Hi Sue

Here are my responses to your question:

Childhood.

I grew up on the beach about 40 miles south of the Australian city Adelaide.
It was a beautiful and at times wild place, especially back in the 1960's
when there were few roads in the area and very few people. I was a surfer
for nearly two decades, spending large portions of most of my days from the
age of 7 in the sea. In that sense I didn't spend much time with my feet on
the ground. Nature was everywhere. The beach, the sea, the forest and
sandhills, animals, birds, sea-life, etc. I assumed the rest of the world
was like this. When I moved to the city it was quite a shock.

Adulthood.

In early adulthood I spent a lot of time living on communes in South
Australia and northern New South Wales. This usually involved a pretty close
relationship with nature. Once I committed to being an artist (quite young,
I suppose) I moved to the city. From the late 1970's onwards I mainly worked
with computers as my media and began to make use of internet related media
from then onwards. I spend hours each day using computers. Some of that is
related to email, preparing webpages and things like that...but I never
consider myself to be "on line". I am in my studio, or wherever, and do not
sense that I am elsewhere when I am doing these activities. When I am
writing a letter I am not "in the post". Writing this email I am not "on
line". I am sitting at my computer writing, using an email program, thinking
about your questions. I am still aware of the environment around me (a cool
damp day in Edinburgh).

Now.

I try to walk in the mountains at least once a week. I need to be able to
stretch my (challenged) vision to far horizons and breath fresh air. Nature
is still key to my experience of life and although I am now living in the
city until a few months ago I had been living in the country for some years.
I do not have a romantic conception of nature. Growing up a country kid
disspells such illusions early on. However nature is my preferred
environment. Given the choice I would live in the country, not the city.

Computers and nature.

I am not really able to respond to the question as you wish. I do not
consider the computer to be a portal to another life world. It is a machine
which I use to write, communicate, to make art. It is to me the same as a
sheet of paper and a pen or a canvas and paint. When I use to paint I never
regarded paintings as another world. They were something I made which became
part of "this" world...whichever world that might be. As I am not romantic
about nature I guess I am not romantic about machines (except Italian sports
cars).

Regards

Simon


On 12/7/07 15:13, "Sue Thomas" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi
>  
> I'm writing to all my friends and colleagues who are also citizens of
> cyberspace to request your help with my new book project, The Wild
> Surmise: a study of nature and cyberspace.
>  
> I've created a blog with five questions about your own experience of
> nature and how you view it in relation to your online life. I'd be
> really grateful if you could spare the time to respond to some or all of
> them.  Also, if you know of anyone else who might enjoy the project,
> either as participant or reader, please feel free to pass the url to
> them. The site only launched yesterday so it is pristine ground!
>  
> Many thanks in advance and I hope you have a moment to contribute.
> You'll find info on how to do this at
> http://travelsinvirtuality.typepad.com/natureandcyberspace/
>  
> Last year I interviewed a number of people during the first phase of
> this research and I'll be publishing those interviews on the site over
> the next few weeks. Currently you can read N. Katherine Hayles'
> responses
> http://travelsinvirtuality.typepad.com/natureandcyberspace/2007/07/n-kat
> herine-hay.html and here's an excerpt from a conversation with Howard
> Rheingold:
> 
> "Most people know me from cyberspace and assume that I live there.  I do
> spend many hours a day online, but what they don't know is that my body
> is sitting outside, with my bare feet in contact with the earth. I don't
> know that I could live in any other way."  (interview with Howard
> Rheingold, 2006)
> 
>  
> I hope you have a moment to contribute and look forward to reading your
> thoughts.
>  
> Warm wishes
> 
> Sue
> 
> 
> Sue Thomas
> Professor of New Media
> Institute of Creative Technologies
> Clephan 1.01d
> Faculty of Humanities
> De Montfort University
> The Gateway
> Leicester
> LE1 9BH
> United Kingdom
> +44 (0)116 207 8266
>  <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask]
>  <http://www.mti.dmu.ac.uk/~sthomas/>
> <http://www.hum.dmu.ac.uk/~sthomas/> http://www.hum.dmu.ac.uk/~sthomas/
> 
> DMU Online MA in Creative Writing & New Media
> http://www.creativewritingandnewmedia.com
> <http://www.creativewritingandnewmedia.com/>
> 
> (apologies for any x-posting)
> 
> **********
> * Visit the Writing and the Digital Life blog
> http://www.hum.dmu.ac.uk/blogs/wdl/
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Simon Biggs
[log in to unmask]
http://www.littlepig.org.uk/
AIM: simonbiggsuk

Research Professor in Art, Edinburgh College of Art
[log in to unmask]
http://www.eca.ac.uk/

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