Thinking about borders...Pierre Huyghe & Philippe Parreno.

Of particular interest to me are the barriers and borders that exist in both our physical and virtual space and how these may or may not be transcended through virtual embodiment. The kinds of borders and barriers I am considering are physical, emotional and political. ‘Domain Errors: Cyberfeminist Practices’ contains many interesting essays surrounding women’s involvement in, and perception of cyberspace. It is important to consider the gendered nature of such online interactions. While some believe the posthuman cyborg body to be gender neutral, many disagree.

I have been contemplating this work by Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno for some time now. I love this work, it raises so many questions about the nature of what it means to inhabit/own/understand a body as human or virtual.

FROM THE SITE:

‘No Ghost Just a Shell’ was initiated by Philippe Parreno and Pierre Huyghe in 1999. They acquired the copyright for a figure called 'Annlee' and her original image from the Japanese agency, Kworks, which develops figures (almost actors) for cartoons, comic strips, advertising and video games of the booming Japanese Manga industry. 'Annlee' was a cheap model: the price of a Manga figure relates to the complexity of its character traits and thus its ability to adapt to a story-line and 'survive' several episodes. 'Annlee' had no particular qualities, and so she would have disappeared from the scene very quickly. "True heroes are rare and extremely expensive …" (Parreno) Buying 'Annlee' rescued her from an industry that had condemned her to death.

This is an immensily valuable work in understanding what a character or virtual personality can achieve. While we consider these characters as extensions of ourselves it is important to consider what may happen as we detach from them. A wonderful insight into the idea of ownership, copyright and property.

NO GHOST JUST A SHELL....ONE MILLION KINGDOMS