Noël Ravaud

Noël Ravaud was born in 1963 in Montmorillon (FR)

The etc of tamagotchic hyperbodies

The etc(e) complete anatomies. The etc are extensions. The etc complete, through instrumental forms visible in the space of art, the knowledge about the anatomy of tamagotchis in the form of animated sites. This knowledge is apprehended through exhibitions and encounters with certain individuals, meaning it does not leave the fringe or cosmetic sphere of existence. Consequently, the quality of cosmetic immersions and their translations depends closely on the emitters, the hyperbodies, and on the receivers, the observers, who are often one and the same since mediated by an evolving language.

Etc(e) means “Etc emitted” where etc stands for continuous tactile extension. The Etc(e) appear as devices through which analogies are tested between the anatomy of a hyperbody and familiar exhibition modes. A significant evolution in the knowledge of a known hyperbody’s anatomy will lead to the revision, then the realization and exhibition of the previously proposed analogical devices. Each device can be considered the “portrait” of the hyperbody it aims to describe.

The anatomy of a hyperbody changes in nature depending on whether we consider the level of language, of things or of events. In the cosmetic sphere, the anatomy of hyperbodies depends on multiple factors, primarily on the propensity of a given individual for contact. Therefore, the description of a hyperbody cannot ignore its metamorphoses and its surroundings. The definition of hyperbodies, like the words that support them, is highly reactive. It may be tense, flexible, porous or ductile. Definition here is meant both figuratively in terms of semantic precision and literally in terms of image quality. To portray a hyperbody is also to portray a word, though it often amounts to controlling the definition of the definition. Hence the appearance of the exhibitions: devices resembling natural science rooms, documentaries about specific encounters with specific tamagotchi or hyperbodies.

The recent focus of exploration on the immersions between hyperbodies therefore does not undermine the definition of singularities themselves, since the very nature of hyperbodies is to appear more through their relations and their attractiveness than through their essence. The cosmetic dimension is their vital space just as communication and interpersonal relations, along with info-biology, are ours. These two universes are often compared. In t-possible, information is paramount. In t-divided, access to information, sequencing and statistics are intimately linked. In t-drop, the tension of the egotic envelope is constantly under threat. In t-rest, separation from the rest may be minimal, homeopathic and fatal. With t-like, we are dealing with the very process of cosmetic rearrangements within a society.

Noël Ravaud, June 2004