https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLet9q41TVN_-9YQJuRJLCQBWaKB9BYcDw

This week we are examining infinite lists. Up until now, I had definitely been considering the items in my lists in a finite capacity – and by that, I mean I had seen them as unchanging, with no past or future considered in my interpretation of the facets of these objects. That has definitely changed after this week’s list. My teammate for this week’s task, Star, came to me with the concept of the lifecycle of a plant – from a seed falling from a blossoming plant, flying through the wind and sinking into the ground, only to start the process once again. I thought this was a fantastic idea, and we agreed that I would do the first two videos in a YouTube playlist of four (those uploaded under the account ‘Rennie’), and he would do the second two. I loved how our different viewpoints on this concept created quite different styles of video, whilst our discussions and considerations beforehand made sure there is a cohesive bond found within all the videos in our playlist. This week’s reading focuses heavily on technology, and I think its interesting the similarities and differences at play between a database and our plant Lifecycle piece.

When considering databases, in particular, Manovich notes the limitlessness of these media objects, and the fact that each individual item possesses the same significance as any other in the list (Manovich 2001, p218) This is consistent with Star and I’s Infinite list, detailing the lifecycle of a seed, to a flower and finally to that of another seed, which continues the cycle indefinitely. While this cycle can constitute an infinite list, it is, however, inconsistent with other media objects such as databases, as there is still a somewhat ‘narrative’ quality in a lifecycle. New elements are not being added, and a coherent development trajectory can be seen throughout the material, even though it keeps evolving (Manovich 2001, p221). This could be considered closer to an algorithm, than a database.

References:

Manovich, L., 2001. ‘The Database’ in The Language of New Media. The MIT Press, Cambridge. pp. 218-243.