Jim Mason on Wed, 7 Feb 2001 20:58:39 -0800 |
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Syndicate: G-7 Stock Market Puppets |
<html><!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE></TITLE> <META content="text/html; charset=us-ascii" http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <P align=center><FONT size=2><FONT size=3><STRONG><FONT size=5>The G-7 Stock Puppets</FONT><BR></STRONG><EM>An Internet-driven kinetic sculpture and interactive <BR>"commodities" trading environment.</EM><BR><A href="http://www.stockpuppets.com" target=_blank>http://www.stockpuppets.com</A><BR><BR></P></FONT></FONT> <P><FONT size=2><FONT size=3><BR>The G-7 Stock Puppets are an Internet-driven kinetic installation that tracks the movements of global stock markets with seven larger-than-life marionette puppets. Using a real-time data stream, a network of PC laptops, and an elaborate electro-mechanical control system, the installation reanimates the abstract machinations of global financial markets as an absurdist carnival puppet show.<BR><BR>Unfortunately, the script for this puppet show remains a bit hazy. One moment, we might find the NASDAQ puppet soaring 20 feet into the air, consumed with the latest IPO elation. The next moment, without apparent reason or warning, the Nikkei puppet might fall to the ground, crumpling into a fetal posture of weakness and desperation. From the opening to the closing bell, the puppets continue to rise and fall in serendipitous synchronicity with the "arbitrary" movements of the G-7 market indices. Clearly in this puppet show, the markets themselves are the "puppet masters". But we may ask ourselves, "Who are the puppets?"<BR><BR>The G-7 Stock Puppet installation is a gentle commentary on our near pathological infatuation with global stock markets in this era of the "new economy". At the same time, it is also a serious experiment in mapping the complex information stream of financial data onto dynamic objects in the physical world. Our intention is to re-embody this information ecology in a manner that reveals the character and patterning encoded in the fragments of the data stream. And during the process, we might also laugh a bit at the arbitrary control this data stream holds over many of our emotional lives and reckonings of self-worth.<BR><BR>You can see the full description and photos of the project at </FONT><A href="http://www.stockpuppets.com" target=_blank><FONT size=3>http://www</FONT>.stockpuppets.com</A></FONT> </P></BODY></HTML> </html>