distance (tina la porta)

"a web-specific work which explores our desire for communication, through connection and disconnection, via fluctuations in transmission and reception between geographically separated participants mediated by the surface of the computer screen."-"being there"

it features subjects looking for intimate connections via the web. it is cyberfeminist in nature because it features a female questioning the idea of love and connections in light of new technology like real time conversations (AIM and chat rooms).

the reader follows along through a hypertext narrative. pictures show the subjects' actions through webcams; they display boredom, dispair, etc. the narration examines the interactions of the subjects. "is technology a veil?", she asks "is the virtual, real?"

in the end, it seems the narrator has settled on the idea that internet interactions almost distract the subject from the real world, disconnecting him/her when the first intention was to be connected even more than before. it is this contradicting idea that tina la porta does so well at in examining this piece.

"it investigates the disembodied and dislocated nature of online communication through a recombination of images and text as part of a continued exploration of presence, absence and the desire for connectivity within a global networked environment."-rhizome.org

this work is included here because it is another woman, a self-described feminist, dealing with the way in which technology is intermingling in the real world and how it effects the intimate aspects of our lives.

tina la porta is also a member of OBN.