Manifestation of Cyborg Intentionality Based on Verbeek Theory Case Study: “Jardin de Lumière” Interactive Installation

 
The emergence of modern technologies in the past few decades has played a significant role in the way humans interact with the surrounding world. Nowadays, humans perceive and experience the world through tools, machines, and technology, and in this regard, "Don Ihde" has proposed a post-phenomenological approach that categorizes the relations between human and technology in four distinct types, which include embodiment, hermeneutic, alterity, and background. In the meantime, the concept of cyborg has been coined in the philosophy of technology. Cyborg in its original meaning refers to an entity that is a combination of a living creature and a technological tool, but over time the concept is attributed to modern human, who is in close interaction with technology at every moment, both physically and mentally. Thus it is the combined entity of human and technology which is experiencing the world. The emergence of the cyborg concept makes it necessary to review some traditional theories and definitions related to humans, because we are facing a creature that is partly human and partly, non-human.
Traditionally, intentionality, a capability exclusively belonging to human beings, was a measure to distinguish humans from non-human creatures. With the emergence of the cyborg concept, "Peter-Paul Verbeek" has revised the issue and proposed different types of intentionality which partially include technology. From Verbeek's point of view, cyborg intentionality can be categorized in three distinct types, known as Mediated, Hybrid, and Composite Intentionality. Mediated intentionality is a generalization of Ihde’s fourfold of human-technology relations, and technology plays the role of a mediator between human and the world, so human perceives and experiences the world through technology intentionality. In technologies such as bionics, which combine humans and technology in such a way that they can no longer be separated from each other and create a new entity, we witness a Hybrid intentionality which is the result of the combination of human and non-human intentionality. In Composite intentionality, the technology experiences the world based on its intentionality and provides the result as a world to be experienced by the humans, which includes two different types. If the experience is a extension of the human senses to perceive the world, it is called Augmented, and if it is a kind of experience that human senses are not capable of perceiving, it is called Constructive.
The application of modern technology in the field of art is also showing an increasing trend, and perhaps the most influential artworks can be found in interactive art installations. An interactive installation needs the audience's participation by being present and interacting with different components to complete a process, which brings a lasting experience to him/her, and the peak of this perception can be accompanied by a sense of immersion. Completion of an interactive art installation by the presence of a human shows that the audience becomes a part of this technological structure, which takes over his/her different senses and eventually transforms him/her into a cyborg. The quality of manifestation of cyborg intentionality in interactive installations is an issue that has been neglected in various research, and its analysis can clarify new dimensions for the designers of such installations.
This research aims to answer these questions: How was the manifestation of the cyborg in the interactive installation of "Jardin de Lumière" formed and what is its effects on the cyborg-being of human? How can cyborg intentionality be analyzed and adapted in the interactive installation of "Jardin de Lumière" based on Peter-Paul Verbeek's views?
To carry out the research, a descriptive-analytical method was adopted, and these criteria were taken into consideration for choosing the case study: the artistic nature of the interactive installation, designed and presented by non-Iranian artists, inspired by Iranian art, up-to-date and the use of modern technologies. To choose the case, the installations that have been presented in exhibitions and festivals during the last four years were examined and only the interactive installation of "Jardin de Lumière" met all the desired criteria. In addition, it is beneficial to form various types of cyborg intentionality.
The interactive installation of Jardin de Lumière is designed by the Qatari artist "Ghada Al-Khater" and implemented in collaboration with the French creative studio "Bonjour Interactive Lab" in 2020 in Paris as a part of the France-Qatar cross program Year of Culture with the aim of sharing the culture and art of different nations. The design of the elements and motifs of the installation is inspired by the Persian garden and carpet. The installation is implemented on a relatively large platform and motifs are projected on it by the lighting system from the above. Motifs include static patterns and dynamic patterns while static patterns are inspired by Iranian carpet motifs, and dynamic patterns are inspired by Qatari and Middle Eastern flora and fauna motifs, and dynamic patterns are created according to the movement of the audience. In the center of the platform, there is a cylindrical element inspired by the Iranian garden basin, and its external wall acts as a convex mirror. In addition, a special music inspired by the ancient music of the pearl fishermen of Qatar called "Fajiri" and mixed with natural sounds is played in the environment of the installation as it can also be heard in the distance around it. Along with the music, an aroma derived from traditional Arabic perfumes is also released in the space as it can be smelled all around the installation.
Analyses show that when the audience enters the surrounding area of the installation, before stepping on the platform, they begin to interact with the smell of the perfume and the sound of the music. If the audience has a lived experience with each of these elements, a world from the past is reconstructed in his/her mind. Thus a hermeneutic relation is formed and as a result we witness a Mediated intentionality. If there is no lived experience, these two elements only work as a call to the installation. Thus an alterity relation is formed and the intentionality belongs to the audience. When the audience steps on the platform, his visual sense gets involved with the installation and the relation related to the smell of the perfume and the sound of the music will be of the background type and intentionality is of the Mediated type.
By stepping on the platform, the visual sense interacts with the three elements of static motifs, dynamic motifs, and convex mirror. The static motifs, which include the perimeter strip, the four triangular corners, and the central pattern, are projected by lighting technology from the above. The absence of technology will result in nothing to be experienced and perceived. Therefore, the world that is made available to the audience for experience is the output of technology and has manifested a Composite intentionality of the Constructive type. Dynamic motifs are also projected by the lighting system from the above, but they are created in real time depending on the location and direction of movement of the audience, under his/her feet, and disappear after he/she passes. These flora motifs look like to be part of human existence, which move with human, and their presence is linked to human presence. Therefore, humans and technology are combined in such a way that they create a new entity and hybrid intentionality. Convex mirror makes it possible for the audience to see their feet while dynamic motifs are created as well as the part of the platform behind them. Therefore, the technology extends the sense of vision, which manifests the Composite intentionality of the Augmented type.
The results show that the concept of Cyborg should be understood beyond the integration of the human physical body and technology, and the integration of the human mind with technology can also be considered as the realization of Cyborg, which alters the perception of time and place. On the other hand, the manifestation of Cyborg is possible with the integration of technology and any of the human senses, as the visual, auditory, and olfactory senses all have such capabilities. The comprehensive design of the interactive art installation can manifest all three types of cyborg intentionality, including Mediated, Hybrid, and Composite, and one or more types can appear simultaneously in the successive stages of the experience. In addition, the appropriate design can continuously increase the engagement of the audience with the installation by involving more senses and ultimately by involving audience movements and body, presenting the sense of immersion and shaping a unique experience of hidden dimensions of the world in audience's mind.