- Year Created: 2013
- Submitted to ArtBase: Monday Jan 6th, 2014
- Original Url: http://www.aggregatemodel.com/
- Peter Whittenberger, primary creator
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Accurately defining the minimum requirements for consciousness has eluded scientists and philosophers for generations. Modern science has allowed us to learn which parts of the brain are used in a variety of human activities, though empirical evidence of the location of consciousness remains undiscovered. Presenting a disparate variety of possible consciousnesses through an assortment of media, the Aggregate Model asks, “What forms of consciousness should receive empathy and compassion from other forms of consciousness?” For the purposes of this artistic venture, I define consciousness as “any measurable awareness to or of any present state or environment.” The work explores traditional definitions of consciousness, as well as abstract and theoretical forms.
The Aggregate Model explores the correlation of creator and created in regards to consciousness and the relationship between the pair. Many video game characters are programed with “fight or flight”, similar to Homo sapiens and animals. Proposing that evolution equates to “genetic programing”, the Aggregate Model presents suffering, non-playable characters as a result of violence by the player. This idea explores the interactivity of video games through the lens of NPCs having a form of consciousness and entelechy driving them to survive and defend themselves as a form of survival instincts. The participating viewers, as well as myself (the creator of the piece), are complicit in the content by “digitally” molesting the female body in the drop down menu to progress through the artwork and become witness to the suffering figures.