Modify--Speculative Technology
Selected by Cathy Davies

Our consumer landscape is filled with interactive products that provide us with options and customization. Hyped near-future technologies bedeck the covers of Time and Newsweek: "Breakthroughs that are Keeping People Out of the Doctor's Office" "What Users Want is Control Over Their Digital Lives".

Biotech, new pharmaceuticals, body enhancement, and life extension are portrayed with the greatest of technological optimism, with simple moral dilemmas thrown in to provide drama. Importantly, the media's speculation about technology implies our technological futures will provide even better options and even broader customization.

MODIFY presents works that also involve a construction of or speculation about near future technology. On the surface, these works present humor, fantasy or corporate slickness, but lead the viewer to dark questions about the goals and results of these technological speculations. Who designs the choices that these technologies will apparently provide? What social conditions will affect who benefits?

VIDEO WORKS:

Pastoral
By Hillary Mushkin,
9:12, 2002

Violate Nature: Plug-Uppetry
By Shane Hope, 17:00, 2002

Apple Grown in Wind Tunnel
By Steven Matheson,
video, 26:00, 2000

Reasons Why I Couldn't Sleep Last Night
By Steven Wong,
video, 4:32, 2001

Biosperes, Closed Systems and Evolution
By Rachel Mayeri,
3:30, 1:00, 1:00

The Settler
By Rian Brown,
video, 16:00, 2001

Have A Nice Day Alone
By Leslie Thornton,
video 7:00, 2002

DIGITAL WORKS:

Juvenate
by Michelle Glaser,
CD-ROM

Inflat-o-scape
by Jessica Irish
wwww.inflatoscape.com

Gay Gamete
by Clover Leary
www.calarts.edu/~cleary/

Handy Hands
by Machine Corporation
www.machinecorporation.com/hands/

Gene Genies
by Tran T Kim-trang and Karl Mihail
http://www.genegenies.com/

Performance-Reception on Saturday November 23, 7-11 pm:
Gen Mod Café by ModGen,
a reception of various genetically modified foods.