Yet, if Krueger's theory and work resonate with the second-generation paradigm of mixed reality, this is due less to his original aim (provoking the flat-footed humanism of the art worldi) than to the singular convergence of the "artificial" and the "natural" in the electronics technologies ubiquitous in our world today. This is a reality not lost on Krueger, who has recently noted: "Since I was arguing for convenience, naturalness, and obviousness, my concepts were well-positioned for technological advances as they unfolded. Since 99% of applications are 2D and 99% of 3D applications are driven by 2D interfaces, there has been very little immediate interest in HMD immersion systems in the general office environment," not to mention the world beyond. As if echoing (or ventriloquizing) the proponents of the mixed reality paradigm, Krueger speaks of a "progression towards external realities' driven by the technical development of low-cost projectors and organic LED displays that can be ubiquitously embedded in the environment; rather than withdrawing from the physical domain, today's digital technologies are literally virtualizing the physical.
Krueger's calculated defense of the artificial notwithstanding, the operative principle of his research and artistic experimentation could easily be summarized in the form of a practical maxim: make use of what nature has given us!"In our physical reality," Krueger observes, "We use our bodies to interact with objects. We move our bodies or turn our heads to see better. We see other people and they can see us. We have acquired a consistent set of expectations through a lifetime of experience"(148). Making use of this evolutionarily realized heritage will allow us to adapt to our ever more rapidly changing technical environment because such heritage provides a stable background against which to assimilate new interactional spaces and share new affordances: “Any system that observes these conventions will be instantly understood by everyone on the planet” (148).
BODIES IN CODE
27