[artinfo] WORLD OF AWE: CHAPTER 2 Launched

[by way of Adele Eisenstein <adele@c3.hu>]

WORLD OF AWE: CHAPTER 2
net art

http://www.worldofawe.projects.sfmoma.org
E.SPACE: http://www.sfmoma.org/espace/espace_overview.html

Commissioned by San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for E.SPACE,
"World of Awe: Chapter 2" by media artist Yael Kanarek introduces
the visitor to previously unpublished entries from the Traveler's
Journal. The chapter loosely engages the themes of destruction and
mending to establish relationships between skins: interface, human
and land. A pearl given by the lover to the traveler is the vehicle
by which these connections are made, as the pearl travels through
the work.


ON VIEW AT SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

 From August 17 to November 24, 2002 "Chapter 2" will be on view at
the museum. In a press release issued by the museum on July 29, 2002
SFMOMA media arts curator Benjamin Weil stated: "I am pleased to be
able to present SFMOMA's online works in the Media Arts galleries.
Visitors will be able to access these cutting-edge works in the
context of the Museum for the first time."


ABOUT CHAPTER 2

"Chapter 2" reveals the menu Xcavations with two digs, which hint
at the nature of the treasure and the hunt. Two Navigation Tools
are included: The Laptop and the Uzi barrel, as well as and two
Xcavation Handhelds: Dirt Digger and Coin Probe. In the Locations
menu the environment in focus is the Minefield. Under the File menu,
two love letters are 'upgraded' from "Chapter 1" and two new letters
are introduced.

"Chapter 2" offers alternate methods of reading. The Precis
collects all the labels that appear in the logs. These labels can
be moved around and provide an instant reading of the chapter
through keywords, physical description and surface expression.
The second method of reading is by lists. Extending the experience
of Silicon Canyon as appears in "Chapter 1," two lists provide an
inventory of 127 classic computers and 539 software titles found in
the canyon.

"Chapter 2" begins the dissemination of The Traveler's Journal over
the network. By going through the chapters users activate three kinds
of geography: The Sunset/Sunrise--the terrain described in the
narrative, the imagined Internet that is associated with the
domain name and last the physical Internet.


CUSTOM MAPPING OF VISITORS' TRAVELS

A new function is available to the visitors: By signing one's name,
World of Awe tracks visitors' movements through the two chapters. Once
visitors' generate their map, a drawing of their travels through the
chapters is printed on a randomly selected image from the series
Nowheres, which is the visualization of the Sunset/Sunrise. The
generated map may be downloaded as a souvenir.


ABOUT WORLD OF AWE

http://www.worldofawe.net

World of Awe is a cross-media project in development since 1995.  At
its core is The Journal-an original narrative that uses the ancient
genre of the traveler's tale to explore the connections between
storytelling, travel, memory & technology. The project augments by the
dissemination of narrative via multiple cultural and communication
systems.