Slow Communication and Commitment
Julian Bleecker’s recent blog entry on his World’s Slowest Instant Messenger reminds me of some stuff I wrote recently about my Semaclock project…
Although people can simply respond on an aesthetic level to the movement of the hands (and typically have done so), learning the semaphore alphabet is essential for “using” the Semaclock. I would like to think that this would be a pleasurable and rewarding experience, in the same way that learning a new computer game and grasping the game-play can be enjoyed on a different level from playing the game itself. It would also require making a commitment, which is only to be expected when building a relationship.
Building a relationship requires commitment, even if the relationship is with an object. Anyone who’s learned to play a musical instrument can confirm this, and will probably have stories to tell about instruments they own, or have owned in the past, and how they feel about them, what roles they play in their life and so on.
Also, slowing down an interaction is vital in allowing us to experience it fully. Rituals don’t happen in the blink of an eye like many of our electronic transactions do, and for good reason.
I’ll be building a new version of Semaclock for the summer show. It won’t be any faster… ;-)
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