Regaining the Self

The shift from naturally experienced sensation to technologically enhanced experiences has been gradual and its impact upon our lives is undeniably apparent upon close examination. However, technology has permeated in such a way that we are not always aware of its presence. Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller’s new media project, a seemingly innocuous, headphone-guided walking tour instead produced a sudden and disorienting hyperawareness of one’s lack of sensorial control. Participants are guided by Janet’s voice and unwittingly succumb to her direction, and in a way, take on her sensorial experiences. Keenly focused on her voice, listeners fail to become aware of their own senses and eventually, the lack of control leads to an anxiety filled moment in which the listeners tear off the headphones in an effort to regain some semblance of the self. Jacobson, who chronicles this development of this art installation, says that this confusion begs for an answer to “Whose future and past, whose dreams and nightmares, whose comforts and fears, whose touch, whose smell, whose sounds, whose lovers, whose identity are we inhabiting?” (58).

The questioning of the self in this experience recalls a deeper social inability to recognize our individual selves due to the inundation of requirements often pressed upon the self by cultural tradition. To a degree, don’t we all forget to be ourselves and instead find it incredibly easy to follow a trend? This ranges from something as harmless as a fashion trend to more substantial trends which often produce a similar shared experience. Though not explicitly stated, it is rather implied, that the dominant social tradition is to get a degree, find a career, pursue a heterosexual relationship, marry in a church, and produce 2.5 children. This hetero-normative tradition, while not in itself a negative aspiration, is often followed without further consideration.

For some, with headphones apparently still plugged in, any deviation from this trend is considered inappropriate, an abomination. Individual preference is lost for the sake of a universal, definable experience. However, it appears as if more and more are becoming anxious and unsettled by the lack of unique sensation and have taken the initiative to rip off their headphones and regain an awareness of their self, their needs and their wants. Social progress and sensation installations seem to follow the same trajectory: a hyperawareness of the individual. For a palpable example in the media, one can compare TV families from decades ago versus the TV family of the present. The "I Love Lucy" family was considered the norm but now a more "Modern Family" is becoming more prevalent

The dynamic of these families show a trend toward an acceptance of difference. The mold of uniformity is being broken in small doses and it is exciting to think of the prospect of equality where the individual is privileged for who they are, rather than who they are told to be.