Yianni Yessios is a technology artist who looks at how society chooses to mediate reality through the use technologies. He is currently an assistant professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art. As an instructor in the T.I.M.E. (Technology Integrated Media Major) department, he teaches classes in robotics, programming, web design, foundations, and a seminar for digital arts majors.
Yianni was born to Alexandra and Christos Yessios, Greek immigrants who came to the United States for graduate school. His father went on to become an architecture professor specializing in Computer Aided Design. He started his own software company, Auto-des-sys, which publishes Form-Z. Both of Yianni’s parents take pride in their Greek heritage and have passed this pride onto Yianni. Every summer they made trips to Greece. As an undergraduate, Yianni studied mechanical engineering at Princeton University. In addition to his regular classes, he studied art, computer science, and performed extensively as a mime with the Princeton Mime Company. He went on to receive his MFA in Art and Technology at The Ohio State University.

WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

Currently I am working on two projects. In one, I will be selling my own DNA as a fashion accessory. The piece will include DNA samples that will be extensively marketed. It will serve as a criticism of consumerist society, and how new technologies are developed without thought on their uses and affects.
The second piece is a video work that takes images found on the web through a Google image search. The results of the search are randomly chosen, animated, and arranged to create videos. The next phase of the piece will add text in a similar fashion. With this piece, I am interested in how people will construct their own person meaning out of images they are presented.


IN WHAT DIRECTION IS YOUR WORK HEADED?

In general, my work explores the impact of technology on society and/or individuals. Sometimes this exploration takes the form of social criticism, while at other times it seeks to find new uses for technology.
I am greatly concerned with originality in my artwork. For instance, when I was recently asked to collaborate with a dancer, she anticipated a straightforward video piece for her to dance in front of. I was interested in pushing the nature of video, and in using technology to produce something that would react to her, creating a different video environment every time she performed.
I especially enjoy art in which the audience interacts with. My work usually involves performance and interactive work.


A THEME FOR THIS ISSUE OF SWITCH IS POST-CODE/PROXY IDENTITY. AS A GROUP, WE HAVE DEFINED PROXY IDENTITY AS ARBITRARILY STRUCTURED IDENTITIES THAT CAN BE MOLDED AND GROUPED INTO A COLLECTIVE. HOW DOES YOUR PIECE, HOMO INDICIUM RELATE TO OUR DEFINITION OF THIS TOPIC?

Homo Indicium is a database of digital identities (You could say proxy identities). The information stored is based on a list of questions that I chose. I am attempting to get a set of questions that will give an accurate description of a person. By combining questions from a wide variety of forms found online, the definition my database allows is limited. It is not a complete identity, but an arbitrarily structured one. In making choices about the questions I ask, I automatically bias the form of identities that can be created. This bias creates a first layer of molding.
I have avoided all other forms of molding or grouping mainly since I have been collecting large amounts of data. This data implies the intention of use, so people typically ask how the data will be employed. I am not interested in a specific use since it invokes several possible uses. Of course, any use of a data set molds it. Statistical analysis of data is almost always biased by the desires of those doing the analysis. In the end, Homo Indicium raises the fear of how data and proxy identities can be misused.


WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF INTERACTION IN HOMO INDICIUM BETWEEN THE PIECE AND THE VIEWER, AS WELL AS THE PROXY IDENTITIES THAT HAVE BEEN CREATED?

Homo Indicium allows the viewer to approach the work and interact directly with it. This is done lifting a barcode scanner, scanning a barcode on the wall of hair samples, and then returning to the computer to see the information presented about that sample. The information returned is a proxy identity associated with a particular hair sample. There is no interface for mining or comparing data, therefore if a viewer wanted to compare data they would have to manually scan each barcode. He or she could then view all the data and draw their own conclusions.
Audience members can add their own proxy identity to the piece. One unpredictable variable of the piece is that the audience can easily lie about their identity. This is one of the few cases in which people have a lot of control over the type of proxy identity they create.


IN HOMO INDICIUM, YOU DISPLAY HAIR SAMPLES FROM VARIOUS INDIVIDUALS. ONE REVIEW OF YOUR PIECE STATED THAT THIS IMAGERY HINTS AT ISSUES OF DNA CLONING. WITHIN THE TOPIC OF DNA CLONING IS A TREMENDOUS ARGUMENT BETWEEN THE SCIENTIFIC MERIT OF DNA EXPERIMENTATION AND THE RELIGIOUS IMPLICATIONS OF MAN PLAYING THE ROLE OF GOD. WHAT IS YOUR STANCE IN TERMS OF ETHICS ON THIS ISSUE?

No technology is unethical in and of itself, however the means of creating a new technology can be unethical. The use of technology may be unethical, but technology itself is just a tool. I do not fear the creation of clones (Which is a good thing since I will soon be selling my DNA for just such a reason). My concern is to the reasoning behind cloning. Will it be used to create a slave race? Create bodies that are never allowed to come to consciousness to allow humans to transplant brains into them? These are unethical uses. It is also another technology the wealthy can use to assert control over the deprived. These are things we should definitely consider while developing these technologies.
As for the playing God, that particular question pre-supposes a Judeo-Christian God, which I do not ascribe to. Let us not forget that the bible grants mankind dominion over nature to exploit it as we desire. We control nature in many ways as it is, therefore I do not understand how cloning is so different. I have bigger problems with how we might affect the diversity of our gene pool, or how we might create new forms of bigotry. Honestly, when religious people argue against technology for reasons other than ethics, I usually feel they are afraid new discoveries will undermine religion. Technology and religion can coexist, especially since most people’s understanding and practice of science is very similar to that of a religion.


AS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN THE T.I.M.E. DEPARTMENT AT THE CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF ART, WOULD YOU COMMENT ON THE DIRECTION OF THIS DEPARTMENT? WHAT ARE THE PREVALENT TOPICS YOU ADDRESS IN YOUR TEACHING?

The T.I.M.E. Department recently added an MFA program, an emphasis in game design, and will add an emphasis in broadcasting in the immediate future. As it does so, it remains dedicated to the notion that digital artists/designers can be trained in an environment that does not try to distinguish between fine art and design. Students should be trained to use the same skills as appropriate to any venture.
I find that that most important topic in my teaching is summed up in the question, “What do you want to communicate?” To be a successful artist or designer, you have to understand the direction of your message. Without direction, you have an empty shell based strictly on imagery. This question can also lead you to interesting conversations, much like the one in this interview.

THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER REPORTED TODAY THAT CLEVELAND IS "FACING THE MOST DIFFICULT FINANCIAL SITUATION IN RECENT MEMORY." IF OHIO WERE TO HAVE A RECALL ELECTION TO OUST GOVERNOR TAFT, WHAT CELEBRITY TURNED POLITICIAN WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE RUN OHIO?

Ohio has celebrities? Honestly, I would be happier if it was not about celebrities, but about what they want to do. If I could choose any American celebrity, I'd have to pick John Stewart from the Daily Show. He's smart, ethical and funny.


This interview was conducted by Micheal Weisert in spring 2004.