Where is the line between art and entertainment? Between a masterpiece and a screensaver? A complex, algorithmic, evolutionary art and a fractal?
There has been a lot of interplay between technology and art, so as to move the relation from just using technology (for example, Photoshop-like software) to produce art, to the technology being an actual component of an art piece, to be the paint, as it were. Photography at its early days took a long time to be accepted widely as an art form, and this fact may seem strange to a lot of us at present. But how many of us would really appreciate the art that is now being made where the technology is like the paint on the canvas of the art? Also there are cultural, social and technological factors here if we look at the places where this art has flourished and are being nurtured.
Its still not so widespread and the critics and thinkers are now still struggling to give it a name. Digital Art? New Media Art? Software Art? Generative Art? There are many names, many variations. The medium's conspicuous role in the totality of an art piece is now the root of the need to term it with some indication of these new media that have come along. Maybe as the new media finds a common place in the world someday, they will blend into the general description of the word ‘art’.
Artists have produced art using technology as far back as 1960s. For example, Jean Tinguely is one sculptor who focused on making metallic, mechanical sculptures that could move, and one that was designed to destroy itself (Homage to New York, 1960). Robert Rauschenberg was another artist who filled an aluminum tank with mud and had an apparatus put in underneath it by which bubbles were made on the mud that was again synchronized with sounds being played on site (Mud Muse, 1971). And since the computer was being conceptualized, those who had imaginations and creativity that allowed so, it naturally started using computers and other emerging digital technologies in their artwork. Many of the art forms now take on the form of installations with sound, graphics, video, sensors or some combination thereof.
Techzine Wired's September issue did a feature of Steve Sacks who has opened up a gallery for this different art form in New York, named Bitform (http://www.bitforms.com), and is soon to open another in Korea. Christiane Paul, adjunct curator of New Media Arts at Whitney Museum of American Art (New York) has a book titled Digital Art that tries to explain, and document this phenomenon with the use of various examples (complete with illustrations) of the work done in this area all throughout. The book is well laden with these examples, illustrations, and descriptions and will challenge the newbie's imagination and raise questions or fascinate. Yearly events where one might see this kind of art on display are the ACM SIGGRAPH Futurama (USA), and the ARS Electronica (Austria).
There is one thing here that a lot of artists try to overcome from the traditional arts, that is its static nature. Art could be put on a wall or a pedestal, and the only interaction the viewer could engage in with the art was mental. Now with digital technology available, the artists can devise more interactive art. The user can now physically interact with the art, or participate with it to make it complete. For example, an installation was setup by Australian artist Jeffrey Shaw which gave a new view of New York city. There, a person would have to sit on a static bicycle and pedal to set in motion the images on a screen in front of the person. The pedaling and steering creates the sensation of moving through New York's cityscape, but with the buildings replaced by words that are characteristic to the city (Legible City, 1989).
There is also the generative and evolutionary software art that incorporate principles of evolution, artificial life and generally, algorithms to create art forms. Generative art has been defined as “any art practice where the artist creates a process, such as a set of natural language rules, a computer program, a machine, or other mechanism, which is then set to motion with some degree of autonomy contributing to or resulting in a complete work of art.” by Philip Galanter, who is also working in this field.
Artists never want to confine art to its medium. From drawing pictures on walls of caves, to stone to paper, from using pencils, to paint to charcoal, to using bits of paper and other elements around us as in collage techniques, mixed media, the scope increases. And the internet now is no different. From doing artwork involving text, manipulating the art of narratives and creating collaboration between participants; to using what has to be offered by the multimedia support of the WWW, and the event based model of websites; artists have moved fairly well into this area. Especially the artists with intentions of activism found it a very good platform for their work, a platform where information could be distributed freely.
In the end, art has remained art, forever changing, forever in flux, presenting itself in new forms and testing the boundaries of thought. I much prefer leaving the determination of something as art to those who present it. Whatever name we give this new form of art, its still 'art', just in a new space, with new elements.
Suggested Reading/Browsing:
http://www.rhizome.org
http://www.pixelache.ac
http://www.whitney.org/artport/
http://www.jeffrey-shaw.net/
http://www.medienkunstnetz.de/
http://www.f2fmedia.net/
References:
Digital Art (Paul, Christiane, 2003)
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.09/sacks.html
http://www.newmedia.sunderland.ac.uk/crumb/phase3/main_frame.html
Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZcSX4_b3Wo
About the Video: Presented at the ARS Electronica 2006, this chair breaks down, and then locates its broken limbs by using sensors and robotics to build itself up again. The performance by the chair fulfills the senses of the viewers as would a movie. This is a work of Artist Max Dean, along with a computer scientist Raffaello D'andrea and a mechanical engineer Matt Donavan.
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Best of the Web: Distorted Designers – Digital Community of Digital Artists
http://www.distortedesigners.com
Kind words are often spoken out of the urge to not hurt someone’s feelings when judging the works of others in any field. However, holding back proper, constructive criticism can lead to cultivating mediocrity. An end product has to be criticized just enough to make one feel inspired or pushed to elevate himself to a higher level or genius or perfection. I can hear you laughing, yes, its easier said than done. You can find this kind of honesty is harbored in a community of online digital artists that is called Distorted Designers.
Distorted Designers is an inspiring place for both its visitors and its members. Even people outside the realm of digital design will find themselves surrounded by intriguing mix of colors, swaying lines and imagery that pleases the senses. The membership is open to everyone, just find the Register link and fill up the form to get full access to their forum which is a treasure chest of information. It’s a community devised to increase the interaction between all the people involved in this field or preparing to do so. Non-designers can still get a very satisfying experience from all the content that is open to all.
Digital design is not a well established field here in Bangladesh yet. There is a lot of demand for it due to the appearance of multiple satellite tv channels, software companies, the increase in the use of the internet, and special needs for industries like real estate and architect firms for animated visualization of their projects, etc. Make no mistake; this demand is being met very well, but mostly by self-taught, maverick designers, most of them with almost no institutional training. In this scenario, a community site for designers provides a much needed platform for exchange of ideas, and know-how.
At the heart of the community is its forum where the designers share their work, knowledge and also their processes. That shows through in the face of the site, its homepage, as the forum is mentioned in some detail. The layout of content in the homepage is also done with taste, showcasing some of the samples of its members’ works in a large banner. Also noticeable are its efforts to display some advertisements from companies looking to hire designers. Looking around the center of the page is the Designers and Top Rated section of the page, where the more involved members are highlighted. To appear listed as a designer on the homepage, one must show 5 completed works inside the forum. This simple condition ensure that exposure is given to the more experienced and more active designers. And the administrators of the site go through the works in the forum to select and present some of the convincingly well done pieces of work in the Top Rated section.
A non-member faces some restrictions in the forum, with not all sections being open to them, but outside that, the content viewable without membership is highly commendable. The Done section is possibly one that you wouldn’t want to miss, since it’s the section where the members actively submit their finished works. Works range from caricatures, to cover design of music CDs of recording artists, from eid cards to 3D graphics, and even logos. A lot of the members are working graphics professionals and have a lot to offer in terms of quality of work and obviously industry knowledge, a lot of them are working also for self-satisfaction but equally knowledgeable. There is also a good amount of conceptual artworks here also, the kind of projects that a designer might not be able to necessarily do on a job at the office. So expect to see some things out of the ordinary, some things going out towards the imaginative genres of traditional art like abstract or surrealism, and some things that might be designs of products from the future. All this has been put under the title ‘concept art’ usually in the world of design, and you can get a taste it right here.
Probably even more interesting, at least to me personally, is the section – Sketches & Works in Progress. Here you can take a look at works in different stages of completion. Its members are abound with comments, both praises and suggestions for their fellow members, be it a completed piece of work or something in its earlier stages. The Critique Center section of the forum exists especially for those who are really eager to get opinions of the other members of the forum for a particular project. As it says on the description of the section: “Be Honest, be helpful, be straight-up, be true, and share your ideas about how to make better art/design”.
I mentioned many times the sharing of knowledge as a major advantage of this community. Its not achieved, however, through just one section. Its spread all over the Done section, Critique Center, Sketches & Works in Progress and many others. So, to browse or search through the site would be an enlightening experience.
Under the heading Tricks, Tweaks and Tutorials, there are a lot of help to be found for those looking for it. The members had proactively contributed a lot of articles on different techniques, and as it says on the title of that part – tricks and tweaks. This is also the part where the members can post their questions, and the other members dive in to provide assistance. This part has three sections – Design which deal with the design issues people have, especially on the usage of software like Illustrator and Photoshop which are the most popular worldwide in this arena; Animation – which is now a popular way of decorating websites, for promotional videos of products, and even training games and demos; and Web Development – for the website designers who work with code like HTML, PHP etc.
I hope you had visited this site, and had a great time looking through all the activities that go on there, and enjoyed the artwork from the Distorted Designers.
Quotes:
When the true colors cover the true Sky…that’s named Rainbow; which come from true haven. Like this way…A true design comes out from a true heart; which based on true feelings…isn’t it true? We the DD pupil appreciate the sentiment of true heart; which is the base of our creative work…so a smart designer can make a smart design...
Iqram Ahmed
CEO
CreativeGeek
A great place to communicate with other designers
K. Zahidur Rahman
Senior Graphic Designer
KAZ Software
It’s really an exceptional designer community for all Bangladeshi creative designers. It’s nice, well organized, new concept in web community. I wish all the very best to the DD and congratulate for its great initiative.
S.M. Shabbir Hossain
Senior Creative Engineer
KAZ Software
First of it's kind here in BD...and finally too! What a great way to showcase your talent, hard work and learn from people working in the same field and best of all bringing all the creative think-tank under one roof !!! :)
Dhanad Islam
Web Designer
Therap Services, LLC.
Kind words are often spoken out of the urge to not hurt someone’s feelings when judging the works of others in any field. However, holding back proper, constructive criticism can lead to cultivating mediocrity. An end product has to be criticized just enough to make one feel inspired or pushed to elevate himself to a higher level or genius or perfection. I can hear you laughing, yes, its easier said than done. You can find this kind of honesty is harbored in a community of online digital artists that is called Distorted Designers.
Distorted Designers is an inspiring place for both its visitors and its members. Even people outside the realm of digital design will find themselves surrounded by intriguing mix of colors, swaying lines and imagery that pleases the senses. The membership is open to everyone, just find the Register link and fill up the form to get full access to their forum which is a treasure chest of information. It’s a community devised to increase the interaction between all the people involved in this field or preparing to do so. Non-designers can still get a very satisfying experience from all the content that is open to all.
Digital design is not a well established field here in Bangladesh yet. There is a lot of demand for it due to the appearance of multiple satellite tv channels, software companies, the increase in the use of the internet, and special needs for industries like real estate and architect firms for animated visualization of their projects, etc. Make no mistake; this demand is being met very well, but mostly by self-taught, maverick designers, most of them with almost no institutional training. In this scenario, a community site for designers provides a much needed platform for exchange of ideas, and know-how.
At the heart of the community is its forum where the designers share their work, knowledge and also their processes. That shows through in the face of the site, its homepage, as the forum is mentioned in some detail. The layout of content in the homepage is also done with taste, showcasing some of the samples of its members’ works in a large banner. Also noticeable are its efforts to display some advertisements from companies looking to hire designers. Looking around the center of the page is the Designers and Top Rated section of the page, where the more involved members are highlighted. To appear listed as a designer on the homepage, one must show 5 completed works inside the forum. This simple condition ensure that exposure is given to the more experienced and more active designers. And the administrators of the site go through the works in the forum to select and present some of the convincingly well done pieces of work in the Top Rated section.
A non-member faces some restrictions in the forum, with not all sections being open to them, but outside that, the content viewable without membership is highly commendable. The Done section is possibly one that you wouldn’t want to miss, since it’s the section where the members actively submit their finished works. Works range from caricatures, to cover design of music CDs of recording artists, from eid cards to 3D graphics, and even logos. A lot of the members are working graphics professionals and have a lot to offer in terms of quality of work and obviously industry knowledge, a lot of them are working also for self-satisfaction but equally knowledgeable. There is also a good amount of conceptual artworks here also, the kind of projects that a designer might not be able to necessarily do on a job at the office. So expect to see some things out of the ordinary, some things going out towards the imaginative genres of traditional art like abstract or surrealism, and some things that might be designs of products from the future. All this has been put under the title ‘concept art’ usually in the world of design, and you can get a taste it right here.
Probably even more interesting, at least to me personally, is the section – Sketches & Works in Progress. Here you can take a look at works in different stages of completion. Its members are abound with comments, both praises and suggestions for their fellow members, be it a completed piece of work or something in its earlier stages. The Critique Center section of the forum exists especially for those who are really eager to get opinions of the other members of the forum for a particular project. As it says on the description of the section: “Be Honest, be helpful, be straight-up, be true, and share your ideas about how to make better art/design”.
I mentioned many times the sharing of knowledge as a major advantage of this community. Its not achieved, however, through just one section. Its spread all over the Done section, Critique Center, Sketches & Works in Progress and many others. So, to browse or search through the site would be an enlightening experience.
Under the heading Tricks, Tweaks and Tutorials, there are a lot of help to be found for those looking for it. The members had proactively contributed a lot of articles on different techniques, and as it says on the title of that part – tricks and tweaks. This is also the part where the members can post their questions, and the other members dive in to provide assistance. This part has three sections – Design which deal with the design issues people have, especially on the usage of software like Illustrator and Photoshop which are the most popular worldwide in this arena; Animation – which is now a popular way of decorating websites, for promotional videos of products, and even training games and demos; and Web Development – for the website designers who work with code like HTML, PHP etc.
I hope you had visited this site, and had a great time looking through all the activities that go on there, and enjoyed the artwork from the Distorted Designers.
Quotes:
When the true colors cover the true Sky…that’s named Rainbow; which come from true haven. Like this way…A true design comes out from a true heart; which based on true feelings…isn’t it true? We the DD pupil appreciate the sentiment of true heart; which is the base of our creative work…so a smart designer can make a smart design...
Iqram Ahmed
CEO
CreativeGeek
A great place to communicate with other designers
K. Zahidur Rahman
Senior Graphic Designer
KAZ Software
It’s really an exceptional designer community for all Bangladeshi creative designers. It’s nice, well organized, new concept in web community. I wish all the very best to the DD and congratulate for its great initiative.
S.M. Shabbir Hossain
Senior Creative Engineer
KAZ Software
First of it's kind here in BD...and finally too! What a great way to showcase your talent, hard work and learn from people working in the same field and best of all bringing all the creative think-tank under one roof !!! :)
Dhanad Islam
Web Designer
Therap Services, LLC.
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