the_living
the_living (1998) is an internet work by Debra Solomon. It was shown at DEAF98.
Debra Solomon: the_living
The_living is a digi-persona who blurs the borders of the physical and the digital world. While appearing in challenging physical environments she interacts with her audience in virtual conference environments. By continuously sending semi-fictional video and chat narrative, she engages her audience to help construct a new visual culture. The home of the_living is the computer screen which is built up of web pages, windows displaying images, logs of ongoing chats, or computer code, as well as sound. Three such live-screens with desktop environments are presented in the exhibition. Like in the kyogaru culture of Japanese high school girls, the_living sends midi sound-embedded web pages to her acquaintances, 'so that we can chat in a homogeneous space, listen to the same music, look at the same thing, be in the same room together.'
