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"