The Old Is Dying and The New Cannot Be Reborn - Week 7

We started today's lecture talking about nostalgia. What is nostalgia? is it the happy memory of easier times? Nostalgia to many is their childhood, and the simple things that once made them happy and set them at ease. To me, nostalgia is my old life in Poland.

Are there any platforms, or technologies you would bring back?

Flash! I miss those times where I rushed home from primary school to play all different dress up games on my browser. One famous game that I will never forget is the fireboy and watergirl, every 2000s child, computer class, time waster.

Is there anything we currently use you might be nostalgic for in the future? #speculativenostalgia

Cameras... the speed at which smartphones are getting more and more advanced with each year, I have a feeling that both digital and film cameras will become completely irrelevant in years to come. In a way they are already not used as much as they used to be due to the accessibility and convenience of smartphones. Additionally, why would someone bother buying a professional camera when they can just use their phone which they already own? Passion is the only factor I really see. I believe that eventually smartphones will surpass the quality of most advanced cameras we have today.

Would you fix a broken piece of technology?

Nowadays, the widespread accessibility of technological products and the consumerist mindset of modern societies go hand in hand in creating waste. It is easier for an average person to simply replace their broken device rather than fixing it, and in some cases it can be more affordable to get a new product, often bundled with different gadgets which sets consumers into a upgrade spiral.

Apple in recent years has been notorious for making their products harder to repair, making their smartphones designed to never be opened, nor do they provide ways of repairing their products without spending far too much money on it. However, despite their efforts many apple users have found ways to work around these issues. Websites such as iFixit are a great source of information for people who wish to go against the unnecessary consumerism, and gain a wider understanding of technological devices.

Katie Paterson

Created a phone line to an Icelandic glacier via a underwater microphone submerged in Jökulsárlón lagoon, an outlet of Vatnajökull. The number 07757001122 could be called from any telephone in the world, and the listener would hear the sound of the glacier melting.

Earth code Martin Howse

The earth codes project proposes an intentionally literal, artistic series of experimental situations which explore the notion of an earth computer, a computational device inscribed or doped both on the skin and on the earth substrate itself.

Why cell phone towers are camouflaged?

Telecommunication companies began camouflaging the structures to combat public scrutiny from both their appearance and the potential fears related to their presence when they first appeared. It also protects cell phone towers from being potentially vandalised and destroyed. Camouflaged cell phone towers can be seen as a form of obscure and innovative art.

What is media archaeology?

Media archaeology or media archaeology is a field that attempts to understand new and emerging media through close examination of the past. In this module we are focusing primarily on media archaeology, where we rediscover and study media products of the past, present and brainstorm about a potential future.

“Media archaeology has been known for its innovative work in excavating repressed, forgotten or past media technologies in order to understand the contemporary technological audio visual culture in alternative ways” .P.425

Zombie Media

“Zombie media is concerned with media that is not only out of use, but resurrected to new uses, contexts and adaptations”.P.428