Hrag Vartanian

Ahhh…the limitations of Twitter.
In 75 minutes, An Xiao & I publicly tweeted it out with 49 tweets (also 3 preamble tweets & 8 by fellow tweeters) and discussed An’s latest project @platea (a Twtreet Art Project), twitterification of language, the elegance of the medium, yesterday’s McCain/Stephanopoulous Twitterview & An revealed her deepest, darkest secret…well, almost.
It was a fun experience but limited by the speed of Twitter itself. While I thought the service’s 140 character limit would be our biggest limitation, I soon discovered that the instantaneous medium had speed limitations, perhaps the result of our excessive tweeting. I often waited minuted between tweets—and An & I are both fast typers. When Olympia Lambert (of Oly’s Musings) attempted to tweet the blogpix panel on March 7, she encountered another limitation of the medium…namely, her lightning fast typing (she used to close caption for a living) got her booted off the system and the blogpix account went into lock down by the wardens at Twitter.
But alas, limitations are fun, specially for those of us that love to challenge them. So here it is, my first twitterview with the techno-savvy An Xiao, who was the first artist to grace the feed of the Brooklyn Museum’s 1stfans Twitter account.
Here’s the non-hashtagged preamble to our twitterview:

• thatwaszen: An is psyched for her live twitterview w/ Hrag Vartanian in a little over 10 minutes 🙂 http://tr.im/hvCS. http://ff.im/1Bbkr #
• hragv: @thatwaszen I think I’m more excited than you!!!! I hope we treat it like an episode of Oprah & you reveal something deep & dark!!!! WOOHOO! #
• thatwaszen: @hragv Get ready to break out the virtual hankies – it’s going to a twear-jerker! #

And the transcript of the real hashtagged (#axhv) thing (with outside comments in purple & non-hastagged replies to me are in light blue):

hragv: @thatwaszen Hey An, Looks like it’s that time…thanks for talking to me today #axhv #
thatwaszen: @hragv Thanks Hrag I’ve been looking forward to this. Thanks for inviting me to twitterview 🙂 #axhv #

hragv: @thatwaszen So…let’s get started: “WHAT HATH GOD TWROUGHT?” #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv To quote @schun: Machines that steal away our days! Communications tools have taken over our lives. Twitter and FB especially. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen I’m not sure that’s necessarily a bad thing though. What’s wrong with our days being dominated by these machines? #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv Nothing wrong necessarily – social media bring interesting people and ideas together in interesting ways not possible before. #axhv #

hragv: @thatwaszen How connected do you feel using Twitter, FB & other things…is intimacy possible in your opinion? #axhv #
thatwaszen: @hragv Very – tho I’d say I feel intimacy only w/ those I know in person. But acquaintanceship is very possible even if we’ve not met. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen Artistically , you’ve been flourishing in this medium (1stfans artist, etc.). What is it that attracts you? #axhv #
thatwaszen: @hragv Thank you. It’s a fascinating redefinition of public space & social interaction – an entirely 21st c. way of relating to world. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen And @platea is an extension of that…right? Now, what was the inspiration for that? Flash mobs? Social protests? #axhv #
thatwaszen: @hragv That’s right. @platea is inspired by once-physical acts now done on Twitter: social protests, fun convos, word-of-mouth news #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen With all the time you spend on Twitter what had to give in your day? I mean, there are only so many hours. #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv My time on Facebook 😉 #axhv #

hragv: @thatwaszen LOL…that’s funny because that’s true for me too. Doesn’t it feel like all the cool kids are on Twitter now? #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv Totally, we’re the twavant garde. Interesting that something so simple is a hot topic in world of complicated technology. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen Now, back to @platea…you’re calling it a Stweet Art Project. How do you expect people to get involved? #axhv #
thatwaszen: @hragv 1st is by joining @platea “statusing” (online happening). Next is by collab on future projects, as our focus is on performance.#axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen So there will a physical aspect to @platea? #axhv #

mattheldstudios: Is it tuning, reading, watching – twatching? @hragv and @thawaszen – #axhv #

joelleheld: @mattheldstudios – I think it’s twatching @thatwaszen and @hragv. #

thatwaszen: @hragv I don’t want to rule out the physical, but by “performance” I mean online, on social media. “Twerformance,” if you will. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen OK. Btw realized ur icon is from ur artwork “True Sexual Tales of Exotic Zoë Kitsu” do u consider Twittering performance? #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv It can be v deliberate and for a large audience. Def a performative quality possible – prob why celebs/polits so drawn to it #axhv #

artwhirled: @thatwaszen Are there any “Happenings” artists that you looked at when formulating your ideas for @platea? #axhv #

hragv: Good question @artwhirled ….so, @thatwaszen are there any “happening” or performance artists you’re looking to for @platea? #axhv
thatwaszen: @hragv @artwhirled Yes – Y Kusama, V Acconci, V Beecfrot. Esp interested in artists who explore/interp public space #axhv

hragv: @thatwaszen How would you judge this project a success? Is there a goal? Or it more of an exploration? #axhv #
thatwaszen: @hragv More an exploration right now – want to get dialogue going around social media as public space. Successful if ppl engaged. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen Is it strange to u that people are twatching us now & our words are hugged by all this “secret” code? #axhv — @joelleheld 😉 #

jomc: Trying to explain to a non-twitter native the @hragv @thatwaszen interview is near impossible #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv @joelleheld lol but Twitter is almost always public, no? 🙂 This is like any good Twitter convo, just announced beforehand! #axhv #
thatwaszen: @jomc I think Twitter is like its own city-state w/ strange rules and customs that outsiders don’t understand! #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen Doing this Twitterview its amazin’ the lag time Twitter actually has…it never feels this slow 1 msg @ a time…thoughts? #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv Agree – it is quite slow, no? Suspect it helps Twitter remain in background of ppl’s lives w/o totally overwhelming. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen If you could change one thing about Twitter, what would it be? #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv Hard to say – so elegantly simple and streamlined but still adaptable via API/apps. It may just be perfect. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen Now juicy stuff…tell me a big secret. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t like to overshare…come on, spill it! #axhv #
thatwaszen: @hragv Oh dear!!! Umm.. I often secretly surf the Net w/o using social media so no one realizes how big a dork I really am. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen U can dig deeper…r u using Twitter to avoid life? Does it dull the pain of smthg? Come on…or should I ask this to Zoë? #axhv #
thatwaszen: @hragv Oh gosh I think that’s a question for Zoë. @thatwaszen is a family channel! #axhv #

artwhirled: @thatwaszen Any secrets about what will happen @platea? #axhv

thatwaszen: @artwhirled One exciting thing is that we’re partnering w/ @artmacguffin… will enable some very cool projects down the line. #axhv #

hragv: @thatwaszen Ok, Ok…so how lame was the McCain/Stephanopoulos Twitterview yesterday? http://bit.ly/wIJaR Why did you think it sucked? #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv I am proud of Senator McCain. He has the right to his own wpm. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen True, but the speed of his Tweets (I’m now realizing) may have been Twitter itself. #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv You’re right. Their talk was 2 non-Twitter natives trying to cover cplx issues in 15 mins. Just not enough time/space. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen Is there a word u wish would be Twitterfied that hasn’t been? There’s Twtreet…Twitterview…Twrought…anything left? #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv Twupercalifragilsticexpialidocious. And tworange, so we finally have a word that rhymes w/ the fruit. #axhv #

hragv: @thatwaszen So, since you won’t tell me who you’re sleeping with I think we should wrap things up now…any final twoughts? #axhv #

remaerdyaD: @HragV chukl #

thatwaszen: @hragv Sorry to disappoint 🙂 This was v fun tho. I hope folks join @platea & stay tuned abt coming public art proj w @telectroscope. #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen Thanks An…you’re awesome & a great sport. Can’t wait to see how @platea develops & see you in the twitterverse!!! #axhv #

thatwaszen: @hragv Thanks Hrag! And thanks everyone for twuning in! 🙂 #axhv #
hragv: @thatwaszen Yes, thanks everyone….and check out An’s blog: http://thatwaszen.blogspot…. #axhv #

_randomthoughts:@hragv @thatwaszen thx, gr8 interaction, would be happy 2 c more of this as an extension of 1stfans #axhv #

veken: @hragv great interview! Looking forward to seeing how @platea develops. #axhv #