::: the fine print on environmental signals :::

[brian carroll]

a distinction needs to be made regarding a previous statement in
which the invisible realm of electromagnetism and information needs
to be made visible. and this was proposed as happening already in the
arts and culture in various ways. yet there is something new about
this that was not mentioned and that is the role of 'infrastructure'
as presently existing as a worldwide assemblage of this new
civilization, and thus a daily visual materialization of this
lightspeed energy (powergrid) and information (telecom) which is
suspended via cables on wooden distribution poles. this is a global
circuitry that is also found locally.

it is such artifacts that today are visualizing this quintessential
realm, via how they plug into this structure. and this is the
foundation, the basis for em-info in culture, as it has been evolving
over the last few hundreds of years, from batteries to telegraphy to
mass media to computers. and this structure is a mirroring of the
natural infrastructure of the human lifeforms, a nervous system as it
has been externalized/extended (McLuhan). and this is also a
standard, a common order around the world, in terms of aesthetics.
there are wooden poles in China just as there are in Africa, and as
they are in Europe and South America. there are powerplants, tv
stations, etc. this 'language' now exists ubiquitously worldwide. to
look at a wire or cabling, is to see an artifact that is containing
the flow of power via harnessing electromagnetism. it makes all
things work which plug into it. and in doing so, everything connects
into this common circuitry. this is something new, undocumented. i.e.
the cultural aspect of what this means. what it means to have
economic systems reliant upon this infrastructure. to have politics
globalized via its methods of amplification and distribution. to have
social organization mediated through technologies and issues of scale
involved. that this is the basis for a new reality, (em-info) which
is not taken into account in traditional views, excepting as
tangential, supplemental to historical agency. a view which has
proven itself disastrous in terms of governance.

likewise, to look up and see a wire, to imagine that there are
phonecalls and internet data traveling in those wires, and in thin
air also via radiowaves, it is that this is again that matter-energy /
information dynamic-- in that the 'virtualness' of today's online
experiences are contained or held within those wires, this geometry,
those once natural trees turned into artificial poles, which hold up
cyberspace, and which occurs at nearly lightspeed. that is, that
this 'virtualness' and intangibleness of human thought is captured
within this assemblage and its artifacts and helps make sense of it.
that is, while things may appear immaterial, they are materialized in
this infrastructure today. yet it is held outside of historical views
and accounts as to its cultural effect, value, worth. when instead it
essentially functions as the prime mover of culture. including the
arts and most all disciplines. what is happening today is tied into
this, plugged in, related, given worth by its incorporation, relation
to this backbone and spinal cord and nerve center of society.

and so the distinction is that there is a presence of this em-info
realm, it is just subconscious or goes unrecognized in daily lives,
as to its central important which drives everything today, to date.
if a cash register or a gas pump or a credit card or a bar code, it
is all related to this 'stuff'. so too, if digital information of any
kind, if mass media, if a book or newspaper (produced in an automated
factory via machinery). yet to not recognize this, officially, has
left it outside of official history. yet this is the story that
begins to make sense of the last hundred years, if not millennia. the
chaos of the present becomes a clearly recognizable order. the
relativity of views can then be seen in relation to each other, as
complimentary, in relation to this larger empirical situation. the
confusion of minds trying to relate becomes once again tangible,
observable in the environment as to facts, truth, logic, and reason.
this visualization of electromagnetism and information (EMI) has
happened due to the development of this idea/power/force, over
centuries, via culture.

it relates electronic music with internet art with software
programming with hybrid cars with the semiconductor industry with
mining for rare minerals for experiments to learn more about this
situation. it is the common framework. the common idea. it is nature
itself, and the basis for a sharing of reality, in this sphere of
culture, awareness. yet if removing EMI from this, how could it be
seen or made sense of? if what held it all together, making sense of
the present, was left out of the equations. and instead, other words
were used, and sought to describe this through its absence and
replacing it with other explanations -- yet which become limits, and
the failure of anything else to approach this situation, to
rationally describe what is going on, ends in simple recognition that
nothing to date can do this. not any discipline or person or single
view of this. instead, it is nature itself, the cosmos. its
structure, even more, it is awareness, if not then 'reality' of this
situation, of life, being, and existing in this. any given relative
view is puny in comparison, as attempts at making this situation
finite can ultimately be seen for how immense this situation is,
beyond the human, to encompass everything. every idea. every thought,
action.

the infrastructure is a representation of this new yet ancient
ordering, this new yet ancient reality, and it is how cyberspace is
brought down to earth (so too, minds) within understanding artifacts
and how they relate in this context. aesthetics. (metal towers,
wooden poles, black boxes, dials, LED readouts, etc). this 'exists'
and sustains a given reality based in this science and technology
which influences/effects all people (in the .US let's say) in some
fundamental way, as to reality, awareness, relations, culture. it is
effectively 'architecture' in its most raw state of formation. and
when artists have decided to explore this realm, by extending it or
investigating it, via aesthetics, they are building on this
existence, referencing it, sharing it in some way. which has happened
spontaneously and will continue to do so. not formulaically or by
some decree that this is what is good, right or necessary. if one
relates to such a situation, it may become a shared language as a way
of communicating, through these aesthetics, and challenging them.
yet whether this is done or not, it is and will continue to happen
anyway, via the influence of this infrastructure upon daily existence
and being in this culture. it is what is moving everything, via its
power, data, ideas. humans are merely caretaking of this automated
machinery, unless choosing to do otherwise and start to steer this
mechanism by human goals instead of those of corporate accountings.

thus, this invisible realm and lightspeed situation are in everyday
technology, in the cellphone, in the hearing aid, in the bus pass.
and it feeds into this larger infrastructure, this machine, what may
function as a beast even, if it were to become its own master. and
artists and thinkers and others can shape this situation, help people
become aware of the situation, what is at stake here, and regain some
control of this via recognizing this 'nature' and its basis for
'culture' today and so too, the basis for 'reality' itself,
ultimately. yet it may not be considered this way, if at all. and
while there may be aesthetics and design and traditional views that
continue to do there thing, it may be that there are others who are
already working in this realm and that when they are able to organize
their basic connections in this realm, that the existing reality and
its valuations of what is going on, its default perspective, will
then be transformed by a new shared sense and a greater understanding
of the present, and a recontextualization of disciplines and
understanding will occur through new knowledge. yet, at the level of
'reality' itself, that this is a paradigm shift unlike any ever seen,
which will enable humans to relate at world scale in a shared
environment. and the basis for this is in these tangible artifacts,
this infrastructure. the ability to communicate about it, using this
language of aesthetics, as a place to begin these first conversations.

in other words, the quintessential realm of the 5th element is all
around us, it is infrastructure. yet it is undocumented. subliminal.
unconscious. we are asleep to this situation, as a culture, in which
using energy is killing people elsewhere for this machinery to
function as it is, as if in a day-dream. and to be able to ignore
this is violence through willed if not condoned ignorance. the
perils of out of touch bureaucracy and governance and citizens who
have lost their way.

the point that was attempted to be made is that 'art' as a discipline
(one among many) has a role in all of this, and many are already
working in this realm. and yet this visualization has not yet to
occur in the sense of seeing this in its entirety, instead of partial
fragments of relativistic views. that is, there is a foundation here
of a new cultural reality. (much bigger than modernism, for sake of
comparison. it is an entire cosmology. it is nature, reality
itself). this is what is claimed to 'exist' as a common situation.
and people are mediating it in the ways they know how and can
approach and know. it may be very personal. for some it may be having
a sense of how intuition works even though such sensory perception
may be downgraded by established ideology as a type of intelligence.
it may be feeling music to a degree that it becomes philosophy of
this realm, of how to relate and find syncronicity within the chaos.
it may be painting the wires just because. it really doesn't matter
how one relates, only that one relates. because it is basic existence
today.

and how to approach this, via arts or other disciplines, may take
decades. yet the good aspect of todays chaos is that there are a lot
of people experimenting, and connecting via ideas, and if only in the
most fragile sense that this atmosphere is shared (not the most
literal or formal or explicit) it can become a basis for potentially
relating in a way that is otherwise impossible. aesthetics is one
area this begins to be possible, yet aesthetics in terms of nature
and knowledge and ideas. which then gets back to this dueling of
realities. that, as things change, value and worth will be pegged to
one reality or the other, in terms of adaptation and survivability,
if only as a trend, yet possibly as a basis for understanding. an
upgrade of sorts, in awareness. and this is a very steep curve as it
exists, unless it can be made more accessible via 'literacy' of this
situation, and art has an important role in such a transformation of
cultural awareness. as it can shape/create this.

there is inherent beauty that exists today that has nothing to do
with this and its conceptualization and nothing is taken away from
that perspective if it is grounded in an em-info environment. it is
what it is. yet, today, there is the problem of misrepresentation
where celebrity and hype have led to things being described in all
encompassing terms about their greatness in terms of culture which
have no relation to this existing situation, nor insight into this
shared condition. it is instead all relativistic. privatized, etc.
this realm of aesthetic knowledge, value, awareness ... cultural
reality. and this is then where the 'price of ideas' enters into the
equation, because, right now there is a situation where 'nothingness'
is triumphing over the world as an ideology, void of any insight into
the situation as it exists, except as it can be privately
manipulated. and this, then, is a counterpoint, of common 'being' in
relation to this, of ideas grounded within this empirical nature.

it is impossible to mediate this condition by any one individual and
speak for everyone, and from every or any given view, as there is
total distortion and bias which warp the most basic of ideas. it is
very difficult and can be unforgiving, just to try to share an idea
(and that is all that is trying to be done here). the difference
would be that when these changes do start to occur or are worked
through, the understanding of 'beauty' may likewise shift/change/
adapt. so too, ideas of value. worth. good. meaning. and this is
where it will be happening, because of the fundamental nature of
consciousness and developing this at the scale of culture. that this
is an inevitable situation in terms of ideas, reality,
consciousness. that if to speak of culture, to represent it, this
info-em will have to be taken into account, because it has become the
standard (whether or not recognized). those who recognize it can
develop it. those who do not may seek to challenge it, and then the
real fun begins. because ultimately all of this is based in truth, in
reason, and cultural awareness. and this situation will work itself
out, most likely, it will happen one way or another automatically. it
may not need to be made into an effort or agenda or planned in some
constricted/confined way. it may just naturally occur, as it has been
naturally occurring by those who devote themselves to this realm in
their own work (possibly essential and by necessity, even- unwilled.
natural course).

in any case, the infrastructure is already here. it is already
visualized. this thing (stuff) is all around us, the information too.
the distinction was to begin to understand it, would be to begin to
visualize this in terms of human existence, culture, representations
(of nature, of reality, etc). yet this is getting too far ahead yet
it is necessary to say that this infrastructure exists as the
culture, as its basis, as the common order. that it is not inventing
styles -- it is looking at this archaeology and anthropology and
sociology and physics and architecture and engineering and artwork
and taking account of what already exists, observing this situation,
considering it, sharing views with others about this. it may be a
film, it may be a dance, it may be a painting, it may be clothing, it
may be pottery, it may be a children's book, it may be a poem. yet
what it is is about this nature and this (em-info) reality and this
condition and connecting dots with others about this existence. if in
Belgrade or Beijing or Istanbul or Cape Town or Brasilia. that this
becomes a basis for relating across diverse regions and traditions of
a shared culture and civilization that is cosmic-- it is not
'western' in its origin alone, it is a co-development of the planet
if not the universe itself-- it ties mind with bodies, ideas with
deeds, and aesthetics with knowledge of nature and its truth.

and that the various perspectives (mediums/disciplines/methods) to
approach this situation will all be capable of contributing to this
empirical project as perspectives within this common condition. and
that this is substantial in its impact to culture and its reality and
issues such as policies, etc. and it could also be a way to connect
peoples around the globe, to collaborate, cross-pollinate. if only
the basis for doing so could be established via the sharing of this
idea between peoples. it is about engaging a shared atmosphere, and
tapping into this situation, in any number of ways. yet in writing
this it seems to always bring with it inherent alienation, and that
is not the intention nor anything new, it would seem. things, people,
ideas are already completely alienated. this is only to take an
account of this situation and to realize there is a way that we are
all also related today. and then, to imagine if not hope if not work
towards, trying to further bridge this gap so that we can begin to
work on the issues we face, and this is what is proposed as a way of
allowing this. via ideas, via reason, truth, facts, logic... yet
also, design, aesthetics, beauty, emotion, dreams.

that once this dreary foundation work can be accomplished, a
conceptual scaffolding will allow for an interdisciplinary framework
to begin this larger empirical project relating all things with each
other, and via cultural, as it is based within/upon this
electromagnetic-informatic infrastructure. and all that was trying to
be said is that there are many people with much talent and great
ideas that may eventually relate their own work to this larger,
longer, later project. it is not immediate (i've been working for 15
years just to get to this point online, where my fingers are my
existence of these ideas in the word, as they type, yet that is as
tangible as it has gotten thus far...)... and, yet the (cosmic) tide
has turned-- and things will begin to happen in this general
direction and it is simply to give some sense of what this may be
possible, so as to share ideas, potentially goals.

[these are not ideas to write out, they are conversations to have,
and thus it is impossible to try to share and exchange ideas in one-
way formats as it is always to be entombed within ideology, in
existing thinking and not to be able to clarify beyond assumptions,
and to write backward as it were, to try to move beyond the limits of
the past, haunting every motion until liberated from it.]