The Curtain and the Grapes

According to Pliny, The Elder, it all began in the 5th Century BC with a contest between two Athenian painters to determine which was the greatest painter of the time.  The first painter, Parrhasius, painted grapes so perfectly that a flock of birds flew through the window to eat them.  The second painter, Zeuxis, invited Parrhasius to his studio where his painting was draped by a curtain.  When Parrhasius was invited to remove the curtain so he could judge the quality of the painting, he was astounded to find it was not a curtain, but a painting of a curtain.  This, according to Pliny, was the first interactive art; Parrhasius’s gesture to remove the curtain gave the painting meaning.

In the 1920s, artists began to create interactive projects in which there was

a dialogue between the artwork and the viewer. This was a sharing of the

creative process in which the viewer was a participant in the process

whereby his or her actions validated or altered the meaning of the work.

With the coming of the computer age, designers began to apply this collaboration concept to digital projects. Early applications were video games in which users could interact with the content. Now the computer is essential in business communications where the creator of the system allows the user to take an active role in the design, editing and application of the message. Blocker Publishing has been a pioneer in this new world of electronic communication partnership, developing interactive systems that make a difference in peoples’ lives.

GORDON BLOCKER

American Airlines

Interactive Training

Gordon Blocker served as the visual component contractor for six laserdisks for International Counter-terrorism (adapted from effective security protocols of El Al Israel Airlines), Ticket Agent and Cargo Agent Training. Among these programs was a six-hour interactive schema training for American Airlines Security Agents in the areas of anti-terrorism, including profiling, passport forgery detection, suspicious signs, E-scan detection, aircraft search and emergency procedures. The key to the program’s success was that it involved the Security Agent making hypothetical situations real and brought the Agent (Not to be be confused with TSA personnel) fully into the complexities of various threat scenarios. Over 300,000 Security Agents were trained using this innovative training program at the American Airlines Training Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Reality Interactive - Minneapolis, MN

Interactive Training

Gordon Blocker served as curriculum designer, writer, producer/ director and Team Leader for three comprehensive interactive training programs for certification for quality management international protocols for ISO 9000, QS9000 and ISO1400.

Preservation Dallas - Meadows Foundation

Interactive Museum Kiosks

Gordon Blocker produced two museum kiosk programs for Preservation Dallas and The Meadows Foundation. The kiosks were located in the historic Wilson House in Dallas, Texas

Coca-Cola Consolidated

Interactive Training

Gordon Blocker developed the training curriculum and served as Interactive Designer and Programer - A comprehensive computer-based-training solution produced for the #2 Coca-Cola bottler in the USA. Thirteen US states were hooked up simultaneously as each training facility instruction and testing was performed. Testing results were delivered in real-time to Corporate Headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina. Again, simulation of real-life situations in which trainees could choose among a variety of solutions was key. The training was done so that the company route personnel could begin working effectively on day one of the rollout of the new technologies. The training was highly successful,

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