Lambros Malafouris . Emil Alzamora . Anna Munster Benedict Drew . Esther Leslie . Cécile B Evans ...

214 Pages·2014·17.06 MB·English

T O
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M i n d . L a n g u a g e . T e c h n o l o g y
Q U
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Lambros Malafouris . Emil Alzamora . Anna Munster
Benedict Drew . Esther Leslie . Cécile B Evans
Hannah Proctor . Nathan Jones . Stephen Fortune
Dennis Oppenheim . Lawrence Abu Hamdan . Holly Pester
Geoff Cox . Alex McLean . Kate Sicchio
Karl Heinz JeRon . Mez Breeze . Robert Sheppard
Chris Boyd . Imogen Stidworthy
Edited by Nathan Jones and Sam Skinner

T O R Q U E # 1
M I N D . L A N G U A G E . T E C H N O L O G Y
Edited by Nathan Jones and Sam Skinner
Designed by Charles Holden . www.brainface.co.uk
Publisher: Link Editions, Brescia 2014
w w w . l i n k a r t c e n t e r . e u
Co-publisher: Torque Editions, Liverpool / London
w w w . t o r q u e t o r q u e . t u m b l r . c o m
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ISBN: 978-1-291-99147-5
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C O N T E N T S
4 - P r e f a c e
9 - Lambros Malafouris
20 - Emil Alzamora
25 - Anna Munster
32 - Benedict Drew
43 - Esther Leslie
50 - Cécile B Evans
61 - Hannah Proctor
78 - Nathan Jones
90 - Stephen Fortune
104 - Dennis Oppenheim
109 - Lawrence Abu Hamdan
123 - Holly Pester
130 - Geoff Cox
141 - Alex McLean
145 - Kate Sicchio
152 - Karl Heinz JeRon
159 - Mez Breeze
166 - Robert Sheppard
171 - Chris Boyd
185 - Imogen Stidworthy
195 - TORQUE WorkshopS
204 - C o n t r i b u t o r s
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P R
E F A
C E
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T H I S P U B L I C A T I O N I S T H E
R E S U L T O F A W I D E R A N G E
O F C R O S S - D I S C I P L I N A R Y
C O N V E R S A T I O N S , T A K I N G P L A C E
A C R O S S S Y M P O S I A , O N L I N E
F O R U M S , L I V E E V E N T S , A N D
W O R K S H O P S , T O E X P L O R E T H E
T W I S T I N G T O G E T H E R O F M I N D ,
L A N G U A G E A N D T E C H N O L O G Y.
Our investigation into this combination of themes has its origins in a previous project
entitled Electronic Voice Phenomena (www.electronicvoicephenomena.net), which explores
interfaces between voice and new technology, and associations with the supernatural. As
a splinter enquiry resulting from conversations at an EVP ‘Think Tank’ session in 2012, we
began to consider research into hearing voices and schizophrenia, and it was this strand
of thought which led us to the work of Timothy Crow. Crow’s theory of ‘cerebral torque’
posits schizophrenia as a possible symptom of the lateralisation of brain function and the
evolution of language. The word ‘torque’, with its inference of language in motion among the
circuitry of the brain, and of talking, offered a thematic fulcrum to build the project around.
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WE HAVE APPROPRIATED AND REDIRECTED ‘TORQUE’,
FREEING IT FROM THE SPECIFICS OF CROW’S THEORY,
BUT MAINTAINING ITS ESSENCE AS A TWISTING FORCE
WITH ROOTS IN THE CONJUNCTION OF THE BRAIN AND
LANGUAGE, AND WITH THE ADDITION OF A TECHNOLOGICAL
DIMENSION – THE TWISTING OF WIRES, THE TORSION OF
THE MACHINE. IN ESSENCE, CROW’S USE OF ‘CEREBRAL
TORQUE’ ALLOWS HIM TO POSIT SCHIZOPHRENIA AS ‘THE
PRICE HOMO SAPIENS PAY FOR LANGUAGE’. OUR USE OF
THE TERM ALSO ALLOWS US TO ASK: WHAT, THEN, IS
THE PRICE WE PAY FOR TECHNOLOGY? DOES DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY’S VIRUS-LIKE EMERGENCE FUNCTION LIKE THE
‘SPECIATION EVENT’, OR ACT LIKE A NEW LOBE OR TORSION
IN THE BRAIN, FURTHER TWISTING ITS LATERALIZATIONS?
In an attempt to articulate a particular type of While retaining our original interest in the
movement and entwining inherent within our interrelation of mind, language and technology, the
relationship to technology, we use torque to imply a entitling of the project has acted in a centrifugal
rotating, spiral like force, capable of simultaneously manner, allowing contributors to project their
pulling you in and spitting things out; of both ideas outward. In some cases these projections
tightening and loosening; exerted both upon, and head deep into human histories – Esther Leslie
from within, ourselves. Torque is suggestive of our discusses dancer Loie Fuller’s twisting serpentine
interdependent and transformative experience and movement of silken fabric as a kind of proto-screen
use of technology which has the potential to both or precursor to the rapture and spell of new media
dominate and emancipate, through forces that forms, or Lambros Malafouris uses the figure of the
morph, duplicate and reconfigure our ‘selves’, via turning vase to illustrate his notion of thinking as
online identities and mechanical prosthesis, where thinging. In others, the authors look to the future
man and machine can trade places as fulcrum and – Stephen Fortune explores the perfect storm of
force, tool and maker. In yet another sense, Torque transformative technologies emerging since the
is evocative of more distorted, unexpected or even Industrial Revolution and into new layerings of
sinister forces and movements – the words torture virtual, informatic and geo-political territories
and torment, for example, share their etymological which may lead to a significant biological shift in our
roots with torque, from the Latin torquere - to twist. brain’s ability to enable us to think for ourselves;
Alex McLean and Geoff Cox describe conditions in
which cultural operations with ‘code’ can inform
our relationship to language and political agency.
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Misappropriation and the uncanny become If language moves fluidly across the senses,
symptoms of the torsions between mind, language functioning not only in the mind, mouth and ear, but
and technology in the work of Holly Pester, who also the hand and eye, and evolution can turn a leg
combines her own artistic misuse of search engines into a wing or a worm into an human, the question
and digital technology with Hannah Weiner’s twisted of how we might merge and twist with machines
use of the International Code of Signals into lyric becomes less strange and more pertinent, perhaps.
poetry, and in Cécile B Evans practice, who digitizes This project is less about the speculative and steers
and recasts mundane and almost timeless hand- away from science fictionalising life, however
held devices – scissors, a screw-driver, a comb – useful such representations are, towards more
into digital form, pushing them ‘to their limits’ as unalloyed analysis and depiction of contemporary
things, and finding new emotionally rich terrain for existence, employing more historical, materialist
us to explore. and scientific examinations of the state of things.
Throughout the book, we have been delighted to Supplementing the essays, we have included
find unexpected overlaps between works, which a variety of artist pages - some of which were
form new and greater resonances for the book as presented at the symposium and some at the live
a whole. Esther Leslie’s look back at serpentine performance event. We are pleased to be able to
dancers speaks to Kate Sicchio’s text in which present the work of Karl Heinz Jeron, Chris Boyd,
she discusses her work extending choreography Cécile B Evans, and Benedict Drew as powerful
into the arrangement and control of technological semiotic nodes among the more discursive work. In
interfaces. Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Hannah the research process we also encountered the work
Proctor, and Imogen Stidworthy each critique forms of Emil Alzamora and Dennis Oppenheim and we
of visualization in technological analysis, reflecting include their work for its inspirational resonances.
on the ideological baggage these enticing forms of And a special thank you to Anna Munster whose
‘seeing’ possess - and the delineations and modes symposium presentation from Australia traversed
of control they imply. Holly Pester’s code poetry multiple media, including printed matter, recorded
unearths unexpected colonial and patriarchal voice and skype to brilliant effect.
inferences similarly found in the language of brain
imaging discussed by Proctor and Abu Hamdan. There has also been a very generous response to
And so on. the project from thinkers in our immediate circle in
Liverpool and London, and we are glad to include
The inter-relationships for cognition and tool notable contributions here from Robert Sheppard,
are of course not a new phenomena, and nor are responding to the talk given by Lambros Malafouris
they new modes of enquiry. As Malafouris’ essay at the symposium and applying it to the field of
articulates, tool making and use, brains, bodies experimental poetics, and from Mark Greenwood
and things are in a continual state of exchange, who contributed an unforgettable theatrical work
and the lines between mind and matter blur with The Nodes at our live event in London, and
considerably. In Malafouris’ theorisations, as with drew interesting inferences in his Q&A with Imogen
Cécile B Evan’s artworks, we see tools, language Stidworthy. Also thanks to Ste Cole and Hannah
and the mind share a grammatical form – they Silva who translated with skill and sensitivity the
speak to one another, and in this sense it matters concerns of the project into a number of workshop
less which came first because they cross fertilise sessions, co-produced with ourselves, and
and inform one another, through mutual feedback congratulations are due to all who participated in
and codependent emergent processes, forging a these and created highly imaginative works that
generative interaction that is greater than the sum deftly twisted mind, language and technology, and
of its parts. made the whole process a joy.
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As we have indicated, torque, torsion, and twisting, Please note one specific twist to the usual format
are a guiding motif for the project – with its - we have allowed authors to use their preferred
divergent twirling strands and multi-platform reference format, rather than stipulating a specific
character we are trying to achieve a dynamic and style, thus the publication switches between
cumulative interplay between different disciplines, endnotes and footnotes, Chicago and Harvard - this
participants, processes and media. The symposia, decision is based on the interdisciplinarity of the
live events, workshops and publication have all authors and our confidence in readers ability to
worked collectively to inform and catalyse one adapt.
another, and we hope that this publication with its
nexus of imagery and theorisations channels this We want to thank all those who directly contributed
further. to the project and publication, the majority of
which are new commissions. And sincere thanks to
We hope this publication contributes something designer Charles Holden and our project partners
to the discourse surrounding the plasticity of at FACT, Mencap, Rich Mix, Link Editions and Arts
the brain, the adaptability of technology and the Council England. Also, to those whose work was
malleability of language, and how each offer within not present at the events but contributed to the
them, and in their conflations, a powerful potential publication, including: Lawrence Abu Hamdan,
to be moulded, reimagined, and redirected. Esther Leslie, Emil Alzamora and Amy Plumb
The contributors and their work presented each Oppenheim for assistance with documents relating
offer unique models of navigating this territory, to Dennis Oppenheim. Also thank you to cellist
of making their own artefacts, writing their own Oliver Coates for his new sound work and for his
scripts, forging critical space and examining the performance at Rich Mix, accompanying a new
blind spots. video work by Sam Skinner. This work, and other
project details and research material can be found
at: www.torquetorque.tumblr.com
TORQUE #1 IS WE HOPE THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING NEW.
QUITE HOW IT WILL EVOLVE IS AS YET UNKNOWN BUT WE
ENVISAGE A NOMADIC PROJECT THAT INHABITS AND PRODUCES
PUBLICATIONS, SYMPOSIA, INSTALLATIONS AND EVENTS,
IN COLLABORATION WITH INDIVIDUALS, ORGANISATIONS
AND PLACES, CROSSING THE FIELDS OF ART, SCIENCE AND
CONTEMPORARY CULTURE – AND IN SO DOING PROMOTE
SIGNIFICANTLY NEW MODES OF THINKING, DOING AND BEING.
Sam Skinner and Nathan Jones
London - Liverpool / August 2014
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