Hyperessay – IM

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Chris Milk

A career founded upon music videos and photography, Chris Milk’s work has expanded beyond the traditional: his art embraces experimental genres and unfamiliar mediums, turning new technologies, digital grounds, emotions and even physical gestures into new found canvasses.

Chris Milk Interactives

Working on cross-media innovations to enhance emotional human storytelling, Milk reveals the beauty in the physical, the digital and the intangible; these are the elements which connects people in a relational manner. As Norbert Wiener mentions in his text Cybernetics in History, “society can only be understood through a study of the messages and the communication facilities which belong to it.” Through his art pieces, Milk created a language which established a mutual societal understanding; his work is a ‘communication facility’.

Chris Milk- Installation Art

He makes use of personal, emotive and powerful music and breakthrough technologies to create a visual experience rooted in a global consciousness. His ability to create a crowd-fueled installation that physically connects the audience and their collective emotional response plays a heavy part in establishing ‘entropy’; in a sense, he downplays a generic audience reaction by making them react intensely and emotionally. As each audience may connect differently about a certain art piece, it then establishes a disharmony and disorganization in the audience’s predictability. This ‘entropy’ as mentioned by Norbert Wiener in his text, is a form of evolution of the new media; where expectations are aimed to be subverted for the audience.

Treachery of the Sanctuary by Chris Milk

‘Treachery of the Sanctuary’ is a large-scale interactive giant triptych: a story of birth, death and transfiguration that utilizes the shadows of the participants’ own bodies and their actions to unlock a new artistic language. This language is created and conveyed through the participants’ actions. It is an interactive art installation created to explore one’s creative process through interactions with digital birds.

The first screen allows a person’s shadow to be reflected on it, while it slowly disintegrates into a flock of birds who flies away. This represents the moment of creative inspiration, our imagination taking flight form our own minds and identities.

The Third Screen

In the second screen, the shadow of the person will be pecked away by virtual birds diving in from above. This symbolizes critical response, where ideas and the person’s identity are being evaluated and critiqued by others.

The last screen, things start to look up; the person interacting with the screen will be able to generate their own set of majestic, giant wings that flap as you move. This is supposed to capture the instant when a creative thought transforms into something larger than the original idea.

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The second and third screen.

This whole installation draws upon the idea of how human interactivity (and their active participation) can be key in creating art alongside technology. This art installation demonstrates an inter-discipline through the integration of art and technology simply by allowing participants to dictate how they want their art work to look like.

At the same time, participants are also immersed into this experience because every single movement they make will affect the final presentation of the performance created by the installation. Whether you move to your right or left, or start raising your arms, these little movements do matter.

As mentioned by Roy Ascott, “While the general context of the art-experience is set by the artist, its evolution in any specific sense is unpredictable and dependent on the total involvement of the spectator.” This reinforces the function of the art piece, where the spectator gets to depict the portrayal of the artwork. This makes use of feedback, where “the modern artist… set feelings and ideas in motion, to enrich the artistic experience with feedback from the spectator’s response.” This feedback comes in the form of the input by the audience when they strike a certain action, and the output is the portrayal of their actions in the form of the digital birds’ actions. This total structure is a ‘Complex Action’ (as termed by Norbert Wiener) where the data is introduced to provide an effect on the outer world.

Ascott also mentions that “the human being constantly aspires, where freedom and responsibility combine to reduce our anxiety of the unknown and unpredictable while enlarging our experience of the unfamiliar and irresistible.” Milk builds up on this idea through the emotional aspect of his art piece. As the participant strives to achieve different results since they are granted the autonomy to present any version of their art (through their actions translating into digital birds), it is in their curiosity to explore and experiment. This is all part of the human tendency, which Milk managed to achieve when he wanted his art work to be emotive and relational.

Ultimately, Milk’s art piece is aligned to what Ascott mentions; “As matrix, [behaviourist art] is the substance between two sets of behaviours; it neither exists for itself nor by itself. As a catalyst, it triggers changes in the spectators’ total behaviour. Its structure must be adaptive implicitly or physically, to accommodate the spectators’s responses, in order that the creative evolution of form and idea may take place.” Treachery of the Sanctuary well expresses how the autonomy in the participants as well as their random reactions– in other words, their behaviour– can help to build up on an original art piece that is an actual performance rather than an expected performance, otherwise defined by Wiener as a ‘feedback’. The active participation required for the art piece to function as an interactive installation is dependent on the response of the spectators and their imagination.

The output (observer response) is to act as an input, which ‘introduces more variety into the system and leads to more variety in the output (observer’s experience)’. The spectator is then a ‘self-organizing sub-system’ and the artwork is ‘not usually at present homeostatic.’ Armed with emotive and high-impact works which binds art and technology together on not only a physical level but also an emotional level, Chris Milk has achieved the optimum level of a behaviorist new media art with Treachery of the Sanctuary.

 

References:

http://milk.co/treachery

https://makeagif.com/gif/treachery-of-sanctuary-kinetic-wings-at-the-creators-project-OxaQb0

https://onedio.com/haber/yeni-baslayanlar-icin-13-maddede-dijital-sanat-707526

Norbert Wiener, “Cybernetics in History,” 1954, Multimedia: From Wagner to Virtual Reality

Roy Ascott, “Behavioral Art and the Cybernetic Vision,” 1966, Multimedia: From Wagner to Virtual Reality

Manifesto

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Manifesto | Outer Page

Manifesto | Inner Page

Fairy Tales are not about the Fairies.

It is the tale that gives the fairies a home.

“Prince Charming is stale, and the Villains have greater stories.”

Older design principles are ‘perfect’, and the opposite is seems unthinkable, like Modernism (1880-1940) opposing Supernormal (2000s). However, a good design fulfils an inexplicable human need to gravitate towards exploring the unknown creating newer, intriguing art movements. If the idea scares you, it is a good idea.

“Princesses should run away from the Royalty.”

Rather than embracing what is sought to be good, one should aspire to break free from the conventional, just like DADA did in the industrial revolution.

“The sidekicks are the real heroes.”

Each design principle holds unique balance, contrast, emphasis, movement and pattern. They may seem incomplete individually, but when combined can build a new ‘hero’ amongst designs.

“You can have tea break with your enemy.”

Just like how neo-conceptualization among others contributed its ideas to create Supernormal design which was vastly different, various design theories can come together to create a new design movement despite different rulesets.

“Prince Charming was once a Villain.”

Every design movement once stemmed from an aesthetic once denied by the masses. To appreciate it is to have courage to take the first step in an extremist rebellion against present design principles.

 

Super Normal Written Report

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SUPER NORMAL
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Jasper Morrison | Elle Decoration South Africa

Originating from the need to rebel against the cautiously aesthetic, Super Normal designs, which emerged from the 2000s, are derived from the exasperation of neo-modernist artists, proclaiming their fatigue in the constant need to appreciate the aesthetics of an object without considering its utility.

As defined by Silvana Annichiarico, Super Normal design refers to the “absence of style, originality and remarkability”. There is also the “ambivalence of contradictory qualities of extraordinary ordinariness”. In other words, the design should look completely lacking, and look as though it could be designed by anyone.

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Super Normal : Sensations of the Ordinary

Founded by Naoto Fukasawa and Jasper Morrison, Super Normal design consists designs which are “less concerned with its visual aspects” (Morrison, 2006); it is pure and extremely ordinary. They also ‘measure up to the reality of everyday life.’ (Morrison, 2006) Everything that is designed is purely functional and does not have any additional aesthetics to it other than the elements required for it to function. In other words, eliminating a part of the object would cease its supposed function.

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Jasper Morrison | Supernormal Wine Glass

An apt example would be a set of early 1900s wine glasses purchased by Morrison for just a few euros. He mentions that “At first it was just their shape that attracted my attention… but slowly, using them every day, I noticed their presence in other ways. If I use a different type of glass, for example, I feel something is missing in the atmosphere of the table.” (Morrison, 2006)

The Industrial Revolution in the 1970s caused a great stir in the artistic designs that were revered, as well as re-evaluated the practicality of art creation when it came to a time of struggles for mass production. The rise in consumer demand meant that there was no time to treasure the intricate delicacies of detailed art; rather, objects with uniform designs were prioritized.

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Bent Hansen Studio | Ultra-Minimalist Up The Wall Shelving Unit

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Eren Karayavuz | Dancing Chair

While its predecessors, Minimalism (1960s-1970s) and Neo-conceptualism (1980s-1990s) defied the artistic norm of being detailed and organized by being either extremely lacking in details or being anti-conventional, they still paid attention to how their aesthetics matched the theme they were trying to create.

For Minimalism, it was its clean, streamlined and muted designs which created soft impressions, forming a new art style. For Neo-conceptualism, it was its absurdity in designing and defiance of common sense which proved to be an identifier for its art style. Super Normal design, served as a bridge for these two concepts, along with conceptual art and Droog designs.

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Tejo Remy Rag Chair for Droog Design

Conceptual Art Collage

Conceptual Art | The Art Story

However, Super Normal was so normal and brand-less that its negated need for an art style essentially became its own identifier of a newly established art style. It embraces the idea of “Form follows function” where the importance of function precedes its form and reconciles its design through polishing by experience.

Super Normal designs are created not by things (material) or sight but by phenomena and experience, forming a sort of spiritual quality to its existence. It responds in changes of form, so much so that it becomes so familiar in its experience. Over time, this familiarity creates a Super Normal radiance which can only be appreciated when its bare function is being evaluated for all to see. In a sense, expression overwhelms the function.

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Jasper Morrison | Super Normal Exhibition

There is also the idea of anti-vanity, where an object can be intentionally misused because it is so functional and basic that it can be used for so many other intentions. The lack of details and aesthetic needs of a Super Normal design also qualifies it as an anti-vain design.

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Jasper Morrison | Super Normal Exhibition

A well-known inspiration for Super Normal art is mingei, which is known as “anonymous” art. It is a Japanese Folk Craft movement which strives to “challenge society’s narrow definition of art” (TOKI, 2016). Traditionally, it is commonly thought that art should only be aesthetic and produced by artisans, and should not be considered for its functionality. However, mingei broke this tradition by focusing on everyday objects produced by the average person, opposing the fine arts produced by professionals. It is also deemed a response to Japan’s rapid industrialization, as mentioned earlier; it elevates the idea of mass production by the common people, preserving cultural and historical roots in these handmade products.

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Mingei Art | Sgrafo Modern, 33 Vases. Korallen Series (design by Peter Muller)

However, it is to be noted that the idea of Super Normal design may be context-sensitive; while the design of a simple chair may seem absolutely normal and functional to one person, it may be considered more aesthetic than functional for another person. The culture of a person may also affect their perceptions of whether an object is perceived to be more aesthetic or more functional.

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Jasper Morrison | Chairs

Let us take the above image as an example. The different chair designs were part of a Super Normal design series by Jasper Morrison. With its various designs, one can say that they are not exactly Super Normal due to their being aesthetic. However, to others, it may be too simple or basic for them to think that it can still be minimalized. Then again, we can mostly agree that the main function of these chairs would not exist once you remove a part of it from its construction.

In conclusion, the industrial revolution did play a big part in influencing the change in trends of art styles from its detailed, elaborated designs to designs that went against the norm. The rise of unconventional, experimental designs such as droog, conceptual art, neo-conceptual art and minimalism also gave rise to Super Normal designs, which fostered a new priority towards function rather than aesthetics. Abiding its rule about how function precedes its form, Super Normal designs remain unconsciously embedded in our daily lives, serving us so practically that it becomes a natural necessity in our lives.

 

 

Bibliography:

Domus. naoto+jasper= supernormal. July 2006. domusweb. Retrieved from https://www.domusweb.it/en/design/2006/07/10/naoto–jasper–super-normal.html

Bhan, N. Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa discuss Super Normal Design. March 2008. Core 77. Retrieved from  https://www.core77.com/posts/9326/jasper-morrison-and-naoto-fukasawa-discuss-super-normal-design-9326

Morrison, J. Super Normal 2006. Exhibitions 2000 – 2009. 2006.  Retrieved from https://jaspermorrison.com/exhibitions/2000-2009/super-normal

Industrial Revolution Presentation

TOKI. Mingei- The Revival of Japanese Folk Art. December 2016. Retrieved from https://www.toki.tokyo/blogt/2016/12/12/mingei-the-revival-of-japanese-folk-art

Artist Selection: Chris Milk

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Chris Milk Interactive Works

The artist that I have chosen to work with is Chris Milk.

Beginning his career in music videos and photography, Chris Milk’s work has expanded beyond the traditional: his art straddles experimental genres and unfamiliar mediums, turning new technologies, web browsers, ephemeral events and even physical gestures into new found canvasses.

Chris Milk Installation Art

In recent years, Milk has focused on using cross-media innovations to enhance emotional human storytelling, exposing the beauty in the physical, the digital and the intangible; the things that connects us all. His works span from making use of intensely personal, emotive and powerful music and breakthrough technologies to create a visual experience rooted in a global consciousness while not losing its meaning, to making a crowd-fueled installation that physically connects the audience and their collective emotional response.

Treachery of the Sanctuary by Chris Milk

One of my favourites from his range of interactive installations is ‘Treachery of the Sanctuary’, which is a large-scale interactive triptych: a story of birth, death and transfiguration that uses shadows of the participants’ own bodies to unlock a new artistic language.

Treachery of the Sanctuary by Chris Milk is an interactive art installation created to explore one’s creative process through interactions with digital birds. The installation consists a giant triptych, and gallery visitors can stand in front of each of the screens.

The first screen allows a person’s shadow to be reflected on it, while it slowly disintegrates into a flock of birds who flies away. This represents the moment of creative inspiration, our imagination taking flight form our own minds and identities.

In the second screen, the shadow of the person will be pecked away by virtual birds diving in from above. This symbolizes critical response, where ideas and the person’s identity are being evaluated and critiqued by others.

The last screen, things start to look up; the person interacting with the screen will be able to generate their own set of majestic, giant wings that flap as you move. This is supposed to capture the instant when a creative thought transforms into something larger than the original idea.

This whole installation draws upon the idea of how human interactivity (and their active participation) can be key in creating art alongside technology. This art installation demonstrates the interdisciplinarity through the integration of art and technology simply by allowing participants to dictate how they want their art work to look like.

At the same time, participants are also immersed into this experience because every single movement they make will affect the final presentation of the performance created by the installation. Whether you move to your right or left, or start raising your arms, these little movements do matter.

Armed with emotive and high-impact works which binds art and technology together on not only a physical level but also an emotional level, this is why I have chosen to work on Chris Milk for my Hyperessay.

Bauhaus Shapes & Colours | Sweep the floor or there will be fines!

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BAUHAUS SHAPES & COLOURS

Title: Sweep the floor or there will be fines!

 

The title and inspiration for this work is not as cheerful as it seems. Taking ideas from childhood warnings like ‘Don’t swallow your orange seeds or a tree will grow from within you’ and ‘Don’t lie or your tongue will drop off’, my title is a similar warning.

On the surface, it seems that it is referring to the common Singaporean law of not littering on the streets or you will be subjected to fines. However, there is a darker side to this art piece. I am trying to put forth a social commentary about the system of Singaporean society; the Singaporean Society is one that is cruel and full of uncertainties, masked by a facade of perfection.

The circles, being blue, are of different shapes and are unevenly overlapping each other in an unsure manner. Blue is a colour for calm and peace, which symbolizes a lack of conflict. The arrangement of my circles symbolizes the lack of coordination in Singaporean society to become peaceful as One Nation. This is in reference to how Singaporeans are always stressed and unhappy because of our work and study life. However, we are unable to voice our displeasure openly (when it comes to venting against the government) because we risk being arrested and charged for defamatory on some magical terms.

The yellow triangles are shaped like glass shatters. It seems like it is drifting to the right of the image. This defies the common law of gravity, where things fall towards the bottom when they break. Yellow is a colour symbolizing happiness and cheerfulness. The shatters sweeping towards the right of the page is essentially saying how we have to sacrifice and trash our happiness and sweep them over to the side in order to focus on being ideal in our society. The unnaturalness of the shards falling in the wrong direction (not in the direction of gravity) is a symbolism of how the sweeping away of our happiness is done on purpose, by us. This is supported by the reality that high standards are always set for us, and in the process of trying to reach these standards, we sometimes forfeit what makes us happy.

Finally, the red squares are laid along the sides of the image, grouped together messily. Red is a colour of passion and adventure. The red squares in this context refers to how we have to abandon what we are passionate about, be it climbing mountains or travelling, in order to survive and conform to society. With high living standards and expensive standards of living, we are made to constantly work excessively in order to earn a measly salary enough to supplement our families.

In a nutshell, in order to attain a ‘peaceful and coordinated society’, represented by the blue circles, we are forced to abandon our true passions (the red shards) and as a result, our happiness (the yellow shards) has to be pushed aside as well. We are made to do things that benefit the country, negating our own welfare.

This is a social commentary of the sadistic nature of our society.

 

 

ART NOUVEAU | PATTERNS IN NATURE

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I spent some time staring at the Brief, wondering which part of nature should I be focusing on in order to bring out society and I, an element of chance, and Singaporean feels. Instead of doing something commonplace, I decided to go DADA and explore something that is a little more realistic- yet neglected.

For this assignment, we were supposed to use photographs of pictures found in nature. Usually, one would associate nature with life and greenery, flooded with happiness and fluffiness. However, (I swear this has nothing to do with the 7th Month) I decided to approach it from the aspect of death. This is because the truth about Singapore is not entirely happy and idealistic despite how we have been brought up to believe.


These are two of the photographs I have selected out of the bunch I have taken. “IT’S ROTTEN!!’ is what Gordon Ramsay would have screamed. They are dead tree barks, rotten by the humidity in Singapore and devoured by the insects that live on it. The whole concept of the dead tree bark is just like Singapore; we thrive on the nature around us, living on it for sustenance and utilizing its body to create tons of man-made products used to fuel out lifestyles.

Over the history of decades, we have utilized so much natural resources that we are importing these materials from overseas to continue sustaining our living needs. I am not insinuating that we are the only country who does this, of course, but Singapore, commonly known as a Concrete Jungle relying on imports and trade for survival, it is safe to say that we are very alike the definition I have just proposed compared to neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Vietnam. However, the death of these plant lives is not all sacrificed- it has helped Singapore to thrive and become one of the most beautiful cities in the world in terms of both aesthetics and the way our country is run.

“In the larger picture, you see an organized beauty in the pattern, abundant with life and colour. Funky, hip and modern. When you take a closer look, you will soon realize that it is the living nature around us that is sacrificed that helped us to achieve that beauty Singapore is today.”

Pattern 1

Pattern 1: Close up

Pattern 2

Pattern 2: Close up

Industrial Revolution VC: Favourite Art Movement

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Chinese Nightingale (1920)

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By Max Ernst https://www.wikiart.org/en/max-ernst/the-chinese-nightingale-1920

Artwork description & Analysis: Ernst’s use of photomontage was less political and more poetic than those of other German Dadaists, creating images based on random associations of juxtaposed images. He described his technique as the “systematic exploitation of the chance or artificially provoked confrontation of two or more mutually alien realities on an obviously inappropriate level – and the poetic spark that jumps across when these realities approach each other”.
https://www.theartstory.org/movement-dada-artworks.htm#pnt_1

My favourite art movement among the readings is DADA. That is because it is the most chaotic and unpredictable art movement among the rest. While the rest of the art movements have a sort of rule to them, such as using angles and different perspectives to create the art work. However, DADA refutes the use of all rules; instead, it relies on the imagination and creativity of the artist to create the most bizarre art piece. The freedom allowed in this art movement is what attracts me.

One of my favourite pieces is The Chinese Nightingale (1920) by Max Ernst. It features a combination of war machinery merging with human limbs and other accessories to create weird hybrid creatures. In this case, it has the arms and fan of an oriental dancer acting as the limbs and headdress of a creature whose body is an English bomb. For Ernest who was injured by the recoil of a gun in war, it created a fear generated by weaponry combined with benign elements and often lyrical titles for him. To be afraid of a manmade war weapon was common during the DADA revolution times because of war. Hence, to repel this fear and revolt against the constant violence, a mockery is made out of this scary subject.

To me, it is brave for Ernst to combine something so gentle, aesthetic and feminine into a brutal war machine. It is also not typical to attempt creating a disharmony in works in that era. As a result, I salute Ernst for breaking out of the conventional art creations to establish such a stark contrast in his works, as well as his attempts to convey social commentary about the fear of war during that time period.

Re-Bus = Do the Bus again?

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Rebus of my Mandarin name.

In all honesty, it was pretty hard to figure out what I wanted to do but I decided that I wanted to create a quirky one. That’s because I feel that I am all about being weird and strange but that is what encompasses me. An urn, a Kirby, a Bee, all these are elements that do not have any relations to each other. This is as a result strange and baffling. The words the rebus is supposed to depict is my mandarin name, which is essentially my identity as a Chinese girl who grew up in Singapore. The art styles of all the images I have chosen have very different artistic qualities as well, which adds on to the quirkiness and strangeness of my rebus.

 

Picture credit to:

https://www.deviantart.com/fomle-chan/art/Fluffy-Bumblebee-311262664

http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/File:Kirby_-_Walk.svg

https://pixabay.com/en/vase-urn-clay-pot-amphora-clay-jar-30597/