8/28/08 Questions

....first blog post!

(A) In response to the interview of Vuk Cosic,

Mr. Cosic voiced his opinions on netart's validation by society as a legitimate art form as well as his opinions on the possibility of netart 2.0 in the near future. Could net art's evolution depend on adapting to the growing web 2.0 phenomenon and introducing simultaneous interactivity between multiple people? Is the only way to justify having net art in galleries be embracing the ideas of user-created content and direct interactivity, not only between the art and the viewer but between each individual viewer as well?

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(B) Review of "The Art of Sleep", by Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries

For those people with selectively short attention spans including myself, "The Art of Sleep" may initially be something one would have trouble sitting through, that is if its commentary of the current international art world was not so hilarious. Clocking in at over 16 minutes, it is a text-based flash video that centers itself around the ramblings of an artist suffering from insomnia. As the individual lies awake in bed, he(or she; the gender is unknown) ponders the definition of art and its role in life, coming across many conclusions that weave in and out of each other, while proving to be ultimately contradictory in nature.

The hilarity of the piece is in its struggle to define art's purpose, as well as the purpose of itself, outside of its satirical nature. Notably, the absurdity of comparing art to dogs, feces, and the alphabet as well as the many asides the artist goes on during the course of the video provides enough humor that keeps the matter at hand interesting from start to finish.

While searching for a work of netart to review, I have found interviews and artist statements which dispute the ability of net art to be considered mainstream. It seems that the biggest strength in "The Art of Sleep" is in its declaration of art as "everything." Although meant to supplement the ramblings of the artist's thoughts, associating art as everything keeps classifications to a minimum. In a way, the artwork is purposefully declaring itself as "just art." This lack of specific classification helps it cross boundaries that keeps it from being disputed as one form of art or another, outside of the tools used to create it. However, with such simplistic text displayed on a white background with a looping jazz track in the background, the means of taking each element and bringing them together can be disputed as well.

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(C) Short Response:


Question 1. Since digital media entered the field of art has the perception of art changed?

The inception of digital media has greatly expanded pre-established definitions of art. True enough, art is always changing and always evolving. However, digital media has expanded what we can define as art, as well as the mediums and methods artists can use to create art.

Question 2. A relevant section of digital art represents Internet based art. The Internet hardly existed, but artists conquered already this new field for their artistic activities. Can the work of these early artists be compared with those who work with advanced technologies nowadays? What changed until these days? What might be the perspectives for future developments?

Outside its dated look, net art looked outside itself and referenced (then) current eras as well as eras of old, some of which even drew inspirations from previous art movements. Although we may have new mediums to work with in net art, as well as a "larger canvas" due to ever-increasing file size limits, future net art can be associated with art that came before it and even allude to previous works.

Question 3. The term "netart" is widely used for anything posted on the net; there are dozens of definitions that mostly are even contradictory. How do you define "netart" or if you like the description "Internet based art" better? Do you think "netart" is art, at all, if yes, what are the criteria? Are there any aesthetic criteria for an Internet based artwork?

I consider netart to be a valid art form, and the next opportunity for artists to take advantage of and use to voice their opinions in. Personally, I would use the terms "netart" and "internet based art" interchangeably because of my own considerations that the name for this particular art form only describes the final destination of the work of art itself.

Question 4. Dealing with this new, and interactive type of art demands an active viewer or user, and needs the audience much more and in different ways than any other art discipline before. How do you think would be good ways to stimulate the user to dive into this new world of art? What do you think represents an appropriate environment to present net based art to an audience, is it the context of the lonesome user sitting in front of his personal computer, is it any public context, or is it rather the context of art in general or media art in particular, or anything else.? If you would be in the position to create an environment for presenting this type of art in physical space, how would you do it?

In my opinion, one of the best ways to stimulate user interaction with the work of art would be to stimulate user interaction not only between the work of art and the viewer, but between the viewers themselves. Viewing art has always been something groups of people can enjoy. However, i feel that the context in which works of this type of art is viewed depend on the execution of the work itself, and the conditions under which the work is supposed to be presented.

Question 5.
As Internet based art, as well as other art forms using new technologies are (globally seen) still not widely accepted, yet, as serious art forms, what do you think could be an appropriate solution to change this situation?

One way to change the perception of Internet based art and other new art forms is to try to adapt these new forms of art to growing trends in media and society today. As peer-to-peer interactivity becomes more mainstream, netart could adapt to this trend by using creation and sharing between multiple individuals in its execution and presentation.