Omnipresence in Cybersapce

here2here very much describes the movement of my physical body since my last blog.

I have visited Malaysia and travelled from Langkawi2KualaLumpur.  In Italy the journey was from Florence2Rome, and in Germany from Berlin2Munich.

In between that all, there was a journey from UAE2SouthAfrica, as well as a moving of house from Dubai2AbuDhabi. 

This blog is the first then from Abu Dhabi as I settle into new surroundings and a new routine. 

No longer do I look out from my balcony and see the Burj Khalifa.  Instead I see the sea, The Yas Viceroy Hotel and Formula 1 racing circuit, The Aldar Headquarters (which we have fondly started calling “The Biscuit”) and in the far distance the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. 

Cyberspace - the limitless mindspace we find ourselves in when using technology to communicate - has accompanied me in all these moves. This has been made possible by new routers, wifi on the go whenever and wherever I could find it, and even by means of prepaid data in certain foreign locations. It has enabled me to keep in touch. 

On some days, because of the restrictions of physical space, I have felt alone.  On other days, when I was aware that one status update has the possibility to reach family, friends and followers all over the world, regardless of place or time, I have had the slight feeling that I have the ability to be everywhere at once! Omnipresent?

A lover of words, (see my blog, Langu age), I have reflected anew upon the meaning of omnipresence - the property of being present everywhere at the same time. 

Because it is possible to connect by means of technology from most places in the world, we can certainly say that cyberspace itself can be considered omnipresent. However, what is mindboggling for me, is the fact that in cyberspace an online individual can be omnipresent.  

As students all over the world watch an online instructor for example, there is the perception that the instructor is omnipresent, responding to each of them wherever they may be. 

Updates, whether they be words, images or sounds can be seen by thousands and thousands of others all over the world the instant they are posted. The person posting enters the space of all these others simultaneously in a unique way. 

It was an amazing feeling on one of our flights to post an update and realize that even being in an aeroplane is not a restriction to connectivity. My physical body was being transported high in the sky while my online body was in borderless realms.

The responsibility that comes with this is overwhelming in my opinion. As my words and images speed down the corridors of cyberspace they have the possibility to encourage a better world, a world in which acceptance of differences, and kindness and respect towards the other can become the norm. 

Although interaction in cyberspace is taking place by means of networked devices, without the parties being in direct physical contact with each other, the interactions can be equally valuable. 

While in Italy I had the following exchange with the architect Anthony Lawlor: 

@lindahollier Great! In Rome check out San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, interior is a gem off the beaten path http://t.co/3p05Tk3hGT

— AnthonyLawlor (@AnthonyLawlor) May 16, 2014

Over a period of time one becomes very aware of who one can listen to in cyberspace and so I visited the church and sat and soaked in the genius of Borromini. Without understanding every aspect of how he had achieved the wave-like motion of the architecture, I was able to experience its effect. Architecture and music have that in common. They have the ability to move the heart.  

Cyberspace has its own architecture and every one of us becomes an omnipresent architect when we enter its domain.  What are we creating in this amazing space? Are we touching hearts?

PRT, Paternoster lifts, Cyberspace and Mindfulness

The ability to move individuals or groups of people from one point to another in the shortest possible amount of time, has always been an ongoing challenge for designers and innovators. 

This week I had my first ride on the PRT at Masdar City.  The acronym PRT does not stand for Please Retweet but for Personal Rapid Transit :)

For more info about these pod cars, click here 

In most public transport systems, time is wasted waiting for arrivals, stopping for other passengers and taking indirect routes. PRT systems provide the possibility to move small groups nonstop in vehicles which are automated and are on fixed tracks, thus saving much time. 

Riding along in one of the pods felt more than slightly futuristic and made me think of cyberspace where the same challenges of movement and rapidity face us. 

Although it is a mindspace, I liken cyberspace to a huge network, made up of countless corridors,  each leading to an uncountable number of destinations. With more and more of our daily business being conducted online, we are seeing the emergence of new and wonderful inventions connecting us to each other at incredible speeds. 

I have written before of the need for filtering in cyberspace and the need for deep listening.  These are two qualities which can help us stay on track as we speed through and are sometimes whisked down the corridors of cyberspace.

Masdar City

It is my experience too that as one spends some time on social media in cyberspace, and if one “listens” with awareness while in this mindspace, one gradually gets a feel for which tweet, link, post or entry deserves a closer look. 

This past week I was sent a photograph from a trusted mindfulness twitter friend.

@lindahollier thought you'd appreciate this pic | The Arts Tower Sheffield, England pic.twitter.com/un9ZWOeVAU

— julian (@heedable) February 25, 2014

Julian @zenrules whose one brief is “living meaningfully with mindfulness. listening to others with empathy. sometimes I fall short. still I keep trying”, is aware of my love of architecture and I appreciated his gesture. I thanked him for passing on the image and commented that I liked the fact that it is called The Arts Tower. I was delighted when The Arts Tower connected with both of us.  

@heedable @lindahollier I really appreciate it too. Mostly because it's of me! :)

— The Arts Tower (@TheArtsTower) February 25, 2014

Delighted to be chatting to a tower I recalled the piece I had posted a few years ago -  “Living, breathing being”. It is of the Burj Khalifa speaking shortly after it was born. I reposted the link and then set off to discover more about The Arts Tower. 

The tallest university building in the UK has one feature which particularly captured my attention. It has two ordinary lifts but also has a paternoster lift, which with 38 cars is the largest of the few that survive in the UK.  

The video below gives us a look at this cyclic elevator in The Arts Tower.

This constant movement with its hop on, hop off concept seemed I thought, a forerunner of the PRT system and seemed particularly suited to cyberspace where we are transported from here2here. There is constant movement in cyberspace as we connect with each other, follow links, hop on one idea, get transported via it to another level which awaits us with further information as well as possible distraction. 

No new paterlifts were allowed to be built after 1974 because of concerns about accidents and disability access. Remaining ones were fitted with many safety features. This is a warning for cyberspace too. 

Unless we are mindful and become aware of our exact movements in cyberspace, where we hop on and where we hop off, we stand the danger of simply going round and round aimlessly. The way in which we hop on and off is also important. Consideration of the self assists in maintaining balance in one’s lifestyle both on and offline. Consideration of the other promotes acceptance and understanding. 

There are times when one needs to hit the emergency stop button and take a break and there are times when it is great fun to ride along with curiosity. I have had many adventures in cyberspace. 

As you read this we are connected. Before you hop off this page, may I thank you for hopping on. Take care and happy travels :)

Related articles:

Cyberflanerie: Deep Listening in Cyberspace

Corridors of Cyberspace

Linda in Wonderland

Filtering

Social Media - Bridging Cyberspace

Whirling Dervishes - lessons for cyberspace

A short while after leaving the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul last week, I looked up and saw a billboard advertising a Whirling Dervishes Sema Ceremony and Sufi Music Concert.  It was to take place that evening and as it turned out was not very far from where I was staying. I decided on the spot that I would attend and arrived there early that evening to take my place.

After a short film explaining the history and traditions of the whirling dervishes the ceremony began. 

It is difficult to put into words what I experienced and I am not sure whether I have as yet totally processed the whole experience.  I find myself returning to the images of what I saw and watching them again in my mind’s eye.

This whirling originated with Rumi, who is said to have dictated his poems while whirling. 

In your light I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no-one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art. Rumi

As the dervishes began to whirl, at first slowly and then picking up speed as the ceremony progressed, one young dervish in particular captured my attention. His arms unfolded with grace as he began to whirl and I had the feeling that I was watching a flower of rare beauty unfurl before me. 

Whirling Dervish of Light 

(You can see further images in the gallery: Whirling Dervishes of Light)

Whirling dervishes, I believe, have much to teach us about making our way in cyberspace. 

Their whirling is not haphazard but takes place with intention. Aware that everything in the universe, from the smallest cells to the largest planets, is constantly revolving, the whirling dervishes whirl anti-clockwise, imitating the flow of blood from right to left in the heart, and the rotations of almost all planets. 

Modern technology allows us to access a wealth of information and provides us with wonderful tools of communication, but without intention one can easily get distracted. 

Distraction online is so easy, with tempting links opening onto inviting corridors of cyberspace. It is not uncommon for users to get  totally lost in this space and whirl about aimlessly, often forgetting the reason why they had gone online in the first place. 

As they dance, the right palms of the whirling dervishes are turned up towards the sky and the light, and the left palms are pointed to the earth.  They open themselves to blessings but then transmit these in service to others. They are a reminder to use the possibilities offered by modern technology for good. 

The whirling dervish always has to be aware of where he is, be aware of the space he is moving in, be aware of the music, be aware of how fast he is turning and be aware of the other dancers.

We have to learn to listen carefully in cyberspace, take note of the sites we visit, and remember to treat other online users with courtesy and respect.

Abstract: Online Whirling Dervish

An ambient awareness of other digital users can develop with time. We begin to pick up on moods through data shared and so begin to share in each other’s lives without being physically present. Used responsibly, this awareness can be a source of encouragement and support.   

As the whirling dervish begins to spin, one foot is grounded on the earth and the other gives momentum.  Groundedness is so vital to maintaining balance.

We can no longer talk about the “real” world and the world online, as if the world online is not real.  Both the physical world and cyberspace are very real and form an integral part of most people’s daily lives. With the current rapid rate of development in technology, however, the danger these days is to forget that the physical world is still very much there and that we need to be grounded.  

Electrical circuits are grounded to prevent users coming into contact with dangerous voltages should insulation fail. We need the grounding power of the earth and an awareness of the body as we decode and process all the incoming information from the web so that we do not become overstimulated. 

We instinctively know that grounding is essential.  There are numerous technologies that help us to find our location.  We often tweet or message about where we are. We share what we are doing or where we are going. 

When we log into computers to complete electronic business transactions we have to be very aware of our geographic location and the locations of the systems we are  using. In public places and using public systems one can be at risk.

There are times, however, when the importance of grounding is forgotten.  Recent studies have shown that some people hold their breath when they email or text. When I tweet a reminder to encourage people to stop for a moment and just breathe in and out, I always get a thankful response.

The web has its own monkey mind of constant chatter, and regular pauses to simply breathe encourage a gentle stream instead of a rapid! There are even apps providing such breathing reminders.

The whirling of the dervishes is a strong reminder that everything is in a constant state of motion.  Nothing is permanent.  Anthony Lawlor has recently written an excellent blog on this topic, entitled, “Each Place is a Bardo, A Fluid In-Between Space” 

In their training, the dervishes are guided to find a still point within themselves, revolve around that still point and dance around that still point. 

Except for the point, the still point, there would be no dance, and there is only the dance.  T.S. Eliot, The Four Quartets. 

Those watching, although they are watching motion, have an experience of the calm from which the movement arises. 

Seated at our laptops, holding tablets or other mobile devices, we operate in outward stillness. Have we found the inward still point? Do others experience calm from the movement we are making in cyberspace? 

Grounding ourselves..., we repeatedly reestablish the still point, the clean slate from which we can encounter ourselves and the world afresh. John Daido Loori, Riding the Ox Home. 

In 2010 I attempted to capture some of these thoughts in a poem entitled “Awakening” which you can read in my post “Awakening to Light”.

Before they begin to dance, the dervishes stand with their arms folded together across their chests. 

 

Each dervish appears to represent the number “one” and this is a symbol for unity.  

It is my opinion that as we meet others of different nationalities, cultures and upbringing in cyberspace, we are beginning to recognize that our similarities are much greater than our differences. We are finding unity within diversity.

As the whirling came to an end, those of us present were strangely silent. There was a distinct pause before some applauded. 

What we had witnessed was both otherworldly and at the same time, very much in the present moment. 

Social Media - Bridging Cyberspace

A bridge, by definition, is a structure spanning and providing passage over a river, a road or the like. In the physical world, it spans two locations which are within a reasonable distance from each other. It enables one to get from here to there. 

When it comes to cyberspace, which is not localized but still very real, distance is no problem. In cyberspace - the mindspace we find ourselves in when using technology to communicate - time and space are at once both limitless and compressed. People from different time zones and different geographical locations are connected by the bridges of cyberspace. They are able to get from here2here. 

“When I see cyberspace, I see bridges. Perhaps I should say I see people, building bridges in cyberspace. Not bridges of steel, not even electronic bridges, but bridges of ideas that span the miles of physical space, cross the generations and connect people who would otherwise be unlikely ever to meet.” Dr Judi Harris 

Social media bridge cyberspace and are largely responsible for the incredible communication evolution currently taking place. They enable collaboration and sharing to take place without geographical, time or economical restraints. These bridges connect not only people, but also ideas, interests and cultures.

The builders of the bridges in cyberspace are its users aided by technology, but unlike in the physical world, each builder constructs only part of the bridge.  When a blog is published, a photo posted, an update made, or a tweet sent out, there are endless possibilities of where it will reach. The minute it is read or viewed, a connection is made, and one of many possible bridges is complete. 

The effects of cyberbridges are mind boggling, and today’s blog will be just one story in the bigger web of connections.

About a month ago I tweeted about an app which allows potential buyers to project art onto their walls to see what it will look like before they decide whether they should buy it or not. It was retweeted by the amazing artist Walt Pascoe, @waltpascoe, whom I have been following almost since I joined Twitter four years ago. Two weeks later his retweet was further retweeted by @irishetchings, an Irish artist based in Dublin.

!!!“@WaltPascoe: This looks promising RT @lindahollier: Amazing! Finestra App Projects Art Onto Your Wall http://t.co/CXpbxdE37H via @zite”

— Irishetchings (@irishetchings) July 14, 2013

When it appeared in my stream I was amazed.  I had never before made contact with anyone from Dublin, and this retweet arrived within a few days of our planned visit to Ireland. It appeared to me to speak of synchronicity. I have written about deep listening in cyberspace and felt I should pay attention. 

The three exclamation marks were the completion of a cyberbridge made possible by social media and would lead to quite an adventure.

I discovered that @irishetchings was Camilla Fanning, whose primary medium is etching. Particularly drawn to the fact that a recurring theme of her work is collective memory and shared imaginings I further explored her website.

Her blogs “Strumpets” and “Waiting for Beckett” are an interesting account of the development of her latest etching which would be on display in the Graphic Studio Dublin. There and then I decided that if it was possible I would attempt to see the etching while in Ireland.

There was also a link on her website to current events in Dublin, through which I discovered and subsequently attended a Tibetan singing bowl meditation. 

The day after I arrived, I set off in Ireland’s heatwave to find the studio in Temple Bar, an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin. While there I took a photo of the etching. 

In the late afternoon, I was happy to have lunch at a beautiful little spot recommended to me by a mindfulness twitter friend @twenty1breaths. That evening, resting after a day’s walking and exploring (ever the flaneur!) I did some more research.

The title of the etching, “Waiting for Beckett”,  was obviously a play on “Waiting for Godot” by Dublin born Samuel Beckett.  To my delight I discovered that the Samuel Beckett bridge (this pdf has some lovely photos, and there are a few more photos of the bridge in my gallery “Ireland”) featured in the etching, was designed by one of my favorite architects, Santiago Calatrava, whom I had blogged about shortly after discovering him in 2009.  The bridge looks like a Irish harp on its side and is unique in Ireland in that it is able to rotate through an angle of 90 degrees. Amazingly, it was constructed offsite and made its way to Dublin by barge from Rotterdam.  

One of the paradoxes in Calatrava’s designs is that they contain both rootedness and movement and this is clearly demonstrated in the Samuel Beckett bridge.

Rootedness and movement are typical too of cyberbridges. With the body present and rooted in front of a device, one’s mind nevertheless is able to move rapidly in here2here space. 

Thinking about all of this, I decided that only one thing could complete my adventure.  The next morning, shortly after sunrise, I made my way along the Liffey river to find the spot which had inspired the etching. An hour later I reached the bridge and stood in awe of its beauty. Slender yet strong, it graced the landscape. I wandered over it until I felt I had found the spot which Camilla had used as her perspective. 

After taking a number of pics, I simply sat there for a while in the early morning. 

Later I worked on an edit and this was the result.

Before leaving Dublin to tour the rest of Ireland I was able to return to the gallery to purchase Camilla’s etching.  Somehow its story had become part of mine.

Tokyo2Dubai Collab

The concept here2here has taken another leap in meaning. I was recently asked on Instagram to participate in a collaboration project with someone from Tokyo, Japan. 

When I joined Instagram just over one and a half years ago, @takiti or Tera as we all know him, was one of the first igers whose work I greatly admired. When after some time I asked him how he achieved a specific effect, he gladly shared the name of a favorite app he was using. Tera, who has an amazing gallery, kindly leaves comments on numerous photos and despite his huge following, always thanks those who leave a comment on any of his shots. 

I believe that we connect to others on an energetic level in cyberspace and that energy is conveyed on a subtle level by online presence tied to our avatars, content produced or shared, quantity, quality and online conversation.

Needless to say, I was very excited when Tera asked if he could edit one of my pics. The process was set in motion by me sending him the four photos that he requested. He then chose one to edit. The resulting image was published in his gallery. 

Tera has various shots of the Tokyo International Forum and I requested the original of one of these to edit. I chose it because it contained a lit up pathway in the Forum. The resulting edit is now part of my Corridors of Cyberspace series

In Japanese calligraphy there is a symbol called an ensō. It means circle and is often referred to as an “expression of the moment”. Many artists, as a form of spiritual practice, practice drawing an ensō daily.  I have often wondered if it is possible to practice this in photographic form, and for some time now, have been incorporating the circle in my edits with this in mind. To be invited to collaborate with someone from Japan on an image appeared to me to be a form of answer to my question. 

In my art, the circle, for me, represents not only the moment, but all form, and that which is without form. At the same time, it is an attempt to represent the experience of whirling in cyberspace; a space which is not localized but experiential. 

The outcome of a piece I am working on is not known to me at the onset.  As I attempt to express the experience of cyberspace, the very creation of a piece is itself an experience in cyberspace, as I work hand in hand with technology.  Working with various apps which often produce surprising results, I go through countless resulting images until I find one that fully resonates with what I am attempting to express. The result is therefore a collaboration of a human and technology. 

In this particular edit, you will notice within the circle, lines and sections meeting. This represents collaboration. There is also a darker space, symbolizing the unknown when the photo is handed over for editing.  It is also the space in which creativity takes place and from it something beautiful appears to be emerging. 

The speeding circles on the left remind me of all the data exchange going on in the collaboration.  Living in Dubai, I was also reminded by them, of the Burj Khalifa standing proud and tall.  Japan is one of the first countries daily to see the rising sun and this is depicted by the small moving circle on the right of the image. The shades of grey suggest timelessness in their neutrality. 

It is my wish to exhibit the corridors of cyberspace series, perhaps at first in frames on paper, but ideally on special screens which allow the light to shine through them electronically from behind. 

This month Emirates Airlines launched daily direct flights between Dubai and Tokyo.  Both the UAE and Japan are considered to be global hubs of development and growth. It is my wish that the two have also been brought closer to each other on a more personal level in this photographic act of here2here online collaboration.

The image had one further message for me. As I contemplated it, I suddenly started recalling the music for “The Windmills of Your Mind”. As the circular melody went round and round in my head, I thought how appropriate it was for someone who attempts to practice watching her mind with all its thoughts.  Often there are so many different thoughts going round and round like a windmill and it is only by becoming mindful and observing them that we are gradually able to loosen our attachment to them. 

When I researched the song I discovered that it was the song which won the Oscar in 1969 for Best Song from a Film (in this case, the original Thomas Crown Affair). Dusty Springfield also recorded a version of the song in 1969.

Amidst its lyrics were these words which I immediately linked to my edit : 

And the world is like an apple

Whirling silently in space

Like the circles that you find

In the windmills of your mind! 

It was as I read this, that my photographic ensō became the expressed moment!

Thank you Tera-san for the invite and the collaboration.