How does digital art/new media relate to or impact different aspects of our western culture?
Paul makes the statement that in the very near future all forms of art will be absorbed into a digital medium through digitization or through the computer using some other specific aspect of digital processing or production. As an artist who uses paint as one of my primary mediums it seems hard to imagine painting in a piece of computer software and then printing it out on to the canvas. I love the look and texture of paint but as Paul states with the fast rate of new media technology, scanners and printers alike can give us detail far beyond what the human eye can detect. There is also something attractive about imagining the ability to print off a painting that could last forever. No more worries about cracking of paint over time, yellowing of the canvas or fading, because, hey, why not just print off another.
I attended the ‘Embrace’ lecture last night at the Denver art museum, a show featuring 17 artists whose only guidelines were to choose a vertically challenging space in the new Hamilton building and work with it. The artists used a wide range of mediums incorporating 2D painting, sculpture and even one in which the artist used her own naked body to paint a beautiful cross between performance art and traditional composition. Colorful constellations of moving words and figures produced by daisy-chained computers hooked to high-powered digital projectors sat comfortably next to these works of traditional medium. Yet, the exhibition felt natural and cohesive. It was not forced or like it was trying too hard to be ‘modern’.
To be honest, more interesting to me were the evening’s lecture attendees. Most were over 40 and many were over 60. I felt very young. Yet, despite their more advanced age they squealed and ‘oohed’ as each image of the works were presented on screen. Their excitement and acceptance of these contemporary works surprised me. They were doing exactly what was anticipated for this exhibition – embracing the art! Even the room with the swirling digital words was filled with grey-haired kids giggling at the letters and numbers that ran across their plaid jackets and sensible skirts.
Technology allows the modern artist to push the boundaries of what art is and what tools can be used to make art. It is not necessary to limit your own definition of an artist to “painter” or “sculpture” in the traditional sense of the word. These days it is more accepted and even encouraged for the artist to work with lots of different mediums.
No longer is artwork only for the bourgeoisie or for the lucky pauper taken as an apprentice to a great master. I can see art for free on my computer everyday from anywhere around the world by all sorts of artists. Cultures, classes and races now mix and cross-pollinate and anything is possible. The relationship has been redefined between the viewer, nature and how we represent it. And as the cost of computers comes down and the amount of work that an artist can produce from one machine almost infinite (at least in digital form), becoming a serious artist has never been more accessible to so many.
All works are up for interpretation and concept is key. The digital medium can be subtle within the artwork or can be the primary mode of expression. While the process is still important, most no longer frown upon manipulating, tracing, using collage and morphing images even with a computer. What you have to say and how do you want to say it seems now to be to the most important question.
