13
unimaginable interpersonal relationships, that the images could be used for dialogue, the exchange of information, and the fabrication of new information. (pp.66–67) This tendency is all but manifest in several works by Stern that are simultaneously political and polemical, including the constantly evolving Vietnam Romance multimedia project, interactive experiences like Still Life with Putin (2014) and Waco Resurrection (2003-2004), and the sculptural Fort Paladin (2003), among others. Stern does not appear in the images he produces. However, his personal vision, aesthetics and intentions are clearly visible through his images. In doing so, he introduces alternative situations, narratives, and conditions. He uses keys to invent other worlds. As Flusser reminds us, “envisioners press buttons to inform, in the strictest sense of that word, namely, to make something improbable out of possibilities.” (p.37) While most commercial videogames produce redundant images and useless information, Stern’s artworks force the receiver to reevaluate her understanding of the contingent. He achieves this goal by working against the apparatus, rather than playing the role of a mere functionary (user). He creates his own programs, rather than being programmed by the machine. After all, “image–making mechanisms were invented, namely, to produce improbable, informative situations to consolidate invisible possibilities into visible improbabilities.” (p.18) An envisioner, according to Flusser, is someone who tries “to turn an automatic apparatus against its own condition of being automatic.” (p.19) In his transformation, manipulation, and ultimately disruption of video game apparatuses, Stern is able “to preserve human judgment over the machine.” (ibidem) Whereas most people use technology in a lazy, unimaginative way, envisioners are able to identify both its essence and potential uses. Flusser warns that the “silly twiddling” with new technological gadgets – e.g. meme–making, gif addiction, the selfie obsession, vacuous tweeting – cannot be confused with the activities of “non spectacular revolutionaries”. HOW TO PLAY EDDO STERN