Feeling is Obsolete

You can only become deprived of feeling after a long, motivated immersion in human—made technologies. If you believe it, all technologies are an extension of our senses – be them smartphones, clothing, cars, or the written word – meaning engaging them neglects other sensations. Planned obsolescence resets engagement. Forget your body is crammed into a small alcove, a seated position. Why not try to oddly warp the present technology’s purpose: scrape, rub, bend, push, or hit it? What sound does it make? Do you feel again?

Two guitars are rubbed against one another to create strange scrapping, bending, crunching, and at times harmonious tones. They function as a single instrument, albeit one with little controllability or predictable response; the performer improvising within the framework of a graphic score.

The title, Feeling is Obsolete, is inspired by the slogans populating Douglas Coupland’s book Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, engendering their bleak ethos while simultaneously questioning the state of emotions, presence, and the senses in our contemporary world.

Thanks to Diego Castro Magas and Tom Pauwels for entertaining this idea, trying it out, and making suggestions.