Human-computer interaction in life drawing, a fine artist's perspective

Experiments in human-computer interaction (HCI) are presented from my perspective as an artist who teaches Life Draining at California State University Long Beach. I discuss original cybertouch figures created with Steven Schkolne's unprecedented Surface Drawing software, linked to Responsive Workbench projects supported by the Caltech Multi-Res Modeling Group. The Workbench and the tangible interface tools are described. 1 use the proprietary software in a unique way to draw live models, a purpose for which it was not intended. This work is addressed in context with fine art exhibitions "Siggraph 2000", and "The Cyborg Manifesto, or The Joy of Artifice" in 2001, The artists re-examine a sense of our bodies, technology and culture, Their philosophical insights are presented in contrast to "old school" humanist values fostered in the Life Drawing Gallery, an interactive web site for students. Brief conclusions highlight an evolving cultural paradigm for human identity and portrayal.