the Cartesian cogito”—I think, therefore I am—“to cogitamus”—we think, therefore we are.’ (McGonigal, 2007: 1). Unlike the example of I Love Bees in Jane McGonigal’s essay on collective intelligence, BabelSwarm does not present a problem to be solved, and is without an implicit purpose in the way that online games have goals. This initially presented me with a challenge when thinking about the project from a theoretical standpoint. It seems to be that BabelSwarm does not produce or use a collective intelligence so much as it exemplifies it. It is like an enormous picture of collective intelligence.
Jenkins writes about the collective intelligence of media fans and uses Pierre Levy’s Collective Intelligence to discuss the new knowledge space that emerges when boundaries between groups and nations break down. The internet has enabled this knowledge community, which operates on the principle that no one knows everything, but everyone knows something (Jenkins, 2002). This concept is acted out by swarm intelligence: picture a group of beings without a single being governing them. By their local interactions, in pockets of individuals you might say, the group as a whole can achieve greater ends than were possible on their own. It is a picture of sharing and communication – and BabelSwarm fits right in.
>Each of the letters in BabelSwarm have been separated from their place within the word they were born in; but each letter is also programmed to search out those letters on either side of its original position. There is no all-encompassing order, but small interactive movements by each letter to reform some whole.
Interaction is also present on the part of the human user. The tower of BabelSwarm consists of words and letter that have been spoken (in real speech) and translated via software into 3-D images (in the virtual). The installation could not exist without that speech. There is also the response evoked by an avatar’s contact with letters – if hibernating, the letter will be reawaken, but if in seeking mode, it will be obliterated. Every new interaction changes the structure of the installation, building on what was previously done.
These thoughts on BabelSwarm’s significance are very perfunctory, since the project is relevant in various discussions, whether of language and history, culture and the arts, online games and the virtual/real divide, or otherwise. It is fascinating from any angle (literally and metaphorically), and hopefully the podcast I have created reflects this.
Clemens, Justin (c.2008) ‘BabelSwarm’. http://www.iconinc.com.au/acva/babelswarm_essay.pdf (accessed 11 September 2008).
Jenkins, Henry (2002) ‘Interactive Audiences?: The ‘Collective Intelligence’ of Media Fans’. http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/collective%20intelligence.html (accessed 11 September 2008)
McGonigal, Jane (2007) ‘Why I Love Bees: A Case Study in Collective Intelligence Gaming’. http://avantgame.com/McGonigal_WhyILoveBees_Feb2007.pdf (accessed 11 September 2008).
The Cherry Blues Project, ‘Cosmic #1’ (Music) n.d. c.2007, http://www.opsound.org/artist/thecherrybluesproject/, CC BY SA 2.5
The Cherry Blues Project, ‘Blue Space’ (Music) n.d. c.2007, http://www.opsound.org/artist/thecherrybluesproject/, CC BY SA 2.5
Macroform, ‘Lying Down’ (Music) n.d. c.2008, http://www.opsound.org/artist/macroform/, CC BY SA 2.5
Acclivity, ‘OlgaNR1.mp3’ (sound recording) 2006, http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=14261, CC SP 1.0
Dobroide, ‘cave.large.hall.mp3’ (sound recording) 2005, http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=4203, CC SP 1.0
Dobroide, ‘voc.art.gallery.wav’ (sound recording) 2006, http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=15656, CC SP 1.0
Anton, ‘keyboard-typing.wav’ (sound recording) 2005, http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=137, CC SP 1.0
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4 Responses to “BabelSwarm: Art in the Virtual”
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What a fascinating topic exploring participatory culture and community! While I was aware that many elements of real life have Second Life counterparts, I had not really thought about what this would mean in terms of art, its presentation and its development. This podcast explained, in a very clear and engaging manner, exactly how BabelSwarm operates both in and outside of Second Life, so even though I’ve never used the system I had no issue imagining how it looked (and when I checked the website found that what I imagined was quite close to the real deal).
I thought that it was very interesting that BabelSwarm received a grant from the Australia Council and that it was the biggest ever to be awarded for a Second Life project (http://babelswarm.blogspot.com/). This demonstrates that there is not only more recognition of virtual art, but that it is considered to be as valuable as art constructed in the ‘real’ world (eg. not in Second Life). This is a very important step in the building of virtual communities and for the participants in them. It acknowledges the level of commitment and participation of the users of Second Life, that for them, their lives in Second Life are as real, or in some cases more real, than their physical world lives.
I think it’s really interesting how BabelSwarm builds on existing ideas of community in the past (such as the Tower of Babel), in order to create and maintain community in the virtual and physical worlds for the present and for the future. BabelSwarm takes the ideas of participation culture and community to another level, by combining these two elements in a world that is already based on participation and interactivity, so I definitely agree with Kiri’s comment that BabelSwarm is ‘innovative in several ways’.
BabelSwarm is indeed a very interesting form of collective intelligence and participatory culture. Unlike community radio stations, newspapers or even internet learning platforms, as located in Second Life, BabelSwarm is a collective intelligence of a larger scale. Like Second Life, BabelSwarm does not have an actual goal or result, as mentioned in the exegesis. Therefore it mainly focuses on the interactive experience of avatars.
I agree that it again gives another example to the huge amplification power of the Internet to interactions between people. The real world art gallery of BabelSwarm limits its visitors to a physical locality. As mentioned in the podcast, visitors have to go to New South Wales in order to actually see and influence the art work by a computer interface. Comparatively, the BabelSwarm installation located in the virtual world of Second Life let its viewers to gain access through the Internet, that means people around the world could watch and build this art work if they have Internet access.
Although I cannot quite understand how it works, but this virtual art gallery seems to break through the long-existed barrier of different languages. Even people who speak different languages can both experience and contribute to the collective intelligence. This interactive experience is unique and commonly shared at the same time. As Joanne has brought out in her podcast, people who are shy and timid can make some kinds of contribution to this collective intelligence of audiovisual art work as well. BabelSwarm is not an art piece created by somebody, but everybody who has tried to influence and interact with it.
I guess the podcast would be clearer if there are images of the BabelSwarm as I found it quite abstract when I listen to it, but of course this is an AUDIO project so this suggestion is not quite applicable. That is why I typed in the website provided at the end of the podcast and found out how it looks! Amazing!!
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