Curatorial Project: Public Privacy

Public Privacy

Technological growth has promoted an ever-expanding sense of connectivity through the worldwide web. The digital age has also provided increasing opportunities for digitally based artworks. In the same moment, an interdisciplinary shift of focus is being recognized in the arts. Participation, interactivity, collaboration, social engagement and activism are all legitimate ingredients included in the art making process, which can be further applied through the Internet. Archival storage is made use through websites as a learning tool that contextualize, document, present and market these relationally focused creative projects.

Remix theory sits closely at home with the environmental concerns that are on the forefront of artist minds. By re-purposing everyday materials, artists are considering the discarded as medium for powerfully activating their intended meaning. Often this message contains a political motivation, which empowers the audience to take action and get involved. Teaming up with experts in aligned fields of studies, such as science, the art studio has become an playful, experimental lab. This too is a remix in time that appropriates from the past. For example, without scientific experimentation with chemical processes, there would be no photographic medium.

Communication is at the core of the Public Privacy. Advocacy and agents for change these artists promote issues of environmental and social concern by connecting and engaging with the public. Through this artistic practice we reach dialogue and awareness. Motivated by a value for the everyday and life itself, the artists included in Public Privacy recall history and acknowledge past pioneers of the same joined efforts. By embracing the beauty that surrounds us, artists research to make an informed creatively vision of a better world.

A worldwide website allows these works to reach an even wider audience. It is an essential tool in cultivating a connective network of community. The private is permitted to the public in an open and fluid manner that speaks to a universal relationship of human similarity and unity. At the same time pressing issues that relate to this ability to live in harmony are addressed an the public is informed to make better choices for common good.

LEARNING TO LOVE YOU MORE


Collaborative team of artists Harrell Fletcher, Miranda July and web designer Yuri Ono host the online exhibition for their project Learning to Love you More. The online project took place from 2002-2009, which operated as an Internet archive for artistic submissions. Creative assignments were offered to the public and upon completion the report (photograph, drawing, etc.) were exhibited at the Learning to Love you More website. The website cites, "Like a recipe, meditation practice, or familiar song, the perspective nature of these assignments was intended to guide people towards their own experience." With this project social engagement is viewed as a form of art. In an interview with Miranda July she explains,
"There's so much on the Internet.....there's so many opportunities to put your face online or write what your hobbies are or something and at certain point its like who cares? That's somehow not doing the job of feeling a connection."

One of the galleries with in the website titled "Love" pays homage to inspiration from the musician Mirah to book pages of artist Robert Smithson to Harrell Fletcher's neighbor Fran Van Storm letters to the neighbors. This particular section of the website pushes the concept of the project that everyone is an artist, permitting creative license and authority is also given to the participants as artists in creating vision. This blurs the line between subject and maker, audience and artist, and challenges the art expertise of the exclusive domains such as the museum and gallery.


Over 8,000 people participated in the assignments during the project's duration. The website domain remains as a piece in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's collection, which was acquired in 2010. As documented through the website's galleries, the project archive also lives through a published book and museum and gallery exhibitions. The open and highly accessible platform of the website allowed a wider audience to participate in the work, while as the same time presents theories of universal creativity in art.

THE WAFFLE SHOP


Jon Rubin is an artist working through a cross disciplinary approach, which includes social practice, video art performance and sculpture. His work explores "social dynamics of public spaces, focusing on individual and group behavior." One of his major projects The Waffle Shop and Conflict Kitchen is created in collaboration with the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University where Rubin is the assistant professor of art. Of his role as an educator he explains, "Part of my job is expanding the definition of art for both the students and the public. The students are responsible for creating a cultural experience that adds something unique to the city. Within that, there are many learning objectives, like working collaboratively with community members and learning about the social role of art in society."


The Waffle Shop functions in a multi-faceted realm as a neighborhood restaurant, which is open on the weekends. The website houses live broadcasting of a talk show with the customers. The rooftop features a changeable billboard, which is not only on display to the public viewers of Pittsburgh, but also presented to a broader audience through the Waffle Shop homepage.

Rubin describes, "Our talk show deals with performance and popular culture. Building an interior deals with sculpture and commerce. We're designing promotional materials, painting signs, editing video, as well as running a small business — we deal with a lot of skill sets. Just in making the talk show, you're pulling upon performance, writing, acting, and constructing social situations, which is an art process in itself. It's very interdisciplinary."

In conjunction to the Waffle Shop is the politically charged Conflict Kitchen. A take out only restaurant serving food from countries with which the U.S. is in conflict, the menu changes every four months to focus on different countries. Both of these projects generate dialogue and invite the viewer to become participants in the creation of the work.

FUTUREFARMERS


Founder of the website and collective Future Farmers
Amy Franceschini collaborates with scientists, designers and the public on issues surrounding conflict between humans and nature. In these works she proposes solutions to environmental problems. Works in drawing, sculpture, design, net art, public art and gardening are represented through the Future Farmers online archive. In an interview Franceschini recounts the prolific, ever-expanding boundaries of joined efforts that makes these works of art possible.

"FutureFarmers began unconsciously. It was really a hiding place from other activities, but soon it was found and people began asking us to do projects of all kinds. I don't ever think of us as a 'business'; that seems to take all the fun and freedom away. I can't really even think of a certain beginning point of FutureFarmers. I still feel like it hasn't even begun. The thing that inspires me to continue working as FutureFarmers is the constant learning and opportunity to collaborate with new practitioners depending on the job at hand."


Within the website archive is a Design section which includes the interactive game Transportation Town. This net art piece feels like the video game Sim City. It empowers participants to create a town using effective urban planning, while learning environmental effects of human population growth and expansion.

According to the artist, "as designers we have tools and knowledge to create functional, sustainable solutions for a better social, economic, political environment. The organizational skills that come along with being a designer in terms of planning are such a resource. It is time NOW to put them to good use and offer our skills to groups that are working HARD towards a better world."

FRITZ HAEG

Fritz Haeg also utilizes the web as a means for archive. The Internet functions as an important tool in housing the documentation of his site specific works which take form as gardens, architecture, performance, design, dance, and ecology. Another collaboratively working artist whose work entails various roles his website functions to convey the depth of his role as an artist as well as the role of his partnerships with other artists and communities.


In a Creative Time interview Haeg clarifies his social practice by recalling, "Buckminster Fuller believed that specialization and trades were a form of slavery instituted by 'the man' (he called them the pirates) to prevent any one person from seeing the big picture, which would be a threat to their power." This statement allows insight into the Do-It-Yourself style that is encouraging of his community garden projects Edible Estates. The website further serves in the educational process by allowing a broader audience to access information and instructions on gardening.


Haeg also explore public and private space through his living residence in LA. He hosts public functions in his private home through his Sundown Salon. Much like the spirit of the Happenings or Black Mountain College, connections are made among participants who come to the space to be involved in events, gatherings, and performances. Intended to produce a free exchange of ideas, it is an experimental social lab that cultivates a network of creativity.

FALLEN FRUIT


The last group included in the Public Privacy exhibit is another LA based collective group, Fallen Fruit. Examining "urban space, ideas of neighborhood and new forms of located citizenship and community through" by relying on fruit as the focus of their work.
They share their Public Fruit Maps to the public through the website interface, which guides viewers to fruit trees in specific neighborhoods throughout the United States. The notion that private property overlaps into the public is an important aspect to consider when experiencing and exploring the fruit maps.

As stated on EyeBeam the group also effectively finds "gallery-ready derivatives of their participatory actions."

In addition to their performances, community collaborations, Fallen Fruit creates audio, videos and digital images in order to further convey their ideas relating to fruit. An intervention-approach to bettering the world is apparent in their work. Urgency is present in the digital images in order to call for action from the viewer's attention. They also include how-to guides for the public to take from and bring into their private space.

Right, Left, Wrong

Creative Commons is an example of an open source that provides a creative point of departure for individuals. However, in using someone else's work, the work is no longer a catalyst, but has the potential for mis-use or even plagarism. It also allows another individual to gain from someone's previous labor. This can create a situation where resources are being taken advantage of and become less appreciated. This is the irony of the generous act involved in free exchange systems. It is important for artist's unique talents to be recognized.

Some of Candace Breitz's work are great examples that demonstrate fair re-use of source material. She works in various media from photography to video and incorporates common image and sound into new forms. Breitz creates work that mashes up everyday images, which reflect pop culture. These images include iconic movie stills of celebrities. She also creates theatrical sets to photograph her subjects of everyday people within. Her work is direct descendant of Andy Warhol.

Nine Jacks, 2001, Digital Colour Print on Plexglas

Abba Monument, Berlin, June 2007, 2007, Digital C-Print Mounted on Disasec

She utilizes recognizable images and songs of celebrities to bring focus on the everyday person. As in the piece Legend, individuals are composed together and connected through a presentation of monumental scale. Each piece is necessary to make the whole picture, which is a reflection upon the society at large.

Feminist perspective encompasses Breitz's Rainbow Series, which include pornographic images taken from mass media publications. These sexually explicit images of women are cut and collaged into new forms when combined with stereotypical representations of African people. The new female form represented in the collage speaks to xenophilia and scopophilia. This occurs through a mix of mass produced, pornographic images of women juxtaposed with portraits of tribal African people. The work points to issues of segregation, racism and the fear of the unknown in humanity.

Rainbow Series #1, 1996, Cibiachrome Photograph

Breitz also plays with text to create meaning in her works. For instance in Ghost Writer she re-purposed a novel to create poetic messages with the text by whiting out portions of the existing text in the book. This work along with others combines language in relationship to movement, rhythm and pattern in both literal and visual terms. The Surrogate Portraits calls upon the generality of individual names and conveys unity through a diverse sampling of people.

The Ninety Days of Genevieve 32 - Pubic Hair, 1999, Tippex on paper

Surrogate Portraits (Bill+Monica), 1998, Colour Photograph

One Minute of Mother, 2005, Photographic Score,
Installation View Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon, Spain

Notions of identity are at the core of Breitz's works. There is a duality that exists in the work as she playfully constructs images that create dialogue about both differences and commonalities. Through this conversation unique differences are recognized as belonging. In the end there is sameness in difference.

Another remix artist Danger Mouse orchestrated a collaboration between the Beatles White Album and Jay Z's Black Album to create the Grey Album. This creative project also brings together difference through familiar. A call and response between the historical to contemporary time occurs stylistically. The past is recognized by employing the Beatles with Jay Z in a respectful manner, as the music is remixed in a way that creates new from the appropriated material. Jay Z released an a cappella version of his Black Album specifically for uses of remix and mash up. Use of The White Album did not occur with such permission. In this case, copyright laws require taking responsibility, so the production of the album ceased. Unlicensed copies can still be acquired from supporters of a free trade system.

Radiohead's most recent album, In Rainbows also challenges the consumer market of the music industry. The band chose to release their original album for a limited time through their website allowing fans to pay what they choose to download the album. This is a great example of the artist taking legal issues of production and consumption into their own hands.

Spooky Science

trains, planes, automobiles, people
the global nomad
Beatnik's mythological automobile on the road
alchemy, hyperfluid culture
a poetics of presence
art and the imagination
the physical and the mental
hum with the speed of
all these places of social mutuality
committed humanist
recontextualize the previous
find themselves adrift
sonic debris of a popular future
cultural relativism
voice you speak with
take one step past yourself
haunted by the way things could have turned out
call and response
crossroads
questioning how far to push
mom used to say,
"who speaks through you?"
generate the most creative sounds
a thousand and one nights
preferences become mapped
repeat history
they are global
they are universal
seamlessly complex system
wise and foolish
consciousness in a world
invites rereadings in an information economy
creativity rests
expressions of others
the threads of time
hold the tapestry of my youth together
blurred all of the boundaries
etched in my memory
art in the conventional art world sucked
and the critics were full of shit
the multicultural
case of kidnapping, murder and conspiracy
collaged
crushing you with media bombardment
obsessed with death
bypassing structures
attention to the game
critique of the invisible
only to erase it
idealism of coexistence
not aware of the connections
its a puzzle you set for yourself
John Cage used to just stare at the piano
communicate with fellow human beings
continues the dialog
make the world act as your own reflection
issue of personal identity
scratch the surface
creating an environment
overlapping dualities
revelation of the other world
urban landscape
dematerialized sculpture
situation in human history
it can change
phantasm of collective memory
combat between
art as it relates to the environment
meditational aspect of the creative act
found
dividing the organic and inorganic elements
opening and closing of the lens
vanished like a mirage in the desert
of our collective dreams
try to create new worlds
cybernetic jazz
time and energy
pay the piper and call the tune

Liz Filardi Presentation

Liz Filardi is New York based artist who received a BA in English from the University of Albany at SUNY and an MFA in Design and Technology from The New School in 2009. She was recently commissioned by Turbulence for her I'm Not Stalking; I'm Socializing series. Filardi explores anxieties surrounding social networking through this body of work. Using intervention techniques through performance, Liz's work investigates personal boundaries. Communication media are the main vehicle for which she creates her work; resulting in websites, solicited telephone calls, signage and digital images.

Beginning with one of her early works, we can trace back the personal narrative that is at the heart of Liz Filardi's work. Breakfast Daily uses a video diary approach to convey vulnerability and personal boundaries. Each day, Liz records herself as she eats breakfast alone. An emotional disposition or mood is cataloged through the redundant images of this simple everyday act. Filardi reported, "By the end of the experiment, I had created a Vimeo community group to support the conclusion that eating breakfast at a table is, in fact, a gesture of commitment and patience, even without the involvement of a video camera. The group seems to live on."


I am reminded of Miranda July, when I think about Liz's work. July utilizes the everyday human experience, often drawing from the vulnerability of the personal and its emotions. Seen in both artists work is the use of text as a powerful communication tool.


Another early work uses remixing to create digital imagery. Filardi 's work Tribute to R. Stevie Moore was inspired after discovering the piece Girl Go. She explains, "Never underestimate a champion of the vintage internet aesthetic." She constructed her tribute series from a collection of images that were taken from the the R. Stevie Moore public image domain. The public domain includes websites, over 400 masterful mix tapes and CDs, and several official releases including the early indie classic, Phonography. Liz chronicles R Stevie Moore's artistic career as standing the test of time, while becoming well respected. She explains, that he "played alongside Elvis Presley, yet continues to perform humbling shows in small New York City clubs to audiences consisting of a few fanatics amongst venue grazers."

Fueled by her interest in society's obsession with virtual communities specifically, social networking, Filardi created a narrative project called Wonderful Life. This work engages the narrative potential of social networking communities by attempting to push narrative in a new direction. The focus of the project questions the inclusion of individual's in social networking communities and challenges the notion of how this social involvement can enrich our lives.
She states, "We form narratives by reconnecting, searching for old friends, etc... In past, issues of privacy existed, people were less open to sharing personal information.....Surfing networks has become social default. We prefer to surf the net over watching T.V." Another component of the work is an investigation of the use of marketing tools within these social networks, as people have shifted from watching television and bearing the commercials to using the Internet as source of this spectator entertainment.

Wonderful Life is a satirical web narrative, which has been adapted to social network platforms. Liz took from several websites to create the project in order to create the narrative. She says, "The only way that you can really consume the story is by becoming friends with the character. Even if you don't know these characters, who you just became friends with on Facebook, by investigating you get caught up in the story the same way that you get caught up in the story of what your friends are up to." The project unfolds over a fixed, five-week time period. This parallels the real time frame for the characters, who participate in daily blogging while being paid to consume a daily health regiment called Wonderful Life. The goal of the product is to discover the meaning of life. The blogging not only documents the experience of taking the product, but also provides a narrative hook for the viewers.


While Liz often relies on the public as both the audience and participants in her work, she also puts herself out there, as in the case of Facetbook. This project is achieved through Firefox web plug-in that allows her to archive her Facebook profile. This project speaks to created identity or the multiplicity of identity that is encouraged through social networking. It emphasizes the ability to project a story about oneself through social networks by constructing a character and story for people to follow. Viewers take an invested interest in these posts, or stories, even if secretly. A review of Liz's work points out the timeliness of her work as it deals with issues of privacy on Facebook. A privacy loophole has become apparent on Facebook, as members of the public can access the website without membership through links to events.


This work connects to the work of Sophie Calle. The viewers have the ability to play detective or investigate Filardi's constructed narratives presented through Facetbook. Sophie Calle's work plays on vulnerability through her personal sometimes secret interactions that she has with the subjects of her work. Similarly, Filardi's work reflects the role of the viewer and challenges the notion of personal boundaries and privacy. She holds a mirror to the public, commenting on the behavior that is delivered through these social networks. Calle's work also exposes the personal and permits the audience to have access to the documentation of these emotional experiences.

The work Status Grabber is a service that invites people to make a brief statement regarding their status over the phone. Filardi selects random people in the phone book or by request through the project webpage. People are solicited by phone to update other people (a friend or loved one who has requested the service) on their status. The solicitor describes the service as, "100% free verbal social networking service that allows us to communicate in brief updates intended for a general social audience." This work relies and challenges the concept of status grabbing. It demonstrates that people will accept certain conditions online but not offline via another medium such as the telephone. The anonymous audience draws on notion of privacy, as the phone call becomes an invasion of space.

The request of participation is superficial and limiting in what the participants can or will share. A brief statement only goes so far in its depiction of one's life. This parallels to social networks in the way that it speaks to the limitations of really giving true information in online social arenas. People want to believe that they are engaging in genuine connections with friends and family members online, but there is only so far these interactions can go in the viral space of the internet world. I found the work ironic in the way that people were unlikely to reveal personal information through the telephone, even though there is such a hype around status updates online. I really enjoyed the humor that comes across in the prankster style that the work is delivered and received.


Status Grabber recalls the intervention tactics of the Yes Men. In fact, Liz was involved in the Yes Men NY Times as a Transport Logistician. In addition, her use of websites and internet products also echo their culture jamming practices.



black&white is an exploration of the term stalking, Filardi takes a historical case of criminal stalking and interplays the narrative with the idea of online stalking. Using a website interface that mimics Facebook, she creates two profiles for the characters involved in the Farley/Black case if Silicon Valley in the late 1980's which provoked California Anti-Stalking Law. The profiles provide insight into the story, while engaging viewers to participate in the act of stalking through their following of the story. It questions the notion of stalking all together. Again, Liz uses media and narrative to engage the viewer.

Facetbook, Status Grabber and black&white are all works created for the Turbulence commission that Liz received in 2009.

The Yes Men

After my recent viewing of the The Yes Men Fix the World , I found a deeper appreciation for the collaborative pair- Andy Brchlbaum and Mike Bonanno. I am amazed by their ability to continue pulling the wool over the eyes of the mass media, in order to reveal the harsh realities that exist in corporate systems. An activist spirit is the force behind their work, which is highly intelligent and calculated in order to present important social issues. Irony and satire are important aspects of their work, as they present dark and serious social history in connection with current politics.

Performance-based interventions with mass media, corporate groups and the general public compose a significant portion of their creative process. Much like a Happening, the Yes Men rely real life situations and interaction from the audience to carry out and build upon their pieces in an improvisational, yet planned manner. As in the belief of predecessor Allan Kaprow, art is life.

Words, 1961, installation

Another important figure in this movement is Joseph Bueys.

I Like America and America Likes Me, 1974, performance

Both Kaprow and Bueys were heavily philosophical in their approach to art making and used the classroom as a setting for interaction. In this way, their work moved art into a direction of higher accessibility for the public audience. In critique of the institutional mindset driven by the art market, their work shook up everyday life and reconciled art and life, even bringing the role of the viewer into a more active engagement.

The Yes Men work in the same manner of intervening with everyday life experiences, such as a corporate luncheon, to deliver critical presentations on imaginary products of the institution. In their recent New York Times edition, the Yes Men delivered a message of empowerment to their viewers to take action, rather than remain passive to the realities of the world. An emotional reaction by the viewer is also key to the power of the Yes Men's works, in order to provoke change in society by society members.

Mierle Laderman Ukeles is another artist who employs interventions in her work. She has held a long time artist residency position with the New York Department of Sanitation. Through her works she offers gratitude to the everyday workers, such as cleaning crews of institutions, and in her residency, specifically the workers of the sanitation department. She created Social Mirror, a mobile art piece in which she covered the sides of a trash truck with reflective surface that reflected society's role in collecting trash back. She intended to convey a message that reminded people where the trash that was collected by trash men came from. This challenged the notion of a trash man being a dirty person just by the nature of their job.

Manifesto for Maintenance Art, 1969, performance

The Social Mirror, 1983

A more contemporary vehicle of the Yes Men's creative process is culture jamming. They disrupt institutions by creating fake identities and using the web and professional presentations to advertise these products that mock these corporations. Through their products they expose problematic politics that lie beneath the surface and question the consumers who support these corporations. Like Laderman, the Yes Men give society a realistic reflection of their choices to support these businesses and their politics, as a reaction against social conformity. The anticipated result is to inspire a mass transformation in society to to make conscious choices that allow us to live more freely. Not to be confused with the capitalist politics of freedom promoted by individuals like Milton Friedman.

Liz Filardi

Liz Filardi is interested society's obsession with virtual communities specifically, social networking. In exploration of this obsession, she created a narrative project called Wonderful Life, which engages the narrative potential of social networking communities. She is attempting to push narrative in a new direction. The focus of the project questions the inclusion of individual's social networking communities and challenging the notion of how this social involvement can enrich our lives.

Filardi states that, "We form narratives by reconnecting/searching for old friends, etc... In past issues of privacy existed, people were less open to sharing personal information.....Surfing networks has become social default. We prefer to surf the net over watching T.V." Another component of the work is an investigation of the use of marketing tools within these social networks, as people have shifted from watching television and bearing the commercials to using the Internet as source of this spectator entertainment.

Wonderful Life is a satirical web narrative, which has been adapted to social network platforms. Liz used taken several websites to create the project to create the narrative. She says, "The only way that you can really consume the story is by becoming friends with the character. Even if you don't know these characters who you just became friends with on Facebook by investigating you get caught up in the story the same way that you get caught up in the story of what your friends are up to." The project unfolds over a fixed, five-week time period. This parallels the real time frame for the characters, who participate in daily blogging while being paid to consume a daily health regiment called Wonderful Life. The goal of the product is to discover the meaning of life. The blogging not only documents the experience of taking the product, but also provides a narrative hook for the viewers.

While Liz often relies on the public as her audience and participants in her work, she also puts herself out there, as in the case of Facetbook. This project is achieved through Firefox web plug-in that allows her to change and archive her Facebook profile. This project speaks to created identity or the multiplicity of identity. It emphasizes the ability to project a story about oneself through social networks by constructing a character and story for people to follow Viewers take an invested interest in, even if secretly. This work connects to the work of Sophie Calle. The viewers have the ability to play detective or investigate Filardi's constructed narratives presented through Facetbook. Sophie Calle's work plays on vulnerability in both her role as an artist through her personal sometimes secret interactions that she has with her subjects. In this way, Filardi's work turns the table on the viewer, while she allows the world to take on spectator roles. She is also putting a mirror to the public, commenting on the behavior that is delivered through these social networks.


The work Status Grabber is a service for people to make a brief statement over the phone. In order to update people on their status on behalf of a friend who has requested the service, they are phoned and asked to make a statement. This act alone is somewhat superficial/limiting in what the participants can share. It also parallels to the social networks in the way that it speaks to the limitations of really giving true information in online social arenas. People want to believe that they are engaging in genuine connections with friends/family members online, but there is only so far these interactions can go in the viral space of the internet world. I found the work ironic in the way that people were unlikely to reveal personal information through the telephone, even though there is such a hype around status updates online. I really enjoyed the humor that comes across in the prankster style that the worked is delivered and received.

black&white is an exploration of the term stalking, Filardi takes a historical case of criminal stalking and interplays the narrative with the idea of online stalking. Using a website interface that mimics Facebook, she creates two profiles for the characters involved in the Farley/Black case if Silicon Valley in the late 1980's which provoked California Anti-Stalking Law. The profiles provide insight into the story, while engaging viewers to participate in the act of stalking through their following of the story. It questions the notion of stalking all together.


Word Bank:
playful, humorous, ironic, participatory, communicative, connectivity, interactive, critical, analytical, narrative, imaginary, emotional, social engaging, privacy, boundaries, public, relational,

Links to other artists that relate:

Miranda July and Harrell Fletcher
Learning to Love You More

Sophie Calle

Artist Link

Gwylym Cano

Net Art Part 2

Anne Marie Schleiner's curation writing provides insight with different scenarios that clarify the role of a net artist. Once again, I found the humor, specifically ironic humor to feed my interest in this writing. With Artists X, Y and Z leading examples of the life of a Net Artist, I also saw how these different ways of working overlapped with some of the other contemporary art practices today. As mentioned in a previous blog entry, I see a continued parallel between Bourriaud's relational aesthetic theory to the experimental, interdisciplinary, and collective workings of Net Artists. Bourriaud's curation of the show Altermodern at the Tate Britain showcased various works of art that demonstrated his belief that post modernism is dead.

Here is Bourriaud's Manifesto to the Altermodern Exhibition:

A new modernity is emerging, reconfigured to an age of globalisation – understood in its economic, political and cultural aspects: an altermodern culture

Increased communication, travel and migration are affecting the way we live

Our daily lives consist of journeys in a chaotic and teeming universe

Multiculturalism and identity is being overtaken by creolisation: Artists are now starting from a globalised state of culture

This new universalism is based on translations, subtitling and generalised dubbing

Today's art explores the bonds that text and image, time and space, weave between themselves

Artists are responding to a new globalised perception. They traverse a cultural landscape saturated with signs and create new pathways between multiple formats of expression and communication.

The Tate Triennial 2009 at Tate Britain presents a collective discussion around this premise that postmodernism is coming to an end, and we are experiencing the emergence of a global altermodernity.

Liz Filardi is one of the Net Artists who is also working within these parameters. Her work I' Not Stalking You; I'm Socializing: Facetbook is a playful, yet critical look into global, social networks, specifically Facebook. I could relate to Filardi's anxiousness over the constructed identities portrayed through these self-focused Internet venues. It brings to attention psychological aspects of identity presented to the public through on the web. In addition, issues of the the spectator and privacy are apparent in Filardi's exploration of multiplicity, identity and the inter-connectivity of the world wide web. Liz's work takes form through social interventions and performance. She engages with other people by exploring boundaries through everyday experiences of communication.

The work Yeas and Nays by Christian Croft provides a web plug in in order to create an interactive platform for viewers/users.
Croft explains:
"Yeas and Nays is a space that tranforms any webpage into a means for contacting Congressional representatives. Using Yeas and Nays, a citizen can connect via phone to speak with her representatives, and the resulting shift keeps a record of the call located on the website that informed it."
This brings to mind the notion that the viewers of Net Art also partake in their active role as an Internet user. This reminds me of the piece The Machine is Us/ing Us. Both these pieces point out the power of collectivity that feeds the Internet and of course in effect, Net Art. The Yeas and Nays allows the viewer/user the opportunity to partake in the creative process and as a result produces the work in a collaborative effort. It allows for activism to become embedded in the interactivity of the passive Internet user. I am also interested in the DIY (Do it Yourself) component of the piece, which seems to work on another level of empowerment by providing a means for enhancing the users Internet fluency.

Early Internet Art

The manifesto by Bookchin & Shulgin comes across as a mockery of the traditional art system. There is a humorous element that came into their description, guidelines and instructions for defining Internet art. Perhaps, this colored my playful perception of the examples Internet art that followed my reading of the manifesto. These ideas also reminded me of some of the contemporary art theories that have come to envelop what is know as socially engaged, community or site based works of art. Other parts of the manifesto were simply rules that any individual of any course of work could follow. It is rather accessible to a technologically based society member to comprehend. But also contained lines that could not be understood by a person who did not have experience with a computer. This makes it an exclusive type of art. The way that the manifesto called to do away with the institution foresees free internet enterprises such as google, facebook, myspace.

In Beyond Interface, the artist Udi Aloni states that his piece Re-U-Man "is a structure that helps me send my fragmented 'I' to you (plural) and re-collect your commentary, for me to speak again in a way that might surprise me." This was of particular interest to me as it spoke to the constructed identity that a member of Facebook creates for their Internet community. The Facebook Internet community also contributes to the construction of each participants identity, as they leave comments, photos, etc to connect to each member of the website. This relates to the following line in the manifesto: "Expansion into real life networked infrastructures."

Also, within the Beyond Interface site, I found the work, GrammaTron by Mark Amerika. This piece is a great example of the manifesto's ideas about embracing the crossing of disciplines through its use of sound, internet images and poetry. The length of the piece seems requires the viewer's attention to span through time. It gives the viewer an opportunity to focus attention on a cohesive piece that makes sense, rather than a chaotic over stimulation of elements that viewing some of the Internet art provided. The progression of chapters from the initial website into the second site provided a nice layered effect. A universal perspective on the connection of the Internet was portrayed through the poetic text that guided the piece. The images and text also revealed a sexual content that speaks to the voyeuristic and exhibitionist tendencies of the Internet. Finally, Amerika's style recalled the sound and performance work of Laurie Anderson, specifically the piece
O Superman.

Digital Narratives

In considering the framework of a digital narrative, the automatic comparison to a book came to mind. In the same way that Bush's predictions of the Internet resembled a digital file cabinet, I began to consider the computer in comparison to a book. The hard back and spine of the book's contents are carried through the user's computer. The pages translate to the pages explored within the Internet. However, I find myself struggling with the satisfaction of the tactile experience of reading a traditional narrative contained within a book as conveyed through a digital, interactive narrative.

In Leischman's "redridinghood," I found myself a bit over stimulated by the interactive component. The work felt much like a video game, but did not drive my engagement as a viewer in a way that kept my interest. This version of the classic story did not give much more in terms of depth, even through the stimulating presentation. I searched for reasons why this story needed to be portrayed in such a fashion, somewhat like when a book becomes a movie and the movie does not offer anything more than the original text.

As noted within my previous blog, I am increasingly aware of the lack of physicality that is inevitable within the world of technology. While it seems that the digital age has brought with it possibilities for staying closely connected with others, the genuine experience of being in touch and intimately relating with others feels disconnected. Laporta's "DISTANCE" reveals the issues of immediacy and a virtual presence with another person. This virtual presence is counteracted by the notion of real time and space. Laporta's piece offers narrative through text and recorded online video images, which describe the dual nature that technological advancements have on communication and the relationships that exist within.
Some of the narrative words that struck me and spoke to this duality follow:

IMMEDIACY, INTIMACY, RESPONSE, IMAGINE, TECHNOLOGY, VEIL, REFLECTING, PRESENCE, GAZE, TIME, SEARCHING, FUTURE, VIRTUAL, REAL, CLOSER, FURTHER

Young Hae-Chang Heavy Industries' DAKOTA reveals an captivating play on text and viewer comprehension. I found this digital narrative most compelling. It allows both space and clutter to activate the words of the narrative script. It made me reflect on a recent visit to the International Center for Photography in New York. The exhibit, "For all the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights" was of particular interest. I especially enjoyed the straightforward use of text on the civil rights movement posters that were included in the exhibition. I have been reflecting on text as a tool for mass communication, which relates to the widespread use of the Internet and digital tools for communication. It seems that these practices aim to reach a wide population through its accessibility.

I can't help but consider the human populations that do not have access to the Internet and others forms of technology. I question if they are really missing out on anything. So often, we see charity work that aims to help underdeveloped countries and I wonder if is actually helping or taking away from these cultures. The self-important focus of the Internet forums seem out of place in cultures where community is interwoven into basic needs for life. This way of life seems to promote a more genuine form of connectivity to me.


Barbara Kruger's work uses text to speak about the influences of mass media on the public.


Lawrence Weiner's work uses language as a sculptural material. He makes work that is designed to be translated.


"Dakota" also recalled John Cage's experimental work in performance and printmaking. I made another connection to the Beatniks (Beat generation) due to the rejection of materialism that I percieved in Young Hae-Chang Heavy Industries' piece.

Bush and Benjamin

In his writing, As We May Think, Vannevar Bush speaks of the advantages to scientific developments beginning with the effects on our daily lives. He states that the basic needs of food, shelter, clothing have all been improved by the advancements of science and technology. I am challenged by this notion, as I observe in current time that there have been environmental and social deficits as a result of the overwhelming rise in technology. Later, Bush claims that "the effort to bridge between disciplines is correspondingly superficial." Here again, I struggle to see this perspective due to my interdisciplinary nature of working in the arts. Artist Mark Dion challenges the role of specialists in both the areas of art and science.

Bush also speaks about Leibnitz inventing a calculating machine. In this example, he discusses the economics of labor being against the invention before the arrival of mass production. In addition, he points out the unreliability of the object. This compares greatly to today. As we fight a war on oil, we still have yet to use technology to resolve related environmental problems by creating new ways for transportation.

I understand that the specialization of a field is also important, as in the case of the arts. Specifically, Bush foresees the accessibility of photography. Photography has become so widespread that everyone is a photographer who “takes pictures.” While I do not consider myself an elitist, I believe that photography, like all image-based media should be crafted. In this craft, both the skill and intent of the photographer is relevant. As I write this I think about camera phones and argue to myself that these picture can also be taken with intent and not much skill, which brings me back to the history of photography. Knowledge and understanding, or specialization of the medium is of significant importance. Going back to my original argument for interdisciplinary art, I want to note that in this practice I am working collaboratively with other specialists in other fields in order to gain a fuller vision, awareness and understanding for the subject of the work.

Many printmaking processes foreshadowed the production of lithography, which allowed for the recording of everyday images. Development of reproducible images has advanced through to photography and beyond. Like Bush, Benjamin has an early prediction of the power that technology would take in the everyday world. Both speak to visions of technological advancements that science will promote.

While I feel that these arguments in favor of scientific developments and industrial practices leave me with an appreciation for the tools of my craft, I am torn by the negative side effects. This includes the superficial connection that exists in technologically based societies, as well as the detrimental effects on the Earth. This reveals a strange exchange between the physical world and the 4-D (spatial) world. It seems that we are forfeiting and ignoring our physical needs as human beings, including the survival of our human population and the natural world of animals and plants.

In his A Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Benjamin claims, “Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be.” This coincides with the way of life that has occurred since the advancements of technology have dominated human life. Then he states, “The presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity.” To further this idea I would like to propose that our current state of being needs to return to older traditions that reconnect us to the root of our existence, the Earth.