Week 4: Response to Dunne and Raby, “Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects”, Sections 01 and 02
Dunne & Raby’s “Design Noir” is an attempt to explore the relationships people develop with electronic objects, beyond mere consumers. (I have this book, so I won’t limit my comments to just the first two chapters.)
I suppose the first obvious question is, why electronics? While Dunne and Raby don’t discuss this, at least in the first two chapters, it seems worth reflecting on the topic. Probably the most interesting thing about electronics is the appearance of life: they do things on their own (sometimes unpredictably) and, as embedded microprocessors become more ubiquitous, they exhibit more and more complex behaviors. They work in realms (radio frequency and infrared) that are not readily perceptible by humans. Finally, they are often used in situations that carry significant emotional weight: communications, or consumption of carefully crafted mass media. Each of these factors separately has some precedents in other areas, however, they come together for the first time in consumer electronics, where they support each other and create a compelling emotional impact.
These factors help understand the appeal of hacking and reconstructing these devices. First, there is the thrill of getting them to display forbidden or transgressive behaviors not anticipated by their makers. A good example is Sony’s Aibo robotic dog, which quickly developed a devoted hacker community. A French artist, Stéphane Sautour, figured out how to get them to fight each other, and staged electronic dogfights. Circuit bending, the process of modifying toys and cheap electronic instruments to generate completely different sounds, is another great example. Of course, there are large groups dedicated to hacking these devices for the purpose of avoiding media restrictions (region-free DVDs and games, etc.), but these same groups often pursue these activities for artistic reasons as well.
Second, there is the process of making the devices otherwise invisible workings intelligible and visible. (Dunne and Raby work in this area, building devices that sense RF energy.) ITP’s own Tristan Perich does this as well, in his LoudObjects project that assembles music generating circuits in front of an audience.
Finally, there are those hacks that attempt to modify the emotional valence of media. I’ve seen mobile phones modified to change the voice of those using them, and television sets that alter their content in subversive or disruptive ways – this latter is especially effective with advertising.
Therefore, hacking electronics is interesting because it attacks (or explores) the very attributes that make these objects so intriguing and compelling. Moreover, by exploring the objects themselves, it starts directing attention to the organizations that manufacture them. This is considered so challenging that immense legislative and technical means are deployed to prevent products being hacked!
As with the virtual environments referenced in the previous week’s readings, a fairly high degree of technical literacy on the part of the artist is required to effectively subvert and explore technologies.