Digital Media Definition & Examples

Digital Media Art is: Created with the help of digital technologies such as computers, digital cameras, GPS devices, mobile phones, etc. Created by artists interested in the intersection between art & technology

Digital Media Artists: Use technology as a tool Examples: digital photos, prints, etc.

Digital Media Artists: 2. Use technology as a medium (art is being stored in digital format, uses interactive and participatory features of the medium) Examples: Game Art, Net Art, Interactive Video Installations, Robotics, Data Visualization Art, etc. Data Visualization Art - C5 Landscape Initiative Moving Painting http://thirdfaction.org/blog/

Digital Media - Brief History Computers are “born” in the academic and research environments 1) 1946 - ENIAC (University of Pennsylvania) 2) 1951 - UNIVAC 1st commercially available computer 3) 1960s - Theodor Nelson - 1st non-linear, branching hyperlinked environment: “hypertext”, “hypermedia”

Digital Media Art – Brief History 4) 1968 – Douglas Engelbart introduces bitmapping (“on” & “off” states), windows, direct manipulation through a mouse 5) 1970- Alan Kay’s invention of GUI and the “desktop” metaphor 6) 1983 - 1st APPLE computer

2) Fluxus 3) Conceptual Art Digital Media Art – Strong Connections to Previous Art Movements 1) Dada 2) Fluxus 3) Conceptual Art

Dada – emphasis on formal instructions Ex: Marcel Duchamp, “Rotary Glass Plates”, 1920

Digital Media Art – Characteristics Formulated by code (math. rules, functions) Artists set up rules, than leave work open-ended. Example: Sims http://www.rhizome.org/artbase/artwork/24114/ myData=myMondrian is an interactive computer program in which the personal data provided by viewers is translated into Piet Mondrian-like composition http://www.superflex.net/projects/freebeergames/ (Free Beer and Counter-Game Strategies)

Fluxus – randomness and chance Ex: Nam June Paik, “Random Access”, 1963 Visitors were able to use the sound head, which has been detached from the tape recorder, to interactively run through the tapes glued to the wall, and constantly vary the sound sequence according to location and speed. This random access to the musical raw material enabled visitors to produce compositions of their own.

Digital Media Art – Characteristics Random access – basis for assembling and processing data “The digital revolution” is the revolution of random access – a revolution based on the possibilities of instant access to media elements that can be reshuffled in seemingly infinite combinations” - Grahame Weinbren

Digital Media Art – Characteristics http://www.rhizome.org/artbase/artwork/49165/ (Color Field TV)

Conceptual Art – emphasis on the idea Ex: Joseph Kosuth, “One of The Three Chairs”, 1965

Conceptual Art – emphasis on the idea Ex: James Morgan & John Pierre Bruneau, Looks Very Tidy, 2007 http://factorynoir.com/portfolio/media/looks_very_tidy.mov

Conceptual Art – emphasis on the idea Ex: James Morgan & John Pierre Bruneau, Looks Very Tidy, 2007 http://factorynoir.com/portfolio/media/looks_very_tidy.mov Ex: Eteam Second Life Dumpster project

Digital Media Art – Characteristics Audience is part of the work – interactive and participatory aspects of digital art

Digital Media Art – Characteristics

Digital Media Art – Characteristics Audience is part of the work – interactive and participatory aspects of digital art My work: http:/dma.sjsu.edu/~vfainshtein/

Digital Media Art – Characteristics Often open ended, in the state of flux author is a co-creator along with the audience Ex: Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau, A-Volve, 1994 (interactive, real-time environment) http://www.interface.ufg.ac.at/christa laurent/WORKS/FRAMES/FrameSet. html

Digital Media Art – Characteristics Ex: Christa Sommererand Laurent Mignonneau, Verbarium, 1997 http://www.interface.ufg.ac.at/christa-laurent/WORKS/FRAMES/FrameSet.html

Digital Media Art – Characteristics Author is a co-creator along with the audience… http://karaoke.sjsu.edu/home/

Digital Media Art – Characteristics Collapses boundaries between disciplines – art, science, technology, design, etc. Ex: Natalie Jeremijenko: Robotic Geese, OneTrees Project

Digital Media Art – Characteristics Often requires collaboration with other artists, scientists, architects, etc. Ex: Eduardo Kac: Transgenic Bunny

Digital Media Art – Main Points Consists of binary data Can be easily manipulated, changed, etc. Process-oriented work is ephemeral Often requires collaboration with others Often requires audience participation Often deals with art & technology Often reflects upon digital medium, it’s language and aesthetics Often blurs boundaries between various disciplines

Cool Digital Media projects to check out: www.rhizome.org “A Global Festival of Art on the Edge”, San Jose, California http://01sj.org/