artists #10

010011110101101.ORG is an art duo that produced another work revolving around internet security. They made a statement about the issues of placing private information in what can be very public forum if you are not careful. The artists allowed everything they did on the computer to be fully accessible for viewing on the internet. Further enhancements of this project involved allowing heir actions to be GPS tracked and phone conversations tapped.

New Media Art makes an interesting comment that the artists made themselves truly vulnerable and exposed in the name of art. Also, New Media also brought up a valid point that the viewers became voyeurs to some point. This project ties in to Marshall Mcluhan's idea the "the medium is the message". It is not the material hat viewers read or listen to that is the true artwork of the piece, but the way in which it is being presented that expresses the true message of the project.

These artists are prime examples of truly becoming part of your art. They remind the viewer that we are all vulnerable because we are living in the electronic age, and that we should all think twice about what we are putting on the internet...because what if everyone could see it?

artists #9

A group of artists known as Knowrobotic Research developed the above project entitled Minds of Concern::Breaking News as part of an exhibit commenting on art and internet hacking. The project involved an interactive online space in which the user could sample clips pulled off the internet by "port sourcing. Ultimately, this body of work was meant to comment on the ease of hacking on the internet and to remind people of the "big brother" aspect of using such a public source of information.

There is an element of this project that I felt related to our self-portrait project. Because it is so easy to track our use of the internet, hacking and projects of this style could create a sort of objective self-portrait of sorts based on websites visited and other internet activity. However, if unknown to the viewer, the results could be embarassing. Networking websites, such as Myspace and Facebook, create a much more subjective portrait of their users on the internet because you can choose whatever you post and say about yourself.

The Minds of Concern site was eventually shut down because internet service providers claimed it violated their use policies. I think in this case we can all agree that the website was shut down because it was actually making a very valid point about internet security. I found this piece important because it reminds us that as artists we have the right to create whatever we want, but when it comes to public domain and the web there are that many more censors and critics to deal with.

artists #8

I have been doing a lot of reading and research on Matisse this semester and it has made a large influence in the direction of my work in all of my classes. Although not a "new media" artists in the terms of this course, Matisse was very advanced and innovative in his techniques and ideas. In this piece we see his use of collage later in his career, and in terms of visual thinking I think this piece speaks volumes. We can see how the artist's eyes viewed his subject both in shape and color. Matisse stated that "making order out of chaos..that is creation" and I think that carries over into the digital world. Not only do new media artists work with classic artistic elements, but they can now use sound, programming, and computers to express how they see the world.

artists #7

The above piece is entitled "Light Rain" by new media artist Paul De Marinis. I found this work in search of artists who created projects using viewer interaction, be it active or passive. I am truly inspired by artists who produce installations that involve everyday objects and occur in everyday locations. I feel that in order to visualize these projects, the artist must truly see the world in a way that is different from the average person. I have been trying to research this type of art making, because I do not have any experience working this way, and up to this point I had only thought about my art in the 2-D sense. Even when it came to digital art, I had no experience working with 3-D images or animation. However, I don't know that I am very interested in creating art this way. I am much more of a throwback designer, enjoying more tactile ways of creating (collage with scissors, charcoal all over the hands, etc). I do however realize that this is where art and the world in general is headed, therefore I enjoy learning digital techniques and hope to resolve a way to use physical and digital media together.

artists #6

This image is Hunters in the Snow by Brueghel I had studied Brueghel in art history courses before, but came back across them when looking at ekphrastics for other courses. There is an ekphrastic poem written about Brueghel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, and I began to look at Brueghel's scenes for their dynamic use of space and narrative. In terms of visual thinking, it seems there is so much going on in Brueghel's paintings. He uses depth of space and placement of characters to create a well-rounded scene that draws the viewer into the story. Other flemish paintings also created dynamic scenes for the viewer by adding elements of symbolism and caharacter interaction.

artists #5

I have done research on abstract expressionism before, but most has been focused on gestural abstraction (Pollock, de Kooning, Krasner, etc). Rothko worked in chromatic abstraction, and I came across him following my readings in "A Reading of Modern Art" by Dore Ashton. I knew of Mark Rothko's work, but I had never tied it to the influence of Matisse. Both of these artists were visionaries in using color as a means of visual thinking. It is amazing how a simple formal element, such as line, color, shape etc. can transform a piece and create a different feeling for the viewer. The 20 lines project was a great example of this. Each line by itself represented something totally different than all the lines combined. 

artists #4

For my drawing studio, I have been doing some research on Matisse and it has carried over into what we are doing in the visual thinking class. Matisse was concerned with painting how he saw the world and creating order out of chaos. his use of color was meant create order in his paintings and express his vision as an artist. However, Matisse also used color to create a pleasant feel for the viewer. At the start of the semester, I looked at art as an expression of the artists with little concern for the viewer. Art should be more of a social expression or controversial. Upon reading Matisse views of his art, I realized that the act of creating a pleasing composition meant to transport the viewer into the artists point of view, but in a pleasant way. However, it is interesting that Matisse intended his work to be pleasing and it was considered so controversial when it first showed.

artists - #3

Mouchette, mouchette.org

I chose this artist and piece in response to our discussion regarding the film "Growing Up Online". Here is a website created to be the profile for what appears to be a 13 year old girl. However, the artist of this piece is actually unknown. Upon taking a closer look at the subject matter within the website, the viewer realizes (or at least hopes) that he is not dealing with an adolescent girl. Instead, the artist uses controversial material to remind us that things on the internet are not always as they appear. I think this piece is an interesting graphic comment on the falsehood of many aspects of the world wide web. We can never be 100% sure that what we are looking at is real or factual.
It also goes back to our film discussion because it mimics the social networking sites ued by so many people today. And the fact that many of us have a false self-confidence on the web, and make comments or postings that we would not share face-to-face.

artists - #2

Fountain was a work created by Marcel Duchamp in 1917. Some critics would say the term "created" must be used loosely in this case. As the piece is simply an everyday object, a urinal, placed on display and signed "R. Mutt 1917". Duchamp was a leader in Dada movement in the early 20th century. Dada art was based around the idea of the non-sense and farce, often charged with social and political undertones.
This particular piece was part of a collection that Duchamp referred to is "readymades". He worked under the idea that everyday objects could easily become art by changing their environment and the way people view them. Fountain caused quite an uproar when it was first exhibited, as did many Dada artworks. The art of the Dada movement pushed the boundaries and went against most beliefs of what constitues art, especially good art.
The scrapbook project reminded me of this piece. The task of identifying art in the everyday world can be difficult, but it is a skill that can be invaluable for any artist. When you can see beyond the everyday, into the realm of creativity and visual thinking, it opens an entirely new world of subject matter possibilities.

artists-week1

This image is aLife, done by John F. Simon. I chose this piece because it shows how technology can influence new media art. Simon was a software programmer by day, and with this knowledge was able to create art using software and program code. This particular piece shows 6 grid spaces meant to mimic the creation and evolution of an individual universe. Even the smallest change in code alters the scene for the viewer. Experimenting with code results in "happy accidents" if you will. It is interesting that software code can be used to create "art" because we think of it as a very precise and analytical science.

An important characteristic on Simon's work, including this piece, is that we will never see the piece complete in our lifetime (or millions of years from now). The images never repeat and there are billions of combinations possible.