Episode description

Playing for Team Human today is immersion experience artist and pioneer, Ghislaine Boddington. Ghislaine joins Douglas for a conversation about the nature of immersive technologies and how we might bring our bodies with us into the digital realm. Rather than diminish the role of the physical body, Ghislaine’s work celebrates the body as an integral part of enhanced immersive experience. As Creative Director at body>data>space Ghislaine’s art and practice embraces technologies that amplify connection, collectivity, and togetherness. In the course of their conversation, Ghislaine and Douglas discuss the virtues of such body-positive, community-minded use of tech while simultaneously questioning how we might we explore digital immersion in a way that avoids paving the way for those who would exploit us. Thus emerges the question, in the process of embedding digital devices within our physical selves, do we risk becoming the raw materials for the next frontier of technology-driven extractive capitalism? How might we steer this ship toward team human values?

Douglas begins today’s show with a monologue about the threat of technology usurping human agency. It’s a personal story about his neighborhood UPS driver who refused to conform to the GPS route, opting instead to become part of the local community rather than be a mere delivery “robot.”

This week’s episode features our usual intro and outro music thanks to Fugazi and Dischord Records. At the midroll music was composed and recorded by last week’s guest, Stacco Troncoso of the P2P foundation. 

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