Monday, March 3

HUMAN++ | VISCERA NULL

S PANDITA - VGD LMJ - MMD3307 LOGOS... - 002

Ersatz.

Copied, false, imitation, manufactured, simulated, substitute, synthetic.

My initial response to the concept of post-humanism, the focus of my first mission, is to expand upon my idea of replacement. One interpretation of post-humanism is the idea that the human body is substitute for technology. Artificial creations of mankind interfacing directly with the mind. To the extent that the functions of the creature are beyond what we understand as human.

The voyage towards ultimate mechanical replacement of the body began an age ago, when we defined ourselves as homosapien and the dominant race of this planet. When humans first used the most basic of tools, an extension of the body, the path was chosen and the journey began. A journey that is arguably inevitable and signifies both the transcendence and doom of us all. For truly when the post-human occurs, when we can no longer be considered to exist under the umbrella of humanity, the human race will be considered extinct.

"Homega-sapien", the final evolution. The human instrumentality project was one such attempt to transcend however it focused on the spiritual nature of man, a concept that remains wholly hypothetical. Meanwhile I sit at this terminal and interact: my fingers dart across the interface whilst my eyes scan a screen, soothing music is pumped into my ears through headphones and the rest of my body is ignored though it is cold, hungry and tired. The eventual discard of the human body is inevitable. Even on board surgeons practice the replacement of organs with both animal and mechanical substitutes. Genetic manipulation opens science fiction style horrors within my mind, yet the reality remains unimaginative and largely unimpressive. The cold precision of a world with only two answers to every question is a reality that exists right around the corner. I could almost reach out and touch it.

Particularly here, on this voyage, amongst the technological pioneers and behavioural analysts of the future I feel the reality of the concept. Perhaps there was a time when one needed nothing more than a simple dress cloth to step outside. But in my current state, there is all manner of apparatus to festoon myself with. Hanging from my belt or connected directly to me, feeding me information and adjusting the world around me to better protect my frail core. Even when standing right next to a fellow crew member the world we experience could be radically different.

My final musing for the moment is this: should we attain this post-human status and be free to express our mind directly onto the canvass of a world without limitations, what sort of world would we create? As an artist, if my limitations were removed what could i possible summon up from the fantasies of my mind?

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