press review
POINT-AND-CLICK
As we enter the era of information aesthetics (a term introduced by Manovich) which indicates a new culture of information society, the virtual addressee becomes the main beneficiary of a new communicative situation, gains another mean of creative expression and can even be awarded the title of the Man of the Year. In fact, “Time” magazine did grant this title to such a recipient in 2006 what has been noted by Łukasz Białkowski in his article Witamy w Twoim świecie! Czyli model kreacji w dobie mediów cyfrowych (Welcome to Your World! The Model of Production in the Digital Era by Łukasz Białkowski, “Fragile” 2/2008). The observation of some popular web portals such as YouTube or MySpace enables one to notice that the public space of the Internet is approaching the egalitarian and democratic model where millions of users rule with one click of a mouse (the point-and-click in action).
ABOUT PLACES, NON-PLACES, AND MAKING THEM FEEL FAMILIAR
What makes us stay in non-places so often? What makes us stay in places where, according to Augé, “everyone is lonely, but similar to others” [„Autoportret” 2 (23) 2008]? Maybe the reason for that is this very similarity; the sense of unity with the anonymous crowd, which creates an illusion of the feeling of security and acceptance. So, are we driven by the need to experience “the passive happiness of the lack of identity” and “the pleasure of playing roles” while combing shopping malls? Regardless of the reasons for their popularity, non-places have an established position in present-day culture.
THE TIME OF THE IMMIGRANTS
After having read the whole issue of “Czas Kultury” (4/2008) one might conclude that the time of the immigrants is, in fact, the time of the Aliens. And what very much determines Kapuściński’s writings is the acquaintance with the Aliens. His manner of traveling is a contradiction of the modern tourism of collecting nice landscapes. The writer’s profound penetration of foreign culture is always associated with a great deal of respect he had for other people. It is this unique ability to interact with the Alien and not necessarily the exoticism of places presented that make his books so popular abroad.