Setup for an Electrotectural Experiment █ Digital Architecture
by Christian Schweitzer
transcription of the text Die Whitebox by Barbara Köhler


#1 █ A room is given, width 1.60m, length 4.40m, height 2.90m, surface 48.88m2, volume 20.42 m3, color monochrome white, two doors, a double neon tube, the room is empty. People enter the room and leave again, but they do not carry things in or out. The room is located in a museum. The system museum provides exhibition space for paintings and other objects. Questioning the output we find that none of these things are located inside this room. So the white box is not an exhibition space. Further research tells us that a museum is a storage, a so called information processing system. But the output says empty, white walls, nothing else, no sign, no bytes, no bits. The computer of the system theorist prints ERROR. █

#2 █ A room is given, I can measure it by three steps in width and eight steps in length. █ When I step away from the wall my shadow immediately disappears, only a dull spot remains around my feet. I see the doors, walls, floor and ceiling covered with a white patina, constant, steady, like a skin. █ When I look closer, try to concentrate, the walls seem to disappear, seem to transfer into a different, a liquid condition. █ I loose the support of the outlines of the room, the contours. █ My view is struck by a white fog of unlimited extension. █ My head swims, I can only stagger from one wall to the other, █ but always the wall that I am not touching is open to suspicion. █

#3 █ A room is given. Who has given it, who takes it and what for? █ The room is given by Yves Klein in 1961 in the Krefeld Museum Haus Langen, █ one of the icons of early Modernism by Mies van der Rohe. █ Yves Klein gave the room a color, the non-color white, and a name, “Le Vide,” the emptiness, the void. █ The word emptiness has its origins in India: sunya-m, ‘the empty thing’ or ‘no thing’. █ The Arabs formed out of it the word ‘sifr’ and used it for the number zero. █ So emptiness means nothing means zero. █ A person enters the room. █ Looking at the origin of the word ‘person’ we will find in India the word ‘u-n’, meaning ‘the single man’ or ‘the one’. █ Now we have a system with zero and one, the base of all computer programming, the link between hardware and software, the soul of the machine that makes it working, existing. █ One person, an empty room, empty numbers, nothing personal, two persons, three rooms, one one zero zero zero, 1 0 1 1 011001011 … █

#4 █ Yves Klein gave █ us a room █ that is empty █ and monochrome paintings with nothing to see █ and the Symphony Monotone with and orchestra playing 20 minutes the note ‘A’ followed by 20 minutes of silence. Emptiness, nothingness, silence. █ What they all have in common is the absence of information, █ but at the same time an obviously perceivable, experience-able presence. █ So is there an opposite of information? Following the rules of Latin languages it should be ‘aformation’, but this word does not exist. █ We know deformation, transformation, █ reformation, conformation, █ all modulations of the word form, bringing it into form. █ Information as establishment of distinction, as definitions that can be registered, catalogued, reproduced and finally digitalized, definitions with which can calculate. █ Suddenly something white on the horizon of information and knowledge arises. █ Today’s possibilities to get the whole spectrum of knowledge with a mouse click, the maximum density of information, █ the simultaneous presence of all frequencies leads to the abolition and the absence of information, brings out the color white (again), █ the white rustle, █ the white noise, █ the white light, the white box. █

#5 █ A room is given █ and a human being inside. █ We differentiate five senses with which his body is connected to the exterior world to get information. █ Sensitivity makes them a common cause. █ Being part of a complete system makes the single sense a sense, being single it would just be a function. █ But here in the white box the body is in a new three dimensional system. █ A completely informed and structured space, totally calculated in all its functions, █ called the white box or cyberspace. █ The white box like the operation cyberspace aims at the limitation of the human body █ by separating its functions, █ by providing its compatibility to calculate possibilities, called virtuality. █ It aims at the avoidance of pain by substituting it with thrill. █ The room can be left with a mouse click. █ Here you will find no human being who tries to keep you from doing it, █ who couldn’t be also switched off. █ You can change worlds and levels █ but you will never meet the mysterious stranger, █ your body. █ The materialization of the virtual cyberspace, the real cyberspace, is the white box. It separates your functions and causes no pain. █ It is your head, yourself, who causes the pain, constantly and irreversible. Do you want to quit? █ If yes, press ENTER or Alt-ESC. █ █


published in suptext no.1, 2000, p. 2