In a close reading of the text, “Unable Bodies” in the publication Speed and Politics, Paul Virilio speaks to the idea of convergence of machine and man through rapid catalytics of political actions. Beginning with the first intervention of man and machine in World War 1 and the need for a quick solution to combat injuries, the study of orthopedics which eventually morphed into prosthetic design came to the forefront. There was a sudden need for a immediate response for machines to fix the damaged caused by man’s political actions and armatures of war. Furthermore, the idea that machines can compensate for mans inabilities becomes a conversation with futurists and future of warfare is the understanding and grasping the exponentially increasing speed of battle. This speed in politically motivated actions Can manifest in two means accounting to Virilio, through infrastructural war, creating land for future battlefields (expanding roads, telephone lines) and utilizing countryside for farm land for human food resources or economic ware fare. An example of economic political war ads embargoes, economic sanctions, and market infiltrations. An example he uses is North Vietnam with the infrastructural war of burning forests then after winning the war cementing control through making the North Vietnam economy dependent on the US economy and imports. The understanding and harnessing of speed becomes a political advantage and an extension of man that was unattainable previous.
As speed increases as seen in the study of Virilio’s notion of Dromology, the second text “The Overexposed City” looks at speed and the boundaries it inhabits and encompasses. To understand this he ventures into architecture and the division of cities. These architectural and socio-economic boundaries act at a screening system that interprets different populations or environments. For instance while using the airport security example, Virilio explains that physical gates become transformed in the architecture to electronic screening systems. This uses of technology as the boundary instead more tangible barriers disrupts and judges culture and society through time rather the space or perception. Looking at a global scale, the boundaries of the metropolis have dissolved and become permeable. This “urban mass” suggests the removal of neighborhoods in to a new urban contamination. This osmetic membrane of the city blends into its context as also technology mimics this becoming so integrated into culture and physical interactions that it boundaries become indistinguishable. These space time interfaces rather than facades with limited functionality focus on connection, movement, and kinetic energies.
The final chapter of text, “the Administration of Fear” Virilio examines telecommunication more in depth and how it affects our perception of ourselves and our view of others. Immobile speed of telecommunication has replaced mobile face to face conversation which while allows for communication across the global to happen almost instantly, there is a loss of nuances and materialism. Similar to the underpinnings of the first text, Virilio explains that proximity and speed of the Cold War era lead to computer communication first seen in coding of weapons then into more mainstream applications of teleconferencing and messaging. However, with this technology there was a loss in “Life-sized” or in person engagements. This disappeared due to interactivity, television, and screens provided by new technologies that originated in military uses. The problem with this is small spaces and objects imprison us to not have a more open perspective and understanding of our environment and lacks authentic human ecology due to distortion. In his final thoughts he suggests through space making and architecture we can create hybrid environments that balance the realm of miniaturized technological areas and the “life sized” realities of our environment.
