Becoming is bodily thought, beyond the realm of possibility, in the world of the virtual. -Brian Massumi by Randy Lee Cutler “. A CONTRADICTION In TERMS A zero degree monstrosity is a normally formed human being. This fictitious creature of rationalism exists at the horizon line between lived reality and the imagination. It makes mani- fest and palpable the tension between absence and excess. A ZDM is devoid of difference. It resides in a conceptually sterile space where the idea of a scientific standard reigns over the pon- derous terrain of difference, ‘pathology’, and monstrous becomings. But as it seeks to sustain zero degree difference, the ZDM exposes its irra- tional underpinnings. “l THEREFORE... A zero degree monstrosity is simultane- ously an escape from the prescriptive definitions that make clear categories out of all organic life. Monsters are a lived reality. A ZDM is a fascinat- ing, mesmerizing creature that is the object of aberration and adoration. It elicits a continued sense of wonder and awe with the world without having to reduce experience to an either/or posi- tion. Its hybridity, paradox and contradictions are its essence. This vision of monstrosity is perhaps a projection of our own conflictual present beyond our provisionary and perhaps obsolete maps. When we desire away from the configu- rations assigned to the body we move into the realm of the monstrous. "A new dynamic range outlines itself in the in between: a fusion of potential relations of movements and rest map- ping a mutant trajectory never before trav- eled: = “lt ROODITIONALLY; "The escape attempt was not rational because the constraint is not rational." 2 ~/and finally; "The monster is the bodily incarnation of difference from the basic human norm; it is deviant, an a-nomaly; it is abnormal. As Georges Canquilhem points out, the very notion of the human body rests upon an image that is intrinsi- cally prescriptive: a normally formed human being is the zero-degree of monstrosity." 3 WHAT MONSTROSITY = IS A ceRO DEGREE “) UNDER THE BIG TOP You will find many examples of ZDM at the electronic theme park. Each pavilion exhibits an aspect of monstrosity that arises at the inter- sections of art, science and technology. An encounter with wonder will be evident in all of your visits. The following list advertises some of the mutant figures of bioscience, hybrid manifes- tations of techgnosis and evolutionary mergings on display at ZDM. o Use scientific measuring technologies and have them mark out the ineffable, the uncontainable, the untenable. o Create a scientific persona and use a genetic algorithm to situate scientific discourse within human interaction; blur subject and object. o Subvert scientific, philosophical and cul- tural processes and find tangible examples of misplaced methodologies. o Use telecommunication technologies to channel the dead and pass ectoplasmic matter through the interface. o A death, most likely from fever or poi- son that arises from within a person, is enacted over and over. Question the veracity of the "doc- ument" and the death scene itself. o Employ Haitian Vodou Arts to generate bio-technical crossroads. Ritual here is evolution- ary modification, an intensification of a behavior pattern assisting communication. o Investigate the interface between the implication and application of new technologies in medical science and postmodern notions of the human body. oPerform music and recorded sound at a former whaling station. Use underwater speakers and hydrophones to broadcast the prerecorded sounds of whales in Alaska back into our local waters. o The scientist and the artist begin as par- ticipant observers. Engaging with zoomorphic masquerade, the artist pounces on the scientist's ideas. The scientist also makes magic, reduces liq- uid dynamics, defines waves, tests her sets. Evaluate online risk patterns in art and science research and development. Watch live data streams as these form patterns on the site. “l TO SUMMARIZE If you are still in doubt as to the meaning of this awkward and unwieldy term read the following excerpt from an entry in the ZDM glossary. [The full version is available on this website.] zero degree monstrosities ~n 1.a O° 1.b after Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari 2.A normality is the degree zero of monstrosity, with no value, no difference 2.B an absence of quan- tity, intensity or magnitude, weightlessness 2.C the state or quali- ty of being a zero degree monstrosity 3. an amorphous, contra- dictory portent [C17: It is an artifact whose freakishness and unfamil- _ iarity has been emptied out by rational thinking. B> It is the response, result and/or critique of narrow, clin- ical reason. ~/appendix~/questions arising out of ZDM contrariness Perhaps you enjoy rhetorical logic, preferring a different structural process to your acquisition of ideas. Here are some ques- tions to consider. What does it mean to function normally? What is standard? status quo? average? typical? usual? How is normal defined? Whose definition gets adopted as true? How does this designation get reproduced in the sciences, entertainment, social structures, and lived experience? What gets counted as a normally formed human? Why do boundaries need to be reconsidered? What is the underbelly of overwrought rationalism? What is a GMO [genetically modifies organism] and how does it challenge ideas about evolution? 1 - Georges Canguilhem, La Connaissance de la vie, Paris: Vrin, 1980, p. 160. 2 - Brian Massumi, A User's Guide to Capitalism and schizophrenia, Cambridge: MIT Press1992, p. 94 3 - Rosi Braidotti, Nomadic Subjects, embodiment and sexual difference in contemporary feminist theory, New York: Columbia University Press, 1994, p. 78. Becoming is bodily thought, beyond the realm of possibility, in the world of the virtual. WHAT -Brian Massumi by Randy Lee Cutler “rR CONTRADICTION in TERMS A zero degree monstrosity is a normally formed human being. This fictitious creature of rationalism exists at the horizon line between lived reality and the imagination. It makes mani- fest and palpable the tension between absence and excess. A ZDM is devoid of difference. It resides in a conceptually sterile space where the idea of a scientific standard reigns over the pon- derous terrain of difference, ‘pathology’, and monstrous becomings. But as it seeks to sustain zero degree difference, the ZDM exposes its irra- tional underpinnings. “I THEREFORE... A zero degree monstrosity is simultane- ously an escape from the prescriptive definitions that make clear categories out of all organic life ‘Monsters are a lived reality. A ZDM is a fascinat- ing, mesmerizing creature that is the object of aberration and adoration. It elicits a continued sense of wonder and awe with the world without having to reduce experience to an either/or posi- tion. Its hybridity, paradox and contradictions are its essence. This vision of monstrosity is perhaps projection of our own conflictual present beyond our provisionary and perhaps obsolete maps. When we desire away from the configu- rations assigned to the body we move into the realm of the monstrous. "A new dynamic range outlines itself in the in between: a fusion of potential relations of movements and rest map- ping a mutant trajectory never before trav- led..." “1 ADDITIONALLY, “The escape attempt was not rational because the constraint is not rational." 2 ~/and finally; "The monster is the bodily incarnation of difference from the basic human norm; it is deviant, an a-nomaly; itis abnormal. As Georges Canquilhem points out, the very notion of the human body rests upon an image that is intrinsi- cally prescriptive: a normally formed human being is the zero-degree of monstrosity." 3 IS A 2eRo DOEGREE MONSTROSITY? “T UNDER THE BIG TOP You will find many examples of ZDM at the electronic theme park. Each pavilion exhibits an aspect of monstrosity that arises at the inter- sections of art, science and technology. An encounter with wonder will be evident in all of your visits. The following list advertises some of the mutant figures of bioscience, hybrid manifes- tations of techgnosis and evolutionary mergings on display at ZDM. © Use scientific measuring technologies ‘and have them mark out the ineffable, the uncontainable, the untenable. © Create a scientific persona and use a genetic algorithm to situate scientific discourse within human interaction; blur subject and object. © Subvert scientific, philosophical and cul- tural processes and find tangible examples of misplaced methodologies. © Use telecommunication technologies to channel the dead and pass ectoplasmic matter through the interface. © A death, most likely from fever or poi- son that arises from within a person, is enacted over and over. Question the veracity of the "doc- ument” and the death scene itself. © Employ Haitian Vodou Arts to generate bio-technical crossroads. Ritual here is evolution- ary modification, an intensification of a behavior patter assisting communication. © Investigate the interface between the implication and application of new technologies in medical science and post modem notions of the human body. ‘Perform music and recorded sound at a former whaling station. Use underwater speakers and hydrophones to broadcast the prerecorded sounds of whales in Alaska back into our local waters. © The scientist and the artist begin as par- ticpant observers. Engaging with zoomorphic masquerade, the artist pounces on the scientist's ideas. The scientist also makes magic, reduces liq- uid dynamics, defines waves, tests her sets Evaluate online risk patterns in art and science research and development. Watch live data streams as these form patterns on the site. “170 SUMMARIZE If you are stil in doubt as to the meaning of this awkward and unwieldy term read the following excerpt from an entry in the ZDM glossary. (The full version is available on this website.] zero degree monstrosities -n 1a O° 1. after Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari 2.A normality is the degree zero of monstrosity, with no value, no difference 2.8 an absence of quan- tity, intensity or magnitude, weightlessness 2.C the state or quali- ty of being a zero degree monstrosity 3. an amorphous, contra- dictory portent [C17: It san artifact whose freakishness and unfamil- iarity has been emptied out by rational thinking, B> Itis the response, result and/or critique of narrow, clin- ical reason ~/appendix~/questions arising out of ZDM contrariness Perhaps you enjoy rhetorical logic, preferring a different structural process to your acquisition of ideas. Here are some ques- tions to consider. What does it mean to function normally? What is standard? status quo? average? typical? usual? How is normal defined? Whose definition gets adopted as true? How does this designation get reproduced in the sciences, entertainment, social structures, and lived experience? What gets counted as a normally formed human? Why do boundaries need to be reconsidered? What is the underbelly of overwrought rationalism? What is a GMO [genetically modifies organism) and how does it challenge ideas about evolution? 4 = Georges Cangulher, La Connaissance de la vie, Paris: Vrin, 1980, p. 160. 2 - Brian Massumi, A User's Guide to Capitalism and schizophrenia, ‘Cambridge: MIT Press1992, p. 94 3 = Rosi Braiotti, Nomadic Subjects, embodiment and sexual diference in contemporary feminist theory, New York: Columbia Unversity Press, 1994, p. 78.