POST-DIGITAL RHETORIC and the NEW AESTHETIC NEW DIRECTIONS in RHETORIC and MATERIALITY Barbara A
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POST-DIGITAL RHETORIC AND THE NEW AESTHETIC NEW DIRECTIONS IN RHETORIC AND MATERIALITY Barbara A. Biesecker, Wendy S. Hesford, and Christa Teston, Series Editors POST-DIGITAL RHETORIC AND THE NEW AESTHETIC JUSTIN HODGSON THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS COLUMBUS Th is edition licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License. Th is book is freely available in an open access edition thanks to TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem)—a collaboration of the Association of American Universities, the Association of University Presses, and the Association of Research Libraries—and the generous support of India na University Bloomington. Learn more at the TOME website, which can be found at the following web address: http://openmonographs.org. Copyright © 2019 by Th e Ohio State University. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Hodgson, Justin, author. Title: Post-digital rhetoric and the new aesthetic / Justin Hodgson. Other titles: New directions in rhetoric and materiality. Description: Columbus : Th e Ohio State University Press, [2019] | Series: New directions in rhetoric and materiality | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifi ers: LCCN 2018048555 | ISBN 9780814213940 (cloth ; alk. paper) | ISBN 0814213944 (cloth ; alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Rhetoric—Data processing. | Aesthetics. | Digital media. Classifi cation: LCC P301.5.D37 H63 2019 | DDC 801/.93—dc23 LC record available at https://lc cn.loc.gov/2018048555 Cover design by Angela Moody Text design by Juliet Williams Type set in Adobe Minion Pro Th is work was (partially) funded by the Offi ce of the Vice Provost of Research and the Arts and Humanities Council at India na University Bloomington through the Public Arts Grant. Th e paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. ANSI Z39.48-1992. To NNF, For the sleepless years, and the years to come. CONTENTS List of Illustrations viii Acknowledgments ix INTRODUCTION Medial Orientations: A Cautionary Tale 1 CHAPTER 1 The New Aesthetic and (Post-)Digital Rhetoric 10 CHAPTER 2 Rhetorical Ecologies and New Aestheticism 36 CHAPTER 3 Eversion as/of Design and the Blurring of Rhetorical Binaries 67 CHAPTER 4 Pixel Orientation and the Technologized Human Sensorium 89 CHAPTER 5 Human–Technology Making and a Willingness to Play 112 CHAPTER 6 Hyperawareness of Mediation and the Shift to Medial Experience 146 Works Cited 173 Index 181 ILLUSTRATIONS See image gallery following page 66 for color plates. Plate A Pixel Pour, by Kello AKA Leyla Daze Plate B Heydar Aliyev Center, in Baku, Azerbaijan Plate C MAP, ‘Hello World!’ Kasseler Kunstverein, by Aram Bartholl Plate D Real Life Coin Block, by Bruno Pasquini Plate E Walden, by Russell Kirsch Plate F Orange River Irrigation (border between Namibia and South Africa) Plate G Telehouse West Data Center (London Location) Plate H Street Eraser (Brick Lane, London), by Guus ter Beek and Tayfun Sarier Plate I Lounge Spectre, Digital Ethereal, by Luis Hernan viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS WHAT BEGINS as a passing thought on a random Wednesday afternoon can grow, without warning, into a multiyear excursion. But that flicker of an idea is never a singularity; it is always the result of other ideas and experiences, which come from other conversations and encounters, which come from yet other flickers and flashes, memories and moments. Thus, it is difficult to dis- cern, with any notable accuracy, precisely when a book project like this can be said to have begun. The formal development can be relegated to my time as a faculty member at Indiana University, where this work was aided by a semester of research leave, support of in-progress drafts from colleagues John Schilb, Christine Farris, Ivan Krielkamp, and Scott Herring, and many (far too many) invaluable conversations with Scot Barnett and Katie Silvester. I am grateful to these individuals and others for their support. But I must acknowledge the University of Texas at Austin as well, for it was during my time as faculty there that I stumbled upon the critical focus of this project. Therefore, this work is also indebted to my former Department of Rhetoric and Writing colleagues who helped me understand what it means to be a scholar in the field of rhetoric. I would be remiss, however, not to espe- cially give thanks to Diane Davis for her mentorship and friendship, Linda Ferreira-Buckley for her guidance and support, and Trish Roberts-Miller, who influenced me far more than I could have ever anticipated. ix x • Acknowledgments I also need to express gratitude to the Department of English at the Uni- versity of Tennessee at Knoxville, particularly the Division of Rhetoric, Writ- ing, and Linguistics, and Sean Morey, who offered me the chance to talk about ideas in art, technology, and media studies with a rhetorically oriented audience. Similarly, I am appreciative of the Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design (RCID) doctoral program at Clemson University, par- ticularly Jan Holmevik and Cynthia Haynes, for inviting me to discuss certain dimensions of rhetorical aesthetics with their graduate students. Both visits (to UT Knoxville and to Clemson) presented challenges and prompted con- versations that improved my thinking on this project. Further, one of the more significant contributions to this project came from the graduate students at IU who participated in my Post-Digital Aes- thetics graduate course. Philip Choong, Jillian Gilmer, Becky Ottman, Laura Rosche, and Whitney Sperrazza helped push my inquiries into human–tech- nology relationships—extending tenets and tensions central to this work. Additionally, I need to specifically thank Laura Rosche, whose Independent Study with me offered an unexpected opportunity to revisit key texts central to this work. While the above acknowledgments trace the formative construction of the text, there are still yet others—too many others—who should be mentioned here. I want to thank Cynthia Cochran for influencing my life during my days at Illinois College—reminding me that I was capable of more. Most impor- tantly, she opened my eyes to the world of rhetoric and writing studies. Her mentorship and continued friendship has been without measure. Second, I need to express appreciation for the late Carolyn Handa, who was pivotal in inviting me into the realm of visual rhetoric. Her compassion for students and willingness to support even the most outlandish of ideas (of which I had more than my share) allowed me to find a scholarly space to inhabit. And just as importantly, Carolyn encouraged me to pursue further studies with Victor J. Vitanza, a relationship that would change the trajectory of my life. I have been privileged to learn from and study with some brilliant and talented individuals. But no one has been more influential in my intellectual development than Victor Vitanza. During my time as a student in the RCID program, Victor altered just about everything I knew to be. He rewired my thinking, pushed me outside my comfort zones, demanded more from me than I demanded of myself (which I did not think possible), and allowed me to find my own way even when he could see the path mapped in front of me. Victor also made it possible for me to spend a summer taking courses at the European Graduate School, which was a transformative experience—the effects of which permeate my personal and professional identities. Victor’s Acknowledgments • xi mentorship and friendship was simply more—always some more—and for that I cannot thank him enough. But Victor was not the only one at Clemson who influenced my schol- arly formation. I mentioned Jan and Cynthia, whose research and teaching continue to influence me. I also need to acknowledge my cohort, the first- ever class in the RCID program—John Dinolfo, Xiaoli Li, Mac McArthur, and especially Amanda Booher, who pushed my engagements, challenged my assumptions, and added an unexpected richness to my inquiries (both dur- ing and well beyond our days together at Clemson). I also need to express my gratitude to select individuals in the immediate cohorts behind us “inaugu- rals”: Jason Helms, Joshua Hilst, Joshua Abboud, Sergio Figeureido, Josie Wal- wema, and Anthony Collamati. This text is especially indebted to Anthony, who read early versions of the formative chapters of this book and provided support as the book entered production. Beyond the above relationships, there are also multiple personal influences that need to be acknowledged, for without these individuals this project would not have been possible. I am grateful for my in-laws, who supported my career, even when it has taken my wife, kids, and me four, eight, even fifteen hours away. I particularly want to thank my mother- and father-in-law, Nancy and Joe, who have regu- larly helped “hold down the fort” while I traveled for work or was buried in writing deadlines. Their presence has been immeasurably significant. Second, turning to my own family, I am grateful to my mother, Brenda, for her unwavering belief in me as an individual, even when that support may have been unwarranted. I also need to express gratitude to my brother Travis, who in a memorable trip to PCA/ACA in Boston many moons ago served as an audience of one for a panel of burgeoning RCID students. I am also grateful to my sister, Andrea, who has been relentlessly supportive and who attended a presentation I delivered (though that talk was at the Digital Humanities conference in Parramatta, Australia, and involved an audience of well more than one). Additionally, I need to thank my father, Larry, who has asked every month for what seems like forever if this book was done yet. Beyond his motivational inquiries, he has also been the single most important figure in my life.