On Programming, Operational Construct, & Real Fiction by {Ben, Scott, Duy, Kevin}

In “Programming as practice: a comparison of old and new media,” Simon Yuill talks about programming’s role in new media. He defines the practice as a “form of mark-making that encodes and guides processes of production.” He differentiates between the designer and the one who follows the designs, calling this the programmatic system. These programmatic systems allow for communication of designs and production methods between large social bodies. Mechanisms to govern these come into existence. He says that programming is “’socially directed’ mark-making,” and that programmatic systems increase the sophistication of tasks. Separation of design and production, modularity, and mathematics were discussed in an historical Arab-Islamic context. With “Diagrams for an ‘Operational Construct’”, Jordan Colandall discuss the special relationship called operational construct emerging between computational technology and the defense economy and shaped by many factors including new tools and techniques as well as the social, cultural, and political contexts. This engagement has been a part of the Western discourse involving the history surveillance which has been now digitally assisted with advanced technology. This is driven radically by the nature of the army for better and more instant response of the communication, command, and control process. This contributes to the continuing conflict, reflection, and adaptation within the human-machine discourse. The text explains how much society has acknowledged the technological involvement is omnipresent and almost natural. It is present in all forms of communications. There is an example with the use of GPS systems for navigational control of the car. It allows the user to feel in control, but it is also being “watched”. This is a spectacle symbiotic, where the users must interact with the apparatus so it could be useful. "Real Fiction": time is an important factor in a design installation; immediate feedback is one of the most important elements. A genotype is different from a prototype as it represents the essence of idea but is not a perfect realistic replica of one. A prop is an object to represent an idea, but in an even more broad sense. A prop does not necessarily have to represent an actual object; it could simply be a way to demonstrate an idea.

Open Source Software was discussed. Its promising presence in current times, acknowledged. Whether or not it could realistically become the absolute standard was questioned. The long and controversial relationship between the defense economy-the army and technology has been a key point for the discussion. How one can visualize a new future for the reciprocal and mutual engagement between the two that has been two essential for their own survival. The vision of a new generation of technology that is independent from the army and transnational corporations would encounter many difficulties regarding the funding, inspiration, and motivation; yet it is not impossible. We shouldn’t take the technologies for granted. The more humanity depends on technology, the more humans become machines and create existential questioning. Technology should be crafted to take a more intuitive approach which enhance sensorial capabilities. Time plays a role in art installations that only occur for a limited period (such as the work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude), this adds to the appeal of the installation, even though the objects in it are static.
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