Towards Grammatology of
Performance
– Ergonomics of Thinking and New Writing Technologies
Jukka Ylitalo
Grammatology of performance studies ergonomics of
thinking. Its goal is to introduce the following questions:
How does the technological apparatus of picto-ideo-fono-graphic writing
(digital multimedia writing) effect on the (physical) expressive (performative)
orientations? How does this shape the ways we understand reality and ourselves?
By grammatology I mean the "science
of writing" developed by Jacques Derrida. One of his starting points is to
dismantle the distinction and hierarchy between writing and the idea (eidos).
The concept of writing will encompass quite broad range of meanings. It will
also include the physical and corporal orientations that are part of the
technologies and institutions of writing. In ergonomics of thinking, this has
to do with the relationship between the physical expressivity and thinking. The
word performance refers to the expressive physical context of generating and
composing (phonetic-audiovisual) text (in the act of writing).
Grammatology of performance aims at
continuing the project of Gregory Ulmer called "applied
grammatology". In applied grammatology Ulmer seeks to articulate
pedagogical foundations of picto-ideo-phono- graphic writing.
Picto-ideo-phono-graphic writing refers here to the multimedia possibilities
offered by new computer technology ("writing" with images and sounds,
including writing interactions e.g. programming code).
This essay has four parts:
1. The concept of khôra
2. Concept of reflection
3. Grammatology
4. Interactive media technologies.
Ulmer
calls the heuretic, pedagogical method for the picto-ideo-phono-graphic writing
"chôrography". I will examine the concept of khôra in the
Plato's Timaios dialogue. Chorography is an attempt to articulate a method of
writing that stimulates creativity.
The concept of reflection thematizes the
ways humans gather knowledge about themselves. I will look at some themes of
philosophy of reflection from Descartes to Hegel. The concept of reflection is
also central in attempts to theorize the significance of interactive media
technologies for the ways of human understanding. I will look at the action theory
by Martin Heidegger as contrast for the ways of theorizing self-consciousness
adopted by philosophy of reflection. Further, I will account some features of
the Heidegger's philosophy of technology. The central question for ergonomics
of thinking is to articulate the philosophy of interface for interactive media
technologies.