april

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the project had first come into being in 2001, with the installation held at Haus des Lehrers, Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Germany. this installation was the brainchild of the Chaos Computer Club and was created to pay tribute to their founder, Wau Holland.

the installation was novel in that it facilitated user interaction - users could send in messages they would like displayed on the installation via email, after which, their message would be displayed on the building.

i found this to be an interesting project because it encouraged audience engagement in the creation of art. This meant that no two audience members took home the same meaning from the work of art they saw/ created on the building as each piece was a unique experience in itself.

I was curious about the project, so I went home and did further reading on the project. This project came back after a long hiatus - in 2008, Toronto, Canada. An application was launched, allowing users to create animations on their phones and see their animations on the building in real time. Technological advancements made it such that users from around the world were able to view live broadcasts of the animations made on the buildings. Beyond just global viewing, it also meant that individuals from around the world now had the ability to participate.

To me, this was interesting because the art piece itself was a reflection of how technology has made to world more interconnected - from how the project first started to include those in its vicinity to where it is today, including the participation of those beyond geographical boundaries.

in the video, the interior of the buildings looked vacant - whether they really were vacant throughout the duration of the exhibition is unclear, I was unable to find any information about this. this then made me think about the inefficient use of space and the environmental issues that came along with it.

are these things worth sacrificing when it comes to the promotion of art?

I was on Facebook this evening scrolling through my news feed when I chanced upon this video "The Artist with Multiple Personalities" by VICE media. Curious, I decided to watch it;

The video covers the story of Kim Noble - a lady who suffers from dissociative identity disorder - who uses art to cope with her mental disorder. In total, she has 20 different personalities that inhabit her body;

Patricia, her most dominant personality, is in her 50s and motherly. She is sensible and strict.

Judy is a 15 year old anorexic girl who is "good friends" with her 20 year old daughter, Aimee.

Dawn is the personality that was dominant in Kim when she had given birth to her daughter.

Each of these personalities lead unique lives of their own, spontaneously appearing and then disappearing. Kim has no control over when these switches occur. She did say, however, that since embracing her diagnosis 15 years ago, it has allowed her to fully understand why in the past, she had experienced gaps in her memory, for example.

Painting was something she took up upon the advice of her therapist. Because these personalities can only come out one at a time, there is no way for her personalities to meet one another. Thus, by painting, she feels her different personalities are able to get to know what the other is like. She is able to identify each personality easily based on the style of artwork created.

This video was interesting to me as it gave me a different perspective on the way people cope with mental health issues. Noble had used art as a way to cope with her mental health, as well as to get to know "herself" better. It was also inspirational to see how Noble didn't allow herself to be limited and constrained by what she was facing; rather, she turned her disorder into something positive - she embraced her 20 different personalities, allowing them to come out and express themselves.

In my opinion, her work has definitely been effective in raising awareness of this condition - myself being a case in point. I was initially skeptical about the legitimacy of this condition;

However, after doing more research on the condition, I realized how wrong i was, and that this is a condition that ought to be addressed, like any of the other metal health issues.

How is it possible for such a condition to even exist? could she simply be
making up such a condition so as to attract the attention of the public? or
an easy excuse if her work is not consistent with the standard of "artistic
flair"? or just to gain publicity for her exhibition?

using art to cope with mental health

What do you think are the wider societal and cultural implications of the social media ideology described by Geert Lovink?
Lovink mentions that social media has become an ideology - a system of ideas and ideals - without us even knowing how it has power over us. we feel the constant need to be “on”, to attend to every notification that we receive. our interactions on social media feel natural and seem to mimic real life interactions - there is no need for orientation and there is no “rite of passage”, which makes accepting this ideology a lot easier. we knowingly allow ourselves to be sucked into this ideology for it is easier to succumb to its temptations than resist it. As a result, we become “slaves” to social media and inadvertently subscribe to this ideology even without ourselves being consciously aware of it.

What do you think is the aesthetic, ideological or political role of memes, within the context of the self-segregating, doubt-centric culture of the new media landscape? Provide one digital culture or digital art project that reflects this as an example for evidence to ground your response in. (Look to the weblinks on IVLE and learning materials for more resources if you are having trouble.)
Memes are created to raise issues that might be prevalent in society in a “light-hearted” manner. Often a times, these memes take on the form of humorous images or catch phrases, which individuals then share with others.

Memes are our generation’s equivalent of propaganda - spreading harsh messages rather than subliminal influences. They appear on the various social media platforms that one is an active user of. However, these views tend to resonate within the circle of individuals one decides to surround themselves with. As mentioned in the reading, memes have the tendency to spread views amongst like minded individuals in the same bubble. This results in one seeing more images that support their personal beliefs because of the bubble one places themselves in.

This self-segregating culture consequently prevents memes that support a particular party from reaching the supporters of the opposition party - a necessary target group. this results in an imbalanced view of the political climate; individuals are now less informed of the views that others might have and are led to believing that the view they have is pervasive in society.

To what extent do you agree that the increasing reliance on communication technologies by artists and cultural leaders and the simultaneous reduction in understanding of their production are a problem? Compare and contrast two works or texts to provide evidence of your position.
I agree that it is a problem, but only insofar as individuals take what they see at face value, which begs the question: Will people just plainly accept what they have doubts about?

Communication technologies have made it such that it facilities two way communication between both the sender and the receiver of the message beyond geographical boundaries. This means to say that, no longer are messages just sent one way, there is now the option for clarification to be made should the message sent be unclear.

Artists have definitely leveraged off the benefits rough about by communication technologies to promote their work. In fact, social media has, for some artists, become their new gallery space - at a much lower cost while providing them with the channel to receive feedback and interact with their audience. For instance, Instagram artists Amalia Ulman decided to use Instagram as her gallery space - she “hosted” a 5-month long exhibition performance piece on her Instagram page called “Excellences & Perfections”. She had fooled all her followers into thinking that the photos she uploaded were a reflection of her true self, when in reality, it was all curated and scripted.

Given how Ulman used social media as her “gallery space”, it encouraged conversation and discourse amongst viewers of her work, which they could be responded to at any point of time. This exposes users to a plethora of ideas and perspectives, as well as allows the artist himself/ herself to provide any clarification on the message they had intended to convey through their work. The same can be said about cultural leaders who engage in the use of communication technologies.

If anything, communication technologies have increased the level of understanding for viewers of the various productions.

Describe some potential applications of critical engineering and glitch studies in works of art and cultural manifestos. Reference at least 2 Digital Culture and Arts projects / works in your response.
Critical engineering: “The Critical Engineer considers any technology depended upon to be both a challenge and a threat. The greater the dependence on a technology the greater the need to study and expose its inner workings, regardless of ownership or legal provision.” The NETworkshop by Julian Oliver and Danja Vasiliev seek to inform individuals about computer networks in an intensive 5 day workshop. This workshop is broken down into three phases; phase 1: equipping students with technical skills to understand the workings of a computer network. phase 2: exposing students to the various power structures that control the way we use computer networks. phase 3: teaching students encryption and anonymity strategies for them to defend and assert their rights in public space.

Their workshop shows how reliant we are on the internet as a means to access data and communicate with others. At the same time, it sheds light on how we don’t actually have “power” and autonomy over what we search and what we do online - we are constantly under watch and controlled by the government and corporations. However, it also shows that one need not fall victim to this demise as there are methods that one can employ to protect oneself while simultaneously enjoying the benefits that the internet has to offer.

Glitch Studies: “Employ bends and breaks as metaphors for différance. Use the glitch as an exoskeleton for progress.” the reading on The Glitch Moment(um) by Rosa Menkman was interesting to me as it provided me with new insight and a different perspective to glitches.

When faced with a glitch, I often associate it with a problem, a break in the flow of the function that it is “supposed” to perform. However, the reading gave me a new perspective on “glitch” - that glitch is not always strictly a result of a technical malfunction. To me, I saw this as a reflection of us as human beings, void of perfection yet always striving to reach it. I suppose, glitches make technology more “real” and “raw”, more like us - that technology is a refection of the people who created them, void of perfection.

I chanced upon this project by artist Soleil Zumbrunn called “GLITCH”. Zumbrunn decided to integrate glitch art with culture by creating a deck of “glitch” cards. I thought this was the perfect example of integrating art with culture as she had taken a very culturally familiar object - playing cards - and transformed them into a work of art that individuals could engage with. To Zumbrunn, “glitches aren’t about giving answers, but about asking the right questions.”

1. What do you think are the wider societal and cultural implications of the social media ideology described by Geert Lovink?

2. What do you think is the aesthetic, ideological or political role of memes, within the context of the self-segregating, doubt-centric culture of the new media landscape? Provide one digital culture or digital art project that reflects this as an example for evidence to ground your response in. (Look to the weblinks on IVLE and learning materials for more resources if you are having trouble.)

3. To what extent do you agree that the increasing reliance on communication technologies by artists and cultural leaders and the simultaneous reduction in understanding of their production are a problem? Compare and contrast two works or texts to provide evidence of your position.

4. Describe some potential applications of critical engineering and glitch studies in works of art and cultural manifestos. Reference at least 2 Digital Culture and Arts projects / works in your response.

week 7 forum response

“Reddit Place” (April fool’s experiment 2017) – collaborative art

How can we adequately define digital art and culture when the concept of an ideal form is an anathema to this field?

The imminence of digital networks in most of our lives – we’re almost impossible to not be affected by it in a certain way.

Comic – “click and drag ”
• Panel that goes on forever, it’s not a typical comic strip where things happen in boxes
• Gives the user full control of creating the story they want
• Breaking free from the constraints of just a page
• Participation that’s being asked of here: it doesn’t give one the complete story line as it gives one the authority to govern how the story turns out; the story line is not fixed – gives the audience an opportunity in meaning making
• Similar to the “choose your own adventure” book series/ games for you to explore as you deem fit
• Learn something about yourself in this – you personally might not have the patience for this, you want to see the ending immediately (instant gratification); but to someone else, this might be interesting (why should we allow these differences in preferences set us apart?
• Sisyphus govern for truth; the experience of struggling to find an end (carries onthis fruitless journey for eternity)
• Modular space to create your own adventure or create your own story; people could randomly even make their own story by taking screen shots of the various pages and frames to come to a conclusion
• Within this post-modern framework – quite related to this very old narrative of Sisyphus

“My Boyfriend Came Back from The War ” Olia Lialina
• Despite the composition which is quite minimalist, it is also weaving a narrative that is not linear and allows you to build your own interpretation
• Every action you take opens up new possibilities for something to happen; it takes the audiences hand to create the experience yourself
• It’s not just the audience passively soaking up information like a sponge – being honoured as a human to make their mind up rather than just having a message shoved in their face and having a meaning imposed on them

the black square

1. What do you think is the impact of current trends in social media (e.g. desire for authenticity, rejection of hierarchies, etc.) on the curation, creation and production of digital art and culture?

Social trends might serve to inspire art curation on digital platforms. Art is a form of expression, a way for one to express themselves. As such, one might curate art in order for them to join the conversation, and share their personal stance on a particular social trend.

That said, current trends might also affect the curation of art in another way - it might pressurise the artist into curating art that appeals to their audience. This results in the artist placing more pressure on themselves to create art that will be well received rather than be a representation of their personal thoughts and opinions; in the assigned reading, Roestenburg’s interview with Howard, an art curator, is a case in point. When asked how she related herself to social media highs and lows in her own practice as a curator, Howard responded “I asked the artists if the number of likes or retweets affects the way they make a piece. Many of them said that they felt guilty about it, but it did. Posting something is a way of getting instant feedback. If it gets no likes, you probably would scrap that piece.” This very clearly illustrates that artists today feel more pressurised into caving into meeting the interests of their audience. It also goes to show the pervasiveness of the phenomenon of instant gratification and how artists use it as a tool to receive affirmation of their work.

2. How would you define art, and do you think there is (or should be) a distinction between digital, media art and other conventionally and culturally accepted forms of art? Explain with specific examples where appropriate.

Art, to me, is form of communication. Unlike words, the meanings that people derive from the message that an art piece is trying to bring across will be unique to them. The reason for the difference in the way people interpret such works is due to differences in their lived experiences. This makes each piece of art a personal experience for the viewer, because while the piece might look the same, no two individuals would take home the exact same message.

I don’t think there is or that there should be a distinction between digital, media art and other conventionally and culturally accepted forms of art. I think digital art is a reflection of the progression that society has made - from how cooking used to be done over a man-made bon fire using pieces of wood to now being done over an electrical stove; from how messages used to be sent across borders by tying it to a bird leg to now being sent with the simple click of a button.

Even “conventional” and “culturally accepted” forms of art have now been digitalised - for instance, it is common to see people take photographs of traditional paintings and sculptures when they visit the museum. These people then share these images to their friends over social media networks - which then begs the question: Does digitalising conventional art turn it into digital art?

All in all, I feel that creating a distinction isn’t necessary because digitalisation is merely a reflection of the progress society is making. And, based on my definition of art being a form of communication, I believe that the digitalisation of art does well to ensure that the message intended by the art piece is able to reach a wider audience. As such, this facilitates the “purpose” of art.

3. Between the intentions of the artist and the experience of the artwork by the audience, which do you think is currently more privileged or emphasized in the context of digital art and culture? How do you think the tension between these two sides of an artwork can be reconciled? Explain with specific examples.

I personally feel that in this day and age, artwork that is curated is more audience focused. Artists have leveraged on the advantages brought about by digital technology and integrated them into their work - some of them make use of technology to allow their audience to have a more interactive experience with the piece. For example, the Blinkenlights showcase allowed users to determine what images were put up on the buildings. This gave users the ability to participate in the creation of the art piece, thus increasing the level of engagement.

that being said, i would not say that artists are completely disadvantaged in the context of digital art and culture. With the internet, it gives artists the ability to disseminate information to the masses. It allows the artist to clarify any doubts or queries that the audience might have of the exhibition, allowing the audience to gain awareness of the artist’s original intentions. For example, going back to the Blinkenlights exhibit, following the showcase, the team behind the exhibit produced a follow up video post event. This video featured the opinions of audience members, as well as the curator’s original intentions in curating the piece.

Perhaps, to reconcile this tension, the artist could do well to ensure that he/ she develops a good relationship with their audience. In so doing, it would allow for better understanding between both sides.

2. How would you define art, and do you think there is (or should be) a distinction between digital, media art and other conventionally and culturally accepted forms of art? Explain with specific examples where appropriate.

3. Between the intentions of the artist and the experience of the artwork by the audience, which do you think is currently more privileged or emphasized in the context of digital art and culture? How do you think the tension between these two sides of an artwork can be reconciled? Explain with specific examples.

week 8 forum response

o Traditionally, art and culture is funded by the church and the state; propaganda subtly in the make?
o If you want to find out the meaning behind some art pieces, you sometimes have to look behind who is fundaing the art programme; could there be subtle messages that the artist is trying to impose on the viewer based on what what these funders want? Does this give the artist freedom to really express yourself?
o Singapore and censorship – IMD controls the dissemination of all this information over media channels; so, do people truly have the outlet they need to express their opinons and views?
o “the lost thing” – Shaun Tan

What had initially started out as an April Fool's day joke turned into a collaborative art piece.

"Reddit Place" started off as a blank canvas with a single red dot, where Reddit users were allowed to contribute one pixel at a time on a blank canvas.

There were no rules, individuals were free to pixelate the canvas however they wished. Soon, communities came together to police the canvas, setting their own rules.

These communities were formed over Reddit itself. One user turned to the community, asking for help in creating a marriage proposal "LISA I LOVE YOU WILL YOU MARRY ME", which was quickly vandalised to "FUCK I HATE YOU LISA YOU CUNT BITCH"

It was also interesting to note that classical paintings were recreated on this digital space - "Mona Lisa" and "Starry Night", showing the impact it has left in the world of art so much so that it is even remembered in the digital age today.

1. What do you think is the particular value of oral history in documenting digital art and culture? Explain with examples where appropriate.

To me, the value in oral history lies in the genuinity and “rawness” that comes with the message that the interviewee who is being recorded is trying to say. To a certain extent, I’d say that it is a real life representation of the glitch manifesto in how it is so “imperfect”; written texts produced are often curated such that the message is brought across in a concise manner. What the viewer gets to read is the final product.

In comparison, oral history gives the listener a look into the interviewee’s mind - the interviewer is able to be taken on a journey as the interviewee constructs their arguments, perhaps make some corrections and then finally, presents the “end product”. It highlights the struggles and obstacles faced and adds a more human touch to the recount.

2. How is intertextuality intertwined with digital art and culture? Discuss in relation to any topics from previous weeks that you feel may be appropriate.

Digital art and culture is allows for greater user engagement and interaction than traditional forms of arts such as paintings and sculptures. As a result, this also means that the feedback that artists are able to receive is more instantaneous. To a certain extent, it can also be argued that it is the response that the artist hopes to elicit form the viewer that motivates them to create pieces of art.

This is where intertextuality comes into play - some artists create pieces that reflect the current climate of opinion. While others go on to more extreme ends by appropriating art pieces; as in the case of Richard Prince and the way he took the art created by other artists and made them his own by “signing off” the art pieces with his instagram handle and a self composed caption.

3. How do you think ethnography can be useful in examining digital art and culture? Explain with examples from your current process in developing Task 1.

Ethnography might be useful when it comes to examining unfamiliar environments. But, then again, what the observer sees is superficial, it doesn’t allow the observer to really get to see what’s beyond the surface.

I saw many manifestations of this in preparing for Task 1. My group’s topic is on Digital Footprint and one of the showcases that caught our attention was Unfit Bits by Tega Brian and Surya Mattu. They satire the concept of data tracking for health purposes and the techniques that individuals can employ to clock up these steps without actually having to walk at all.

I suppose, the utility of ethnography is thus dependent on the way the observer decides to carry it out. Using the example of the Unfit Bit, if the observer who is unfamiliar with the concept of data tracking for health decides to take this observation online, then this would leave the observer with a myopic and misinformed view. The observer would be led to believe that this person is actually taking active steps to improve their health based on the number of steps taken. However, what is really going on behind the screen is a Fit Bit that might have been taped to a pendulum, which was why the steps were clocking up in the first place.

Thus, while ethnography might be useful in giving the observer an introductory taste of an unfamiliar environment, it is really only useful when the observer is aware and knows what to keep a look out for.

4. How might you apply reflective curatorial practice to your own curatorial projects? Explain with examples from your current process in developing Task 1.

Muller proposes the possibility of facilitating and encouraging experiential qualities that the artists feel desirable through close attention to actual experiences. My group’s project iso digital footprint. In the development of Task 1, we decided that we wanted our exhibition to be highly interactive - with the exhibition itself collecting the visitor’s digital footprint. For instance, in order to view to exhibit, visitors are required to register. Also, the flow of the exhibit is entirely up to the audience. The art pieces exhibited are placed at random because we intend to collect their data and observe the ways they navigate through our exhibition, becoming a symbol of how their footprint is tracked both physically and digitally.

1. What do you think is the particular value of oral history in documenting digital art and culture? Explain with examples where appropriate.

2. How is intertextuality intertwined with digital art and culture? Discuss in relation to any topics from previous weeks that you feel may be appropriate.

3. How do you think ethnography can be useful in examining digital art and culture? Explain with examples from your current process in developing Task 1.

4. How might you apply reflective curatorial practice to your own curatorial projects? Explain with examples from your current process in developing Task 1.

week 9 forum response

1.To what extent do you agree with the notion that science is culture?
Science begins with an individuals having a curiosity about the world and the environment. Facts are then formed when patterns made in observations are consistent and verified. In a similar manner, culture is the characteristics and knowledge of different social groups - arts, music, behaviour. In order to determine what culture is, one would also need to look out for repeatedly occurring patterns.

Both seek to understand the environment and society through the observation of patterns. It can also be said that the emergence of one’s curiosity to seek patterns in the environment is a culture itself - where individuals in this culture cherish and value facts. In this context, science could be said to be a subset of culture.

2.How do you think digital media in particular affords intersections between science and art?
It does so by providing a new outlet of expression. Scientists might seek the help of artists to have their work visually represented, so as to better appeal to the lay person. One such example would be that of the piece 20HZ. While scientists might understand what is happening in the earth’s upper atmosphere by reading off the radio waves produced, the lay person would not be able to fully grasp its true meaning, let alone interpret what the different radio waves mean. As such, by turning it into an art piece that engages the viewer’s senses of vision and hearing, it allows the viewer to visualise what this means.

With digital media, artists are able to visualise their work take form before their eyes in real time. This is more time efficient as it allows them to check back with the scientist to ensure that they had interpreted the piece correctly and make amendments on the spot, rather than have to head back to the drawing board and start over.

3.What do you think can be some benefits brought about by the convergence between science and culture? Do you also see any potential pitfalls?
I think one of the benefits that can be brought about by the convergence between science and culture is that it allows individuals to have greater exposure and in the process, it leads to the development of a new culture. One such example is that of Laboratory Life, a project which allowed the public to view the work done in the laboratory. The laboratory saw scientists and artists experimenting using biotechnology. Here, science in action became a new cultural process. It allowed those previously interested in the sciences to be exposed to art (because the scientific knowledge was used to produce art pieces) and those previously interested in art to be exposed to the sciences (some of the findings made in the laboratory went on to be produced in scientific papers).

One of the potential pitfalls would be that science might limit one’s creativity when it comes to art. Science is based on facts and it operates within the confines of what is true and what is false. If one were to solely rely on science to guide their artistic expression, this might inhibit their ability to fully convey what they feel, for fear that the opinion they have is not “true”.