The Resonating Interval:
Exploring the Process of the Tetrad
By Anthony Hempell
The Tetrad: Concept
McLuhan proposed the tetrad as an alternate means for discussing
the effect of technology on society. Instead of using a model based on
causality, the tetrad organizes an artifact as a "resonating interval":
an object which transcends time; and is affected by both its own
attributes and the environment which surrounds it. As McLuhan and
Powers explain:
...the tetrad performs the function of myth in that it
compresses past, present, and future into one through the power of
simultaneity. The tetrad illuminates the borderline between acoustic
and visual space as an arena of spiraling repetition and replay, both
of input and feedback, interlace and interface in the area of imploded
circle of rebirth and metamorphosis. (p.9)
The main thrust of the tetrad is to create a "comprehensive awareness"
of both the artifact and its surroundings. Creation of tetrads requires
the user to strive for a mental balance between acoustic and visual
space, requiring the cognitive power of both left and right hemispheres
of the brain.
The Process of Tetrad Creation
The tetrad is arrived at through a process of asking questions, based
on historical, social, and technological knowledge of the subject:
What does it retrieve that had been earlier
obsolesced?
What does it reverse or flip into when pushed to the
limits of its potential?
These questions result in a set of four
effects, namely: enhancement, obsolescence, retrieval, and reversal.
These four elements are in a resonant relationship (or "interchange")
with one another; the parts of the tetrad are in a complementary
relationship:
Enhancement (figure) The
amplification of effects, focus on the practical. Creation of vortices
of power; solution to previous problem.
The recovery
of values and insight that was once lost or eroded. The transition of
ground to figure. Retrieval (figure)
Reversal (ground) The reverse of enhancement;
the unexpected dissatisfactions. Pushed to its limits, the artifact
flips on its user; creation of new problem.
The erosion
of formerly significant artifacts. The transition of figure to
ground. Obsolescence (ground)
