Maria Ruotsalainen

INTERFACES

MAIN QUESTION THAT DRIVES WORK

HOW DOES THE BODY PROPER AND VIRTUAL (ROLE - PLAY) BODY RELATE TO EACH OTHER?

MAIN ATTRIBUTES / PARADIGMS THAT

INFORM YOUR QUESTION.

Body ProperI STARTED WITH A NOTION HOW ONE ( ME )ASKS THE VIRTUAL BODY TO BE THE BODY FOR HER.

SHE ( I ) DOES THAT IN ORDER (i) TO ESCAPE THE GAZES OF HER IMMEDIATE PHYSICAL SURROUNDING; (ii) TO ESCAPE HER BODY PROPER WHICH HAS BECOME DEFINED BY THOSE

GAZES.

- WHAT MEANS PROPER? "MY HANDS ARE TOO SMALL TO USE PROPER KEYBOARD SO I ALWAYS PLAY ON LAPTOP"

THIS IS WHAT MEANS BODY PROPER: IT IS THE INSTITUTIONALIZED BODY, THE STANDARDIZED BODY, WHICH CARRIES WITH IT THE NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS, HAS TAKEN SHAPE ACCORDING

TO THEM.

The Slave and the MasterMIKKO WROTE ME THE SLAVED WHOLE EXISTENCE DEPENDS ON THE MASTER; HERE THE BODY PROPER BECOME READ AS MASTER AND VIRTUAL BODY AS THE SLAVE. AT LEAST THAT WAS MY

INITIAL READING. THEN I STARTED THINKING IT. IT IS OTHER WAY AROUND:

HER EXISTENCE DOES NOT DEPEND ON ME - SHE WAS MAYBE INITIALLY MY BODY FOR ME, BUT EVENTUALLY I BECOME HER BODY FOR HER. THIS NOT THOUGH SAY THAT VIRTUAL BODY

BECAME THE MASTER; BODY PROPER LONG BELIEVED TO HOLD THIS POSITION: INDEED, AS MIKKO SAID, IT IS QUERILLA WARFARE.

”PRECISLY BECAUSE I THINK IT IS ONLY A GAME, ITS ONLY A PERSONA, ONLY A SELF IMAGE I ADOPT IN VIRTUAL SPACE, I CAN BE THERE MUCH MORE TRUTHFUL. I CAN INACT THERE AN

IDENTITY WHICH IS MUCH CLOSER TO MY TRUE SELF” –ZIZEK

SUBMISSION TO PLAY AND THE SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF

THE VIRTUAL BODY TO TAKE A FORM, TO TAKE A EXISTENCE, SHE ALSO NEEDED TO BE EMBEDDED INTO NET OF RELATIONS: SHE NEEDED THE GAZES. I NEVER PLAY SINGLE PLAYER GAMES. THE GAZES ARE THE OTHER PLAYERS, THE OTHERS. THERE IS INITIAL FEEL IF CONTROL: ONE CAN SWITCH THE GAME OF WHEN SHE DECIDES TO.

ILL BE YOUR BODY FOR YOU (ITS MY PLEASURE)

• THIS CONTROL, THIS POWER OVER THE VIRTUAL BODY, OF WHICH I DISCUSSED IN MY FIRST PAPER- FREEZING THE VIRTUAL - IS MERELY AN ILLUSION THOUGH; ONCE THE VIRTUAL BODY HAS BECOME PART OF NET OF RELATIONS - FORMED ITSELF WITH OTHERS - IT NO LONGER DEPEND ON BODY PROPER OF ITS EXISTENCE. IT IS NOT GAZED BY THE PLAYER ONLY.

AND MORE THAN THAT; ITS STARTS CLAIMING BODY PROPER BACK FROM THE NORMS. IT STARTED CHANGING THE BODY PROPER TO BODY FOR HER

THIS IS BREAKING THE SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF …. WHERE?