Margaret Crane and Jon Winet

Introduction to General Hospital, 1996.

“A kind of do-it-yourself soap opera looping through the infinite void of electronic space,” General Hospital, a virtual mental hospital, occupies public space to analyze how mental health is accepted and represented in 20th century American society (Harris).  The creators, Margaret Crane and Jon Winet, went into their art residency at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) Pair Program to confront the diminishing support and lack of awareness for mental health programs through a satirical augmented reality.  Having an optimistic view of technology, Crane and Winet explore the use of technology to shape and evolve the collective psychology of society through 1) cyberception and 2) critically analyzing aspects of urban life through language.   

New York, America and The Globe, 2004.

"Artists and scientists tend to be similar types of people... They are interested in finding truth -- whatever that is...” (Gold).  Previously, Margaret Crane and Jon Winet had been working collaboratively for over ten years before being recommended to the Xerox’s PARC artist residency.  The goal of the company was to pair artists and scientist to solve societal problems by using technology.  Previously, Margaret Crane and Jon Winet had dealt with the issues surrounding political elections in their art, which is still an overall theme of both their collaborative and individual work seen today.  An example would be the 2004 America and the Globe where multiple sites where created to follow the election campaign and analyze America’s political culture.  They have learned to skillfully occupy online space by providing information about an issue.  Then, they influence their audience to be aware of each other by analyzing and adding to that information within that space.  Their use of technology to “[communicate, share, and collaborate]” as well as “[to transfer thoughts and transcend our limitations]” points to their ability to create what Ascott referred to as cyberception*.  Associational lineage within their work from one idea and image to the next mimics the mind and allows this convergence of the language and visual representation.  Thus, each experience of the audience and society becomes unique and that aspect is captured and reframed back within the work to form a new perception. 

One major component that allowed for the collection of this material was a newsgroup and forum created within the 1996 General Hospital project called alt.society.mental-health.  Here anyone from mental health professionals to individuals wishing to research side effects of antipsychotics could come together and add their presence and information to the space.  This is why the Internet is an important medium for Crane and Winet to embrace. “[All… activity amounts to a largely unscripted 24-hour improvisation… [which serves to gain] insight into our culture.  [It is thoses who are left out that are]… heavily [affected by the] edited mainstream media” (LeFarge, 213). Crane and Winet’s use of the Internet can similarly be identified with Umberto Boccioni’s idea of synthetic continuity where human movement within space is infinite.  With the focus of space and perception, this is how works such as General Hospital positively incorporate technology into the virtual setting of urban life and analyze culture.  

Clinical Depression Screening Test, The Typhoon Ride, General Hospital, 1996.

To further analyze, General Hospital, the hyperlinked images and text not only give an alternative “space” for individuals to learn about mental health, it begins to create a poetic nature through language.  Limited by HTML encoding and technology of the later 1990’s, the interactivity of the site was purposely left simple and conceptually complex with themes of brain and technology function placed together.  With language discussing the history and experience of the mental health system, such as discussing Freud and mental health surveys, the language becomes very concrete.  Linking the language loosely, it allows for associating to occur.  By referencing popular culture with the title, they are able to filter and analyze how their audience is psychologically affected by what they refer to as three different forms of information provided for mental health awareness: 1) mental institutions, 2) romanticized versions of that institutions through media, and 3) their institution in virtual reality.  Then through forums, such as alt.source.mental-health, the audience is able to access and add their opinions and experiences on mental health.  Through the collective flow of language, Crane and Winet’s General Hospital changes the way American society occupies a public space and builds upon creating consciousness beyond our world.  Thus, creating a platform for society to critique the culture surrounding societal issues. 

Another example of their work that incorporates data, societies, and space is entitled, Monument from 2002.  In this project, they researched and collected data from interviews and mapping the inner-city from industrialized area of Newcastle, England over a one year period and recreated the place in a virtually space with hypertext.  As the project came together, both the negative and positive psychological affects on the area’s culture from industrialization were reflected through the collective consciousness of the community.

Margaret Crane and Jon Winet positively use technology to address social issues and the psychological affect of those issues on the collective conscious of their culture and society.  Through the power of politics, the collaborative team addresses the Internet as public space and uses it as a tool to transcend and evolve the function of the mind within a virtual space.  General Hospital stands as a powerful example of their ability to use that space through the simple means of hypertext.  Crane and Winet unfold the history of societies and record the affect of events and real life within that society. 

* A new form of awareness that converges conceptual and perceptual processes (Ascott).


------------------------------
LINKS: 
General Hospital 

List of Exhibitions and Information

Beyond Interface

Related Artists:
JEVBRATT (Information)


Ascott, Roy. 2000. Art, technology, consciousness mind@large. Bristol, UK: Intellect. 
http://www.netlibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=71082.


LaFarge, Antoinette, and Robert Allen. 2005. "Media Commedia: "The Roman Forum Project". Leonardo. 38 (3): 213-218.

Feeser, Andrea, and Margaret Crane. 1997. "An Online General Hospital:

Constructing an Experience and Representation of Mental Health". Leonardo. 30

(5): 355.

Gold, R. PAIR: an experiment in using technology as a common language between artists and scientists. International Society of Electronic Art; 1996 September 9; Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Harris, Craig. 1999. Art and innovation the Xerox PARC artist-in-residence

program. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. http://www.netlibrary.com/urlapi.asp?

action=summary&v=1&bookid=39958.