Jim Mason on Wed, 7 Feb 2001 20:58:39 -0800


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Syndicate: G-7 Stock Market Puppets 

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<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>

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