Reading Assignment: A Companion to Digital Art

A Companion to Digital Art

A Companion to Digital Art is one of the many Companions to Art History reference volumes. Edited by Christine Paul, it is the view of the histories, aesthetics, politics and the issues that come with the presentation, collection, and preservation of digital art.

Enabling the Future, or How to Survive FOREVER

This essay was written by Annet Dekker, who highlights flexible models and interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to tackle digital conservation as traditional art conservation practices preserve the medium and end product while digital art can be time-based or having technology becoming obsolete the moment it is being created, making it hard or impossible to preserve the medium used. 

Before reading this essay, my prior notion of the preservation of digital artworks is preserving the physical aspects, whether it is to document the artwork by capturing videos and pictures digitally of the participant’s interaction, the process, the final artwork, or to store any medium, e.g. hardware and software, used for the artwork. This essay reminded me of how fast technology can evolve, and how fast it can become obsolete, which requires new ways to preserve the medium of digital artworks or even to preserve the digital culture we have today.

Today, most interactive media artists use and incorporate technology into their art. As mentioned in the video by Google Arts and Culture, digital art cannot be preserved in the same way traditional art is preserved. Many of the readers that used to read the software by the artists will become obsolete which means that the artwork will no longer be accessible.

There is a need to find a way to preserve digital art for future generations just like how traditional art was preserved for ours. As humans, we can learn from our past so as to create a better future. Thus, preserving our cultural heritage is as important as creating art just like how preserving science and math formulas from the past is as important as exploring science now.

Jet Set Willy Forever

JODI, Jet Set Willy FOREVER, 2010

The essay begins with the example of Jet Set Willy Forever, which includes the previous artworks of “Jet Set Willy” by the dutch internet artists duo JODI. It is based on the 1984 game, Jet Set Willy, which was one of the earliest non‐linear games programmed in BASIC, one of the first computer languages designed to empower users of one of the initial personal home computers, the now obsolete ZX Spectrum.

Jet Set Willy Forever displays the documentation of the different ways in which Jet Set Willy was exhibited by JODI, including a 1980s television (CRT) monitor with a ZX Spectrum with the actual Jet Set Willy created by an emulator; a flat-screen computer monitor showing screenshots of the modified game; an iPad which may show where this game is going to be in the future; a DVD containing multiple videos of modifications of the game (Jet Set Willy Variations, 2002); video documentation of the artists demonstrating how the game can be played during a previous presentation of the work; a set of written instructions on how to play the game, and sixty prints showing the interior of the game—a crosssection of the house. 

The documentation in Jet Set Willy Forever has two purposes. It serves as an informational document and is also an integral element of the work itself. The audience will be able to see the art history and how the artwork has evolved and changed over time as new technologies are introduced into the world. Jet Set Willy Forever itself is an artwork that presents its documentation as part of the whole experience.  By displaying the process and the previous software and hardware used, the audience is given the context of the artwork, enabling them to understand the artist’s intent, process, and approach to technology and philosophy.

I do agree that by showing the context it would deepen the audience’s understanding of the artwork, therefore bringing the message across. However, it makes me question if this artwork can still be maintained in the long run. How can the conservator maintain the ZX Spectrum or BASIC software 100 years later? How do we show the future generations the digital works of our time with context when the medium has become obsolete, or even extinct?

In the essay, Dekker mentioned that “The focus of conservation must move away from the purely material to include the original experience and contextual meaning of the artwork,” and  “The value of a digital artwork does not necessarily reside strictly in the materiality of the medium itself but in a number of contributing elements that, together, establish the work’s aesthetic qualities.” Jet Set Willy preserves the essence and concept of the artwork, which is to pay homage to the Jet Set Willy game that was created in 1984.

Authentic Alliances

Dekker argues for a practice that encourages thinking about “authentic instances,” leaving intact the notion of authenticity but allowing for change and variability. This way of working rejects the freeze-frame associated with traditional conservation. David Lowenthal stresses that “authenticity will always be variable,” thus Dekker argues for something more speculative and process-driven: the notion of “authentic alliances.”

Dekker states that she wanted “to connect the concept of alliances to authenticity in order to stress the importance of seeing seemingly different parts as a whole,” and “to emphasize the inherent intertwined structures through which digital art is created.” This approach sees different elements of artwork influencing the other, and not as singular entities.

My interpretation of “authentic alliances” is the preservation of digital artworks through a collective community that preserves the concept and process of the entire artwork. Dissimilar to traditional artworks, I do agree that the process and experiences by the participants of digital artworks should be placed more emphasis instead of the “final product” as digital art can always evolve. So when certain materials go obsolete, how do we understand the context of the artwork?

oldweb.today

One interesting example or approach to preserving digital art is oldweb.today by Rhizome, known for its digital preservation methods of digital art and the internet. oldweb.today allows users to surf the web the old-fashioned way to explore web archives through emulated legacy browsers. It puts us into the world of slow connectivity and responsiveness and raw aesthetics. This provides us with context but also preserving and simulating old technology.

Conclusion

This essay is a fresh perspective for me of how we can look into new preservation methods for digital art. My current creative process now only takes into account documenting what we are creating at the moment digitally and ends when my assignment is “completed.” I have never thought of the preservation of digital art that comes after that as I’ve always assumed that we can revisit the same software and hardware years down the road, never taking into account that technology is ever-changing and can become obsolete despite me knowing and experiencing it. I think integrating the process and experiences into the digital artwork places more importance on the whole creative process from start to end, which should be taken into account when the concept is important in digital art. Even when technology becomes obsolete, emulators are a great way to revive the tool, and most importantly, to show context for the digital artwork.

 

References

http://journal.voca.network/transmissions/?fbclid=IwAR0ICcEnUAFVGhBVAH-BAg903u-L09N42NMf1L4kNf-L0kRLJnviXpq2FHQ

https://www.arshake.com/en/jodi-variable-art-for-the-zx-spectrum-2/

https://rhizome.org/software/

https://www.blog.google/around-the-globe/google-europe/preserving-digital-art/

 

Future World at Art Science Museum – Reflection

Future World: Where art meets science

Future World is a highly immersive and interactive digital installation (or playground) that is situated at ArtScience Museum permanently. It is a collaboration with teamLab, which consists of 4 key narratives – City in A Garden, Sanctuary, Park, and Space. 

If I were to put myself in a child’s shoes, I think I would have enjoyed Sketch Aquarium and Sketch Town the most. I definitely enjoyed all of the installations but the one which appealed visually the most to me would be the last installation, Crystal Universe.

 

Sketch Aquarium – This installation features a digitally rendered, aquatic world of underwater animals. Participants of all ages use their imaginations to create fantastic and colourful sea creatures on paper.  They are then digitally scanned and brought to life to swim freely in the aquarium where they live. 

Sketch Town – This installation is a depiction of a fictitious town, based on Singapore that includes recognisable landmarks, such as, ArtScience Museum, the Merlion and the Singapore Flyer. Participants can use crayons and paper to draw a building, a car, or a plane for Sketch Town

The flow of interaction:

1. The participant (P) views the Aquarium/Town when they first enter the space

2. P proceeds to the activity table to create their own sea creatures/vehicles by colouring within the outlines of different templates

3. P proceeds to scan their creations to populate the town/aquarium

4. P views the projected Aquarium/Town on the wall with their creations!

5. P can interact with the objects of the Aquarium/Town, i.e. touch the car and it will go faster/change direction, and touch the fishes it will swim away. (In the aquarium if the P touches the food bag the fishes will swim towards it.

 

Crystal Universe – This stunning artwork is created with teamLab’s Interactive 4D Vision technology and over 170,000 LED lights, giving the illusion of stars moving in space. Participants can change the fabric of the universe by ‘swiping’ astrological phenomenon from smart devices within the installation/their phones and watch it become part of the dazzling environment around them. They can encounter astrophysical phenomena such as planets, galaxies, and even gravitational waves.

 

Thoughts

In most museum exhibits, viewers are not allowed to be in close proximity to the artwork, let alone touch it. In Future World, participants are instead encouraged and expected to touch and interact with the installations, completing the cycle of the artwork.

Artwork by all participants!

In Sketch Aquarium and Town, participants create and contribute to the installations. As an adult, I think it is fun as I get to see my creations on the big projection, contributing to the virtual aquarium. If I were a child, I would expect myself to be excited as I see my creations come to life. A child can imagine a rainbow shark and the most they can do to see it in real life is to draw it on a piece of paper and colour it. The Sketch Aquarium is an upgrade from their normal sketches as it makes the self-created sea creatures move in the virtual aquarium. By utilising art materials and augmented reality technology, it helps to develop the child’s creative thinking and encourages active participation of the child which enhances the learning experience. 

The crystal universe is a really beautiful and immersive installation. To me, it is more than being an Instagram worthy photo or video to capture, it is a performance. By walking through the pathway, the participant can see the individual lights up close and see how each light changes colour. When they stand at a distance away, they are able to view the artwork in a bigger picture and appreciate the performance.

Even though the exhibition is more catered to kids, I still enjoyed myself as I interacted with the artworks and seeing a visual response almost immediately. I believe that the installations were a two-way artwork that engages the audience to participate/contribute to the artwork itself. This exhibition is a good example of utilising technology to show art in an interactive way that is worth visiting again.

 

References

https://www.marinabaysands.com/museum/future-world/park.html
https://www.marinabaysands.com/museum/future-world/city-in-a-garden.html
https://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/nurturing-creativity-and-imagination-for-child-development 

Disappearance, Bar in the Gallery with INTER—MISSION – Reflection

About 

Disappearance, Bar in the Gallery with INTER—MISSION is a collaborative audiovisual performance of the collective INTER—MISSION’s “Life Circuit: I/O” that inhabits Lee Kang-So’s “Disappearance” or “Disappearance, Bar in the Gallery” (1973). According to the event page, Life Circuit is an ongoing project that is experimental and explores intersections between video art, music and performance. This performance also features dancers on both on-site and online presence, in collaborations with Norhaizad Adam and Syimah Sabtu from P7:1SMA in Singapore and Chiharu Kuronuma who live-streamed from Tokyo.

Disappearance, Bar in the Gallery is a restage of Lee Kang-So’s work in 1973, where he bought the entire tables and chairs of his favourite pub at that time and moved them all into the exhibition hall at Myeongdong Gallery Solo Exhibition. He transformed it into a gathering place where participants can have a glass of Makgeolli (Rice Wine) and chat freely at a time where South Korea was under an authoritarian regime. 

In an interview conducted with Lee, he stated that the goal of the work was to provide the audience with an opportunity to re-experience and reflect on our own situation that we had been mindlessly experiencing by separating an aspect of our everyday life into the gallery. Lee only provided the tables and chairs. The audience will be free to participate in the work, the content comprising the visitor’s engagement and experiences, and have time for one’s own experience that others will never know. 

Artist Statement – Life Circuit is conceived as a series of video demonstrations with wearable gadgets reconstructed from industrial safety equipment — welding goggles, a gas mask and earmuffs, which the I nicknamed as “Video Goggles” for video channeling, “Sound Mask” and “Amp Muffs” for audio and amplification. The modified gadgets become the extensions of my being and body that is now unable to see, speak or hear, but able to stream out video and audio feeds to the audience. The images and sounds link to other devices and displays captured from the immediate audience and space. Altering human functionality and interactivity, a “circuit” is formed between the audiences, the various media, moving images and sounds that replace human perceptions and expressions. Erasing my identity to the audience by donning the full mask, the work plays on the illusion of an invisible dialogue in an era of post-digital connectivity.

During the ending of the performance, the “Video Goggles” were projecting a live stream of the audience, the stream from Japan, and Teow Yue Han’s face as seen below. 

Artist Teow Yue Han uses a self-projection device to project his face on people’s clothes/faces.
Artist Teow Yue Han projecting his face on the audience’s shirt.

Reflection and Thoughts

To be honest, I had no idea what was going on during the performance. Despite that, after researching and knowing more about the context and reasoning for both artworks, I think I have my own interpretation. The tables and chairs by Lee Kang-So serve as a medium for people to sit down and have their own experiences, or to be “in the moment”. Urich mentioned in his artist statement that the gadgets were just an extension of himself (which replaced his perceptions and expressions), and the projection of the audience on his “Video Goggles” and the sounds (noise he created in the background) formed a “circuit” between the audiences (noise from conversations) and the various media. Combining both artworks together may form a different meaning altogether.

My own experience of INTER-MISSION’s work is only unique to myself, and me participating as an audience looking at Urich’s gadgets is completing the circuit with the media/gadgets “looking” and “hearing” sounds from us. Similarly, everyone’s experience during the performance is only unique to them, and their perspective and interpretations are different from mine. While Urich was performing the last segment when he wore his “Video Goggles”, many of the audience took out their phones to take a picture or a video of him, while looking through their phone screens. I guess the “circuit” of technology is also completed when technology meets technology. As for those who watched without looking through their phone screens, the “circuit” is completed with their participation as an audience. Although I still don’t entirely get what was going on, I do think that the technology and equipment that INTER-MISSION used were interesting and intriguing. 

 

References

https://www.facebook.com/events/national-gallery-singapore/happeningsdisappearance-bar-in-the-gallery-with-inter-mission/2360794190803627

http://artradarjournal.com/2018/10/10/disappearance-lee-kang-sos-1970s-works-at-gallery-hyundai-seoul-original-interview-extract/

https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5b50b26218c95bca70c2caed/5c557facc3ddd30666e5bd5c_Urich%20Lau%20Portfolio_2018%20%5Blight%5D.pdf

 

Interactive Art Reflection – Connected Worlds

About 

Connected Worlds is an immersive, large scale installation of an ecosystem located at the New York Hall of Science by Design I/O. It is composed of six interactive walls of ecosystems that are connected together by a 3000 sqft interactive floor and a 14m high waterfall. Participants are involved in growing and sustaining the ecosystem through the actions they make. One way of sustaining the ecosystem is to direct the stream on the floor from the waterfall to the ecosystems by using logs to block and direct the water flow. They are also able to plant seeds to grow the ecosystems.

According to Theo Watson, the co-founder of Design I/O, the purpose of this installation is for the kids to interact not only in one environment but in a world where everything is connected. The idea where one local action can lead to another that may cause global implications is what they wanted to convey through this installation. 

Reflection & Thoughts

If I were a child at Connected Worlds, I will be fully immersed in the installation! I would imagine my senses to be engaged with the installations, whether it is seeing how my seed will grow into a tree by using my hands, or just admiring how colourful the made-up animals and plants are. A child’s development is often paired or combined with play, where they are able to learn cognitive, linguistics, and social skills. They are also starting to make sense of the world around them by learning from the experiences that they have gone through while playing. I feel that this installation is a good example of a guided play, where the adult is able to target specific areas of development for the child. In this case, the child is learning to be conscious of their own decisions and actions that lead to different outcomes.

The installation is very engaging as the participant is able to see an almost immediate response to their actions. The tracking system that they have used is well thought of which shows in the seamless response that the participants get when interacting with the walls and the floor. In the real world, we are not able to see the implications of our choices immediately. (E.g. using plastic takeaway cups are convenient, but it contributes to the ever-increasing landfill that is harmful to the environment.) In contrast, this installation enables a child to understand the importance of thinking through their actions for the environment as they are able to see a response to their actions almost immediately. 

While I feel that this installation helps a child to understand our world a little better, I do believe that having an outdoor excursion that exposes them to elements of nature in the learning process will also aid in the child’s development and understanding of sustainability better. Although this installation teaches a child to be conscious of their actions, I believe that the outdoor excursion will give them a real feel to how nature is like, that it’s not always clean and immediate like the exhibition that they experienced.

Lastly, I am very impressed with how seamless the whole process of tracking the input and showing the results is. Connected Worlds intrigued me on learning more about interactive devices, and to take note of every single aspect of a participant’s interaction to make the experience as smooth and engaging as possible.

 

References:
https://www.design-io.com/projects/connectedworlds
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.608.6539&rep=rep1&type=pdf
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/young-people/theories-surrounding-learning-through-play-young-people-essay.php
https://www.pentagonplay.co.uk/news-and-info/psychology-learning-through-play
https://nysci.org/wp-content/uploads/CW-FieldGuide12-12.pdf