My definition of the sublime has been a flawless splendor or greatness that can manifest itself in both physical objects and intangible ideas. David Nye’s article “American Technological Sublime” and Dr. Sample’s videos clarified this definition for me; the sublime is a space or experience that overstimulates or overwhelms the subject. One aspect of the sublime, just like the eerie and the uncanny, is that sublime is subjective. My sublime could vary drastically from someone’s from a different background or culture with different interests and fears. Along the same thread, Nye argues that preconceptions or expectations of the sublime can dampen its overwhelming effect on the subject. There are two types of the sublime that Dr. Sample mentions: the natural sublime and technological sublime. My interests intersect perfectly with these two types of the sublime. as I enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and fishing as well as computer science and biotechnology.
I encounter these types of sublime frequently; in particular, I am drawn to moments where the vastness or sheer magnitude is highlighted. One moment of the natural sublime has been on a cruise ship, staring at the seemingly infinite ocean. In that time, it was difficult to understand the magnitude of the space in which I was. A moment of the technological sublime was working with a computer algorithm to scan through a DNA sequence with millions of bases. Any time I work with ‘big data’ as it is called, I am astounded at just how comprehensive the computational tools have to be in order to analyze it. These examples aren’t just sublime, but they also provoke feelings of intimidation and even dread.
Finally, I would like to comment on John Simon’s work Every Icon, an excellent example of the technological sublime. Each “icon” is created through a systematic, procedural process, characteristic of digital works. This work reminded me of combinatory, randomly generated works; by nature, Every Icon is very calculated and determined, but the idea of seemingly endless combinations is typical of combinatory literature.