the truth is, we have no idea. we have not begun to understand the death of reality. in our digitized world, we can look anywhere but at our dismembered head. reality is the failure of design. we judge a designs effectiveness, its economy, its efficiency by how little it fails. by its ability to assimilate reality, supplement reality, ‘adjust’ reality – design simulates reality in order to blur the line, in order to assimilate all of reality into design, or assimilate all of design into reality – depending on the desired effect. the manipulation and simulation of reality through design is as old as our ability to find shelter or use tools. the difference is that we now live in a world which is mostly design – where the failure of design is in the minority. everything which is not designed is now designed simply by the fact that we could change it if we wanted. initially, all technological advances tend to
simulate the reality they are replacing. this allows for transition. this is “
reality – only better.” what happens when design has the ability to change itself, to reproduce itself, to defend itself. when we have the ability to create real-time feedback of emotional response. when the machine, the design, the environment is no longer separate from your thoughts about it.
http://www.media.mit.edu/affect/
this line will be blurred. maybe now it is easier to imagine headset on, headset off; or sensors on, sensors off. but design is always on. it can take up the background. it is all be done with mirrors. a huge empty holographic gratification where i can make my self, my friends, and my environment into whatever i please.
