What is Art?

Throughout the semester, I have been writing about art, its history, and how it applies today in the Digital Age. In this blog, I will be defining art in my terms since I had said earlier that art is defined by the viewer. So without further ado, let's begin.

Art; it is a place where man can be truly creative, a place to ignite thought, inspire and demonstrate skills that many can poses with time and training. In a very watered down sense, art is something that takes place in the minds of all and is an expression of oneself. To me, art ranges from Duchamp's urinal to the spectacular video games of today. The material in the ISTA 301 course has indeed had an impact on my perception of art. I would have never imagined that computer generated art is not considered as art to many critics and that video games can be considered art also.

With that in mind, this course has also shown me that art critics are some of the harshest and most narrow-minded folks on the planet. A rather obvious example is the late Roger Ebert. Mr. Ebert was one of those critics that heavily bashed on the topic of video games as art. I for one, disagree a lot with him on how video games have too much user interference. It seems that Mr. Ebert had never gotten a chance to read the "Choose your own adventure" books, but I digress since I gained more knowledge of the processes that occur behind the scenes.

The course had also showed me the intricate processes that occur when one attempts to create an artwork. I now know that it is a bit difficult to come up with a unique art piece and stay within the bounds of not going into copyright infringement. As far as my computational thinking is concerned, art is still a process that is quite similar to that of a code writer/programmer. It starts with an idea and gradually goes through it's rough patches until the final product is achieved. This course was really fun for me and if I got to do it again, 10/10 times, I'd do it again.

This doesn't mark the end of this blog, by any means no. The course has given me more than enough insight to continue writing and giving my 'two-cents' on art and how it applies to Computers and Tech.

Dadaism...In a bit more detail than My second post

Back in February, I wrote about the Avant-Garde and Dadaist movements of the 20^th century, but I talked very briefly of the Dada movement in favor of the other topics presented. Today, I'm going to expand a bit more into Dada and its relevance in today's age of art.

Dadaism, to me at least, is very fascinating due to the fact that it contrasts a lot of what the traditional definition of what "Art" really is. From the most famous example, "R. Mutt", to today's, dada continues to make an impact on the definition of Art. I didn't have to look far to find examples of dada in the contemporary. In the past 60 years, Dada has seen the implementation of computers and digital pieces that share the same ideas that Dada artists before have had. 

For example, in the 1960s, Andy Warhol's Campbell soup cans represented how a soup can could be art and still be considered "anti-art". Another example of Dada in the contemporary is the use of digital art in public spaces like the ones I described in my last two blogs. According to the classic definition of art, digital art and Warhol's soup cans are not art in any sense because some digital art requires the viewer to be a part of it while the soup cans represent the bourgeois. 

The actual Dada movement in the U.S. Only lasted within the years after the breakout of World War I and it's main purpose was to blame the bourgeois for starting the war. Marcel Duchamp and his "R. Mutt" certainly epitomized how Dada came to be in the United States due to the fact that World War I was heavily protested by many. Some believed the war happened due to bourgeois capitalism and greed, to which Dada exposed and mocked. The critics on the other hand, had a different opinion.

To some critics, such as the American Art News, explained that Dada to them was "the sickest, most paralyzing and most destructive thing to have ever come out of man's brain." In retrospect, they were spot on with this comment because if one takes a real good look at the art produced by Dada artists, one can say that these artists were just producing vulgarity rather than art, hence the term anti-art was coined.

Dada also influenced and created various new forms of music and art for the contemporary. These include photo collages, photo montages, assemblages, readymades, and etcetera. Next time you see a photo collage on Facebook or on any other Social Networking site, think about how this exist if Dada had not become popular in the early 20th century.

Conversnitch: NSA Material or Not?

I'm sure many have heard of the infamous NSA and their spying techniques on the American and foreign internet populous, but recently Kyle McDonald and Brian House have developed a benign lamp that actively "listens" to conversations that people have in public places. The Project "Conversnitch" is a small bulb that contains a small Raspberry Pi computer, a microphone, and an L.E.D. light encased in a plastic flower pot that can be screwed into any light fixture; it records conversations and posts them to it's Twitter page via a WiFi connection, demonstrating that one's everyday conversations can be recorded.

As far as art is concerned, this piece fits into the cybernetic category. Since it uses a computer to transcribe conversations to text, it satisfies the cybernetic aesthetic of the artwork, while the use of common objects in a public place makes it a digital installation. It also needs someone to actually have a conversation near it to cause the device to record.

The device itself is pretty intricate especially its versatility to be installed virtually anywhere, including a lamp post (as one video demonstrated). This project reminded me of my previous blog where I talked about "The Bay Lights" project in San Francisco, CA. Although the "Conversnitch" doesn't have blinking lights or makes any noise, it does stand out in the "tweets" that it transcribes virtually giving a stranger a peek into the lives and situations of other people. Many might say that the NSA is going to take advantage of this device and use it for their own personal gain, but in my honest opinion I highly doubt it since the device itself can only record a certain amount of conversations at a time. Also, the Conversnitch is large and bulky and can be easily seen if installed on certain types of lighting fixtures and I doubt the NSA would want something like that to be used. Maybe if this project is funded a little more, it's design could be improved and used in more positive ways than the government thinks of using it. One example could be in restaurants to see if a new menu item is liked or disliked by customers...at least from a technological perspective. All in all, this questions ends with those that are behind this project, are you one of them?

Digital Installation Art

The 20th century brought many new and often times called "radical" art movements to the masses. With computers, electronics, and automated systems, digital art emerged and has taken the world of art to new heights. Recently, artist Leo Villareal completed his recent piece "The Bay Lights", an architectural feat that installed L.E.D. lights on the sides of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

The piece itself was a breakthrough in the use of L.E.D. lights in a large scale and computer imagery. It goes through an orchestrated rhythm that practically "brings the bridge to life" from evening to morning. As far as the audience is concerned, all they have to do is observe the bridge from dusk to dawn (or in-between) and since it's unveiling in March of last year, more than 50 million people have seen this piece in person along with billions through other media and the Internet. This piece fits the definition of installation art because it's in a public space and it is interactive since it changes with the time and amount of viewers.


"The Bay Lights"

Another piece that caught my eye was Nota Bene's "In Order to Control". Now, this piece is a very unique experience to the viewer in itself. By using the premise "Everything legal isn't fair. Not everything fair is legal.", those who step into the installation, their silhouettes are projected as text that explains the barbarity of humans throughout time and to portray the "killer and victim" relationship. In the definition of Installation Art, the heavy use of interactivity from the person and the real-time projection gives the viewer and the critic a solid example of what Digital Installation Art is in the 21st century.


"In Order to Control"

Video Games as Art

In the past 30 years, the world has seen video games come in to the public eye as a way to relax and unwind from the pressures of daily life. Here's a thought, can they be considered as Art? Certainly, but as the saying goes, "art is in the eye of the beholder"; meaning, to one person a video game as simple as "Pong" or "Super Mario Bros." art while the other would say "it's just another video game". I see certain video games as art, but only certain ones that follow my own criteria as to what I consider "Art" and Jason Rohrer's "Passage" is no exception.

The main premise of this short game is to show the stages of life (at least that's what I experienced). The game basically starts with the sprite (you) in its youth. As you progress through the game, you might come across a female character and a heart appears signifying that you and her are in love or married. The female character then also joins you in your journey through the progression of the game. What struck me the most was how both characters began to age as time passed. While the game continued the male sprite began losing his hair and color, his clothes changed style and his overall speed seemed to become slower and slower as time went on (this also happened to the female character). Towards the end if you have the said female character, she unfortunately dies where you both were last signifying another life event and that the game is almost over. Once your character "kicks the can", all that one is left with is a gravestone and the memory of the main character's journey through the obstacles that life throws at us on a daily basis.

I thought Rohrer was trying to prove a major point through this video game. From my perspective, I experienced the realities of life and the obstacles that are in store. I really didn't expect to see the main character to go through the stages of life and experience what you and I can experience in real life. I understand that there are other games that are similar but have more intricate plots, but this game simply shows the player that one is born to experience life and be expected to die at the end. You just can't get that from other video games because it wouldn't appeal to players. Yes, this does include the late Roger Ebert and he had a wallop of an interpretation of the game.

When Rohrer released the game, many players praised Rohrer and labeled his game as "art", and some critics just wouldn't have it. Now, Roger Ebert in 2005 reviewed the movie Doom in which he gave it a rating of 1 star which prompted a few gamers to disagree with the rating. The gamer in question argued that the movie was based on the video game rather than it being an original piece, and well Mr. Ebert retorted  by stating that "books and films are better mediums than games". There is fault to this claim made by Mr.Ebert; video games during the time of the Doom review, were starting to emerge with complex story-lines and scenes, much like their movie counterparts. For example, Half-Life 2 was released in late 2004 and was one of the many successful video games to really capture the player's attention not only as a game, but as an intricate and well-planned story that could be viewed as an action-drama. Another fallacy from Mr. Ebert is his quote "As long as there is a great movie unseen or a great book unread, I will continue to be unable to find the time to play video games." Obviously someone here is a bit of a penny pincher, but with all that aside, I find this to be a bit of a cliché since many can say that they have the time to play. To me, Ebert sounds like a grumpy old man who is afraid of radical change and is too stubborn to sit down and try it. In the end, it's still his opinion and he bases that on his own criteria.

As far as my criteria goes, video games are art. This can range from the 3-D (2-D) characters, to the music, to the background or sandbox environment. For example, the indie Playstation-exclusive Journey is art to me because of it's attention to aesthetic detail and how the story line flows with scenery the player goes through. The musical score for this was also a masterpiece with it also following the story up to the end.

To me, Music and the masterpieces of Bach, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky influenced my tastes and inspirations for art. I think my musical palette is far better developed than my artistic due to the fact that I actually play an instrument. Of the video game scores that I've listened to, I can say that the ones for Halo, Journey and L.A. Noire are the best I've heard. They leave a strong impact in the gameplay and story and frequently change based on any decision made by the player. Now I ask you the same question, are video games art?

Link to Article

R. Luke Dubois and Billboard

Billboard

In the contemporary, many artists began to use electronics to create art and exhibit it to the masses in an unprecedented manner which prompted the New Media influx of artists and musicians. Of these came the artist R. Luke Dubois in 2005 with his musical piece “Billboard”.  Now, this piece demonstrates time-lapse phonography of Billboard Number 1 songs since 1958 where the separate instruments, melodies and other sounds in a musical piece are meshed into a single sound or note. With this, one can assume that this New Age artist may fall under the Fluxus movement in regards to the Conceptual.

In Fluxism, this piece blends the songs into one long, 30 minute piece that flows through a progression of standard notes. In the conceptual movements, the person who listens to the piece will have a unique interpretation to the songs that were “zoomed out”. Of the many that have experienced this have reported to have heard the evolution of recording technologies along with the evolution of music genres from Rock to Hip Hop. In the artist’s perspective, Dubois wanted to expose how the Billboard Company has been corrupted for the past 20 years in the aspect of its listing process. Dubois mentions that record labels release “air play only” songs and then releasing albums to improve that particular song’s chart status; with this occurring since 1991.

To me, this piece appealed to my musical side in ways that I wasn’t expecting. Firstly, I expected to see many of my favorite musicians to be on there, though to my surprise only a small handful have actually topped the Billboard charts. I also found out that there is a certain musical note that is considered “chart topper material” as the years and decades went by, and most of my favorite songs were off key in certain spots along with their play times. Some songs just whizzed by as others stayed for longer periods of time (which were only a few seconds). According to Dubois, the length of each song depended on the number of weeks that particular piece was topping the charts, which meant that a majority of the dwindling number of remaining songs that I liked disappeared in the blink of an eye. I found this part to be the most moving since the quick songs were the ones that I listened to quite often.

When this piece was on exhibit, it was loaded onto an iPod and displayed in a bland room with two sets of high quality headphones for the listeners. The way this piece was created is taken from another style used for moving pictures called time-lapse photography. This method is basically “zooming out” the camera lens to show the entire film in a broader perspective. How I see it, this type of way to display and create the piece is a bit unorthodox to my palette although the piece was excellent.

Art With Software (via Processing 2)

All code was written in Processing 2. Get it here!

Red Rectangle 20x40:

                              size(500, 500);
                              fill(255, 0, 0);
                              rect(250, 250, 20.0, 40.0);

Three Diagonal Lines:

                             size(500, 500);
                             stroke(255, 0, 0);
                             strokeWeight(2);
                             line(130, 130, 215, 235);
                             strokeCap(SQUARE);
                             stroke(255, 255, 255);
                             strokeWeight(8);
                             line(170, 130, 250, 235);
                             strokeCap(ROUND);
                             stroke(0, 0, 0);
                             strokeWeight(16.0);
                             line(210, 130, 285, 235);

Two Ellipses noSmooth(); and smooth(); :
    The noSmooth() method draws curved objects with aliased (jagged) edges while the smooth() method           slightly improves the quality of the image. The difference is just the quality of the image and the computer's     ability to be able to draw said smooth object.        
                           
                            size(500, 500);
                            noSmooth();
                            ellipse(175, 248, 100, 100);

                            smooth();
                            ellipse(325, 248, 100, 100);

Variables:
     Both x and y are 10, but in temp y is still 5.          
                 int x = 10;
                 int y = 5;
                 int temp = x;
                 x = y;
                 y = temp;
Shapes:
      Looking at the code (below) one can identify the shape of a star. The beginShape() method starts the drawing and executes the code. endShape(CLOSE) ends the execution and stops drawing.
                           size(400,200);
                           beginShape();
                           vertex(200,20);
                           vertex(220,50);
                           vertex(250,50);
                           vertex(220,80);
                           vertex(230,120);
                           vertex(200,100);
                           vertex(170,120);
                           vertex(180,80);
                           vertex(150,50);
                           vertex(180,50);
                           endShape(CLOSE);

Random:
               float num = random(20); takes a random float and assigns it to the variable num

Drawing with random:
              size(400,200);
              float num = random(20);
              if (num < 10) {
              fill(0,255,0);
              triangle(20,20,20,100,120,100);
              } else {
              fill(0,0,255);
              ellipse(width/2, height/2, 50,50);
              }
             The code above draws a canvas with a height of 400px by 200px width. A float variable num is                    created that takes a float between 0 and 20 inclusive. If num is less than 10 draw a green, 100px                  triangle. Else, draw a blue ellipse that is half the height and width of the canvas. To change the color              of the triangle to red, the fill method would have to be fill(255, 0, 0); .

Multiple Ellipses:
                            size(400,400);
                            float x;
                            float y;
                            for (int i = 0; i < 20; i = i+1) {
                            x = random(360);
                            y = random(360);
                            ellipse(x+20, y+20, 20,20);
                            }
      To add 100 ellipses to this drawing, another if statement that checks if the repetition of the ellipse                   function is equal to 100. To randomize the colors, three different random variables can be created and           used in the fill() function.