POEM BY NARI
visual poetry from the cyberstream
 
MCLUHAN
-
bicycle
techno logy
MarshallMcluhanreadingandthefutureofpriv ateidentityinMyintroductioniwillexplainw
fworkerswithtotalexpereince.itishopedtha tultiMatelybothgroupswillhavetheopportun
knowatthetiMeiwrotethatbook.thephonetica lphabetistheonlyoneinwhichthelettersares
isdiscontinuousandnonuniforManddynaMic.t actilespaceistheworldoftheintervalorgapo
inaworldofsiMultaneousinforMationinwhich weshareiMagesthatarriveinstantlyfroMallq
esaMeway,thecavepaintersdidMuchoftheirwo rkcoMpletelyoutofsight,underrockledges.i
chaforMasgreciangoldsMithsMakeofhaMMered goldandgoldenaMelingtokeepadrowsyeMperor
ifyingexperience.whatespeciallyneestoben otedaboutthephoneticalphabetinourtiMeisi
leandenduringcharacter.visualspaceisnotc haracteristicofthechild'sworldnorofthepr
characteroftheboundinglinesandsurfacesof sculptureasinvolvingallofthesensesininte
cereMington,butthereisMorehandwritingtod aythanthereeverhasbeen.theworld obsolete
carhasbeenobsolescedbyjetplaneandisincre asinglygettingacceptanceasanartforM.thep
hendowestarttogetsMaller? wasactuallyhig hlightingthisprobleMwhenaplanelivesthegr
enlytoexpereincehiMselfsituatedinaboundl essandsilentsurround, wishinguponastar,
ng,ortocoMe.intheseversesyeatsisquiteexp licitaboutthesculpturalforMsofthegoldsMi
rican(March1973)thepieceon bicycletechno logy explainshow thebicyclequiteliterall
tobepartoftheeskiMoexperience.fortheadul teskiMothereisnoupside-downforpicturessu
uartersatonce.ifacousticspaceisaspherewh osecentreiseverywhereandwhoseMarginisnow
liondollarprograMforintroducingourphonet icalphabetintotheirownworld.shouldthejap
ucedindividualcivilizedgraeco-roManManbu titalsoled,viagutenberg,tothedevelopMent
iednotonlyyatesbutManyofhisconteMporarie s.MostpeoplearefaMiliarwiththeextraordin
yeatshadinvolvedthedreaMofacorporatecult urethatMergedsecularandreligiousforMsina
here,thischaracterofacousticspacenowexte ndstoallinforMationstructuresexperienced
ovith,1972)isanaccountoftheculturalandMa nagerialchangestakingplaceinthewesternwo
tniksawthebirthofecology,andartreplacing nature.inthesaMeway,thebook,Moreprolific
lanetandnaturewereobsolescedbusputnikino ctober,1957,andhavebecoMeartforMalso.spu
norsdet'sworkorganizationandjobdesignats aab-scandiainsodertalje(stockholMtechnic
ngitistosaythatthegroundtendstocoMebefor ethefigure.inarecentissueofscientificaMe
eandthings.thecandidatecitedthestateMent ofyateshiMselfthathehadspenthisMajorlife
ccustoMedtoprivateandindividualoutlookan dsiMilarlegalandpoliticalstructures,nowf
itytoasseMbletheentireengine.foraMorecoM pletedescriptionofthisplant,seejan-peter
ourawarenessbytheMiddleofthe19thcentury. thereisastrangepropertyaboutinovationand
ever,theroleofsoftwareintheeastwillbeant itheticalandcoMpleMentarytoitsroleinthew
hatisMeantwhenihavesaid, thebookisobsole te. obsolencedoesnotMeanextintion.quitet
s.itwasthisfactorthatproMptedMyquestiont oalsheppard,butitappearsthatsensorypsych
aldepartMent,sweedisheMployee'sconfedera tion,deceMber1970).therewassoMethingclos
dnothaveoccurredtohiMhadhebeenintheopenc ockpitofasMallplane,andperhapswouldnotoc
eando'caseyandjoycefroMthebeginningofthe twentiethcentury. sailingtobyzantiuM for
plainthisMattersoMewhatinthegutenberggal axybutinowknowafewbasicthingsthatididnot
singleritual:onceoutofnatureishallnevert akeMybodilyforMfroManynaturalthing,butsu
de-downinapicturebook.thisrelationshipis discoveredlaterbyourchildren,butseeMsnot
inenvironMentsconstitutedbyelectrictechn ology.thatis,westernandcivilizedManlonga
ttopoint.itis,ineffect,thesenderwhoissen t,anditisthesenderwhobecoMestheMessage,a
okhasbeenground,buthasnowbeenflippedinto figureagainstthenewelectronicground.inth
ffectsofblindnessincludetheenorMousenhan ceMentoftheaudio-tactileawarenessofpeopl
fosteredtheriseofeuclideangeoMetryaswell asiMagesofseparateindividualandprivateid
disagroupofworkerswithlittleornoexperien ceingroupasseMbly,attheotherendisagroupo
thereforeisafigure-groundterMandthesitu ationofobsolescenceistheresultofsoMespec
eManticallyneutral,lackingverbalstructur eorforce.sincethevisualiMagepresentedint
snotbeenspeciallystudied,thereisstillthe Misteryofthestrattonglasseswhichdrawatte
nanyevent,thereseeMstobesoMerelationbetw eenright-side-upandliteracy.althoughitha
llplayabigrolebothintheeasternandwestern heMispheresoftheplanet.paradoxically,how
chandhearing,andsoon.thepowertoisolateth evisualfacultywithresultinghighintensity
.then,whenhereMovestheglasses,theworldgo esupsidedownagainandreMainssoforafewhour
fheisenbergandothershavestressedthechara cterofthe resonantinterval. inanewplanto
aneseandthechinesewesternizetheirwritten charactertheywouldacquireourintensevisua
asitwere.theorientationofthevisualMan,wi thhisprivateoutlookandindividualpointofv
raditionofirishcultureandtheworldoflegen dandtalesandsonganddancewhichhadpreoccup
ityofaMobilerelationbetweenfigureandgrou ndwhichcreatespatternsofdeepinvolveMenta
roftales,inanoralcultureperforManceisals ocoMposition.havelockdevotesMuchofhisboo
esaMeway,theentirehardwareofwesternindus trialisMhasbeenobsolescedand,astoynbeesa
est.forManycenturiestheeasthasbeendoMina tedbyoralculture,afactwhichgivestheeasta
aceisafigurewithoutaground,havingabstrac teditselffroMthegroundoftheothersenses.a
nifestedineuclideanforMsisthebasiccharac terofuniforMity,continuityandstasis.visu
hesiswrittenon thequestfortheiconicModei ntheworkofw.b.yates. inthecourseofexplai
ndparticipationfortheuser.thelittleboy's questionaboutwhenwouldthespacechangewoul
thsasbeingaMeansofbringingthespiritualan dtheMaterialintoiMMediaterapportandalsoo
upontheirusersofsupportingthevisualfacul tyinlargedegrees,froMtheothersensesoftou
olveMent.thecandidatecitedtheworkofjacqu eslusseyran,andtherewaslight,inwhichthee
alspace,unlikethespaceswhichrelatetooreM anatefroMtouchandtasteandhearinghasastab
cterwhichhasbeenMuchidentifiedwithbothra tionalityandcivilization.visualspaceasMa
aleducatorofgreeks,havelockindicatesthat poeticperforMancewasakindofgroupritualth
snessMakesright-side-upMeaningless.iwant todrawattentionatonetoasiMilarlydrasticr
nowthanever,hasbeenpushedupintoartforMby theelectronicsurroundofinforMation.thebo
enwordwillhaveasalientfunction.*****atar ecentph.d.oralthecandidatewasdefendingat
pearedasoneofectreMespecialisManddepriva tionfortheartistandpoetryalike.perhapsit
xle.itwillrepayprolongedMeditationtocons iderthat play isnotcharacteristicofvisua
lbiasofspecialisMandaggressivegoal-seeki ng,andtheywouldatthesaMetiMeobliterateMo
lspace.intheclassicstudyofplayinhoMolude ns,j.huizingarevealstheindispensablequal
ulpturenotasapriMarilyvisualforMbutasana udili-tactileexperienceofresonanceandinv
arypoweroftheirishcolloquialidioMwhichha sbeenManifestinirishpoetryanddraMainsyng
answerisinthefactthattheenclosedspaceoft hecabinisvisualandstatic.infact,visualsp
iewandpersonalgoals,wouldallseeMtobesoMe whatirrelevantintheelectronicenvironMent
etocosternationaMongthefacultyexaMinersw henitwasproposedthattheyshouldconsidersc
lobaldiMensionswithcoMpletelyunfaMiliarg roundrules.inanyevent,theprintedandwritt
curtoanastronaut.onavisittonassau,iasked alsheppardwhethertherewasanyupside-downi
Mportanceofthechinesewrittencharacterast heMeansofanewfigure-groundrelationforthe
entity.soisolatedthespacesandforMscongen ialtovisionacquiredanalMostseparatechara
rldwiththeobsolescingofourindustrialhard wareandthenewdoMinanceofsiMultaneousandi
changethatcanbestatedbysayingthateffects tendtopreceedthecauses.anotherwayofputti
lyrevertedtooralcultureduringthepastcent uryofincreasingelectrictechnology.aswese
ntiontothehuManhabitofturningtheworldrig ht-side-up,although,infact,wereceiveiton
tspowertoiMposeitsassuMptionsonwidefield sofoperationandexperience.ihavetriedtoex
ategoal-seeking.Mybooktaketoday:theexecu tiveasdropout(newyork:harcourtbracejovan
riesbasedonthevisualcultureofthephonetic alphabetandlatertheprintedword,hassteadi
eMtobeacquiringtheeastern software, theo rientwouldseeMtobetakingoverourwesternha
...ineffect,thesevengroupsfollowalongasp ectruMofdecreasingspecialization.atoneen
thisseeMstohavesoMebearingonotherMatter s,sinceforMostsMallchildrenthereisnoupsi
withtheelectronicage,while,ontheotherhan d,thejapanesearecurrentlyMountingasixbil
wouldbesiMplertodrawattentiontotheworkof erichavelockinprefacetoplatowhereheexpla
chasheputsonthewallsofhisigoofroMMagazin es,andnothingentertainshiMMorethantowatc
specialadvantageinrelatingtotheelectroni cage.ontheotherhand,thewest,forManycentu
tacularshiftinthenatureofgroundwhichalte rsthestatusoffigure.thus,gutenbergscrapp
hewearer.however,afterafewhoursthewearer findsthattheworldflipsright-side-upagain
finvolvingtheaudienceindeepparticipation throughtheartoftheaudio-tactilesculpture
rplay.hecitedtheworkoflinuspaulingonthen atureofthecheMicalbondinwhichthestudieso
rdwarealongwithourwesternalphabet.whatha sbeenforMedisacoMpletelynew ballpark ofg
ktoexplainingtheeffectofthephoneticalpha betonthegreeksensibilitiesandculture,poi
i.t.a.(initialteachingaids.pitMan)hasrev ealedthatoldManuscriptforMsofthewrittenc
htheanthropologistvisitorstraininghisnec ktogetpicturesinfocus,right-side-up.inth
ologistshavenotstudiedthestrattonglasses effectinouterspacewhereastateofweightles
hecontrary.forexaMple,handwritinghasbeen obsolete sincegutenberg,andcertainlysin
e-literateorpost-literateworlds.thelittl eboyonthefirstplaneridewhoasked: daddy,w
nstantaneousinforMationenvironMents.visu alculture,basedonthealphabet,notonlyprod
indshiMselfacousticallyenvironed.itisasi fthelittleboyintheaeroplanecabinweresudd
ys, etherealized bythenewsurroundofelect ronicinforMationservices.thetraditionalr
theretinaupside-down.whenfirstputon,thes trattonglassesturntheworldupsidedownfort
ofworld-widecoMModityMarketsandpricingsy steMswhichwerebasedontheprintedwordandth
hislettersisacousticallyandseManticallyn eutral,theyhavehadtheextraordinaryeffect
penedinjanuary,1972,sevenasseMblygroupsh avereplacedthecontinuousproductionlines;
eplanegetssMallerfroMtheoutside,whyshoul dn'titgetsMallerfroMtheinside?perhapsthe
easseMbly-linetechniquesofusingMovablety pes.foragoodwhiletocoMe,theprintedwordwi
nouterspace.hereplied,aftersoMeMoMentsof reflection: whereyourfeetare,that'sdown.
ntingtotheriseofselfawarenessandidentity asaniMMediateresultofthisuniqueforMofcod
.thereisanotherfeatureofthissiMultaneous environMentwithitsinstantaccesstoallpast
west.ezrapoundandtheiMagistswerekeenlyaw arethatwesternwritinghadenteredanewphase
sitwere.theelectricandsiMultaneousworldb egantoManifestitspatternsandinfluenceson
edManuscriptcultureandelevatedit,asitwer e,toakindofartforM.inthesaMeway,theMotor
haracterservechildrenbetterthantheprinte dalphabeth.ernestfenelossahasshownusthei
strivingtoeliMinateeveryvestigeofthevisu alfroMhispoetry.foryatesthevisualsenseap
oleofourownalphabetisnowgettingnewstatus asartforMinavarietyofways.forexaMple,the
eversaloffigure-groundconditionsforallof usatthepresenttiMe.electronically,welive
fexperience,andMaybebroughttoMindbythere lationtowheelandaxle,wherethecharacterof
awake;orsetuponagoldenboughtosingtolords andladiesofbyzantiuMofwhatispast,orpassi
instherelationofhoMertothe tribalencyclo pedia. inpresentingthebardasthetradition
.whenaskedtoexplainwhysculpturewasnotavi sualforM,thecandidateexplainedthespecial
play istheall-iMportantstructuralfactor withoutwhichtherewouldbeneitherwhellnora
cousticspace,forexaMplehasquitedifferent propertiesfroMvisualspace.acousticsphere
stoftheiraudile-tactileculturewithitsico nicbiasoftribalroleplayingratherthanpriv
sandallfuturesalike,coMMunivationtakespl acenotbyMeretransportationofdatafroMpoin
ningthedevelopMentofhisstudyofyeats,heex plainedyates'lifelongconcernwiththeoralt
ounditquicklydiMinishesinsizeandthelittl eboywasjustifiedinaskinghisquestion.ifth
atinvolvedthepublicasanyjazzorrockfestiv al.asperryandlordhaveindicatedinthesinge
pavedthewayfortheautoMobile.
 
 
 
Copyright © 1997 Poem by Nari
 
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