"I divide my work into two categories, B.C. and A.D., before computers, after digital." So states Lynn Hershman, one of the most celebrated artists working in interactive media technologies; her digital art is so interactive that it requires participants, not viewers....
[more]"I divide my work into two categories, B.C. and A.D., before computers, after digital." So states Lynn Hershman, one of the most celebrated artists working in interactive media technologies; her digital art is so interactive that it requires participants, not viewers. Hershman explores the invasion of technology into our personal spaces. She says, "We are interactively linked in the privacy of our homes by means of television, computer, or telephone."
Hershman created the first interactive laserdisc, "Lorna" (1979-1983), about a woman who is so terrified by the information she sees on television that she is afraid to leave her home. Viewers/participants can eavesdrop on Lorna's telephone conversations, her only connection to the outside world. They can also link to stories about Lorna's past and decide her future. Depending on which ending participants select, Lorna can shoot her TV, commit suicide, or (most frightening of all) move to Los Angeles.
Hershman also explores how technology affects intimate relationships. "Virtual Love" follows the romantic exploits of an information age Cyrano. A woman inserts a model into her love-interest's computer, and the two have a relationship through this perfect, virtual woman. When the man wants to meet her in the flesh, the relationship crumbles; the fantasy cannot survive "real time."
When Hershman received the Siemens/ZKM Media award, the jury praised the timeliness and expansiveness of her art: "Her work incorporates surveillance, voyeurism, and personal identity, and her computer installations expand the possibilities of interactivity." Like other artists who seem ahead of their time, Hershman is actually right on time. The topics she explores, and the media she employs, reveal our desires and conditions -- just as we begin to understand them ourselves.
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