Rourke/Steyerl and Peter Osborne Response

For today's reading, I greatly related to the artistic perspectives surrounding Hito Steyerl on digital art. Steyerl accurately explains how digital art does not maintain the same quality once transferred, compressed, and shared, it becomes "bruised" with unpredictable results. From my own experience, this idea is what keeps my forms of art entertaining and new every time. Because Textedit simply displays the lengthy coding of what a digital image is made of, it is close to impossible to accurately predict the result of each deletion\. Knowing this, I never enter a new project knowing exactly where it would go. Each image is a new canvas waiting to be corrupted.

Steyerl's own artwork is directly parallel to my own in terms of approach and final image. The only thing that differs is the actual image content. While I tend to lean more towards vintage advertising, he traces his roots back to Japanese ink paintings- mostly consisting of sexual intercourse. The final result is an interestingly "censored" form, some of which glitch in a GIF file type (as pictured to right).

The interviewer, Daniel Rourke, claims "glitches expose us to the inner dynamism of the digital." From my own perspective, I see glitching as pleasant DNA mutation- slowly evolving into something still relative- but vastly different in its uniqueness.

In the second article, Peter Osborne restates Walter Benjamin's idea of the digital age, claiming,  

"art distracts and art is received in distraction." Art in this day and age is certainly distracting, especially the art included in this blog. Another example from Osborne was the creation of video games and how they require tangible interaction.

Distraction by technology is nothing new however, over a century ago the first motion picture camera was produced- giving a visual escape from one's own life. The internet also has become a tool of dangerous immersion, but who wouldn't fall in love with such a concept?  

Project 1 Self Assessment: Corrupt Animation

For Project 1 I tried to enrapture the goal of the assignment through using both new and old artistic techniques I have learned. In project 1 of digital media last semester, glitching advertizements became a new past time for me. Vintage commercial ads hold a significant “vibrance” of that time period and glitching each photo at random with modern technology is a satisfying experience. In order to differentiate and explore new concepts I played with the idea of animation towards the building of a collage. Another element that separated this piece from the last was the choice to use advertizements from World War Two. I felt it was important to place the ads in chronological order as the war progressed, showing a nation transforming after losing hundreds of thousands over seas. The delivery of the theme changed after I placed the original ads into the photoshop timeline, incorporating the glitched photos into short, sporatic intervals. I feel the piece effectively communicates the many emotions of the 1940's to the viewing audience.

A vast majority of my process was finding, categorizing, and editing the photos for proper usage in my (original) concept of the collage. Through Google I individually typed in the years and selected various photos based on their visual appeal and glitching ability. One of the main sites that was helpful was the Duke advertizement collection, a subsection off the Universities Library page. By date they offered a variety of ads (mostly for tampons for some reason) that can be accessed and used. After collecting a large amount of photos I began the process of categorizing them by date and by the level of intensity that they held. For example, the white flowing ad for perfume in 1943 would be used before the 1943 ad for a military marching down a road. After sorting them I began the long process of glitching. Opening the images through text edit I would then delete sections of code to my liking, screen caping my progress along the way with each noticeable change. Of the 19 ads used I would say each had 4 to 6 additional glitched photos. Finally, once I had all the screen caps I individually cut out the images and placed collections into a new folder, neatly labeled and clean before inserting them into the photoshop timeline. Ironically enough, the artistic creation of putting images into animation took me only three to four hours, nothing compared to the time it took to simply find, sort, and glitch the photos in the first place.

The project took an unexpected turn once I inserted my first ad and then my first glitch to be layered on top. Because the original image was set for a longer duration, the glitched image made a quick flash and disappeared. Enjoying this new accident, I added a couple more to the timeline before showing my professor, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy my new approach. Once I got the OK, the images began to fly; glitching, flashing, cutting, pasting... the project became a whirlwind of excitement that was hard to pull away from- much like the enthusiasm I have when editing my own movies. It was sometimes hard to judge how much or how little to glitch, along with the frustratingly touchy timeline bar. Dragging images would sometimes clump other images already on the timeline. Even putting a new image into photoshop was a hit or miss since you never really knew where it would fall on the timeline. Either way it all came together. I added in a few fancy zooms and panning options to keep the audience more entertained, compared to that of a static photo.

In the end I was pleased with the final results. The piece has a smooth flow that successfully carries the viewers across an American time period. While I built the project listening to music I simply could not put my finger on what song perfectly encaptured all of the visual emotions. I also did not want to force the audience into listening and thinking a certain way about the piece, since I believe it should be experienced with an array of responses. Stepping back and looking at the piece from a different perspective, I don't really feel it has the same impact or power my last few projects did. I think it is due to the fact that it is a motion filled animation and not a physical art work in real time. The piece would be most effective when projected onto a thin wall or door due to its unusual shape. While it was well recepted in class, some believed the glitching could have gone even farther in terms of corruptness. If anything I would have liked to use final cut pro and see how it's many options could have benefited the project- but unfortunately due to time constraints, I was not able to. Over all grade wise I'd give myself a B. I put great amounts of effort into organizing and creating the piece but I can't help but to feel like it's missing a certain element that gives it that extra “wow this is original” vibe.

Glitch Art Artists/Opinions

Marian Galpernia

For my individual artists I had great difficulty finding a specific glitch artist in research. Because glitch art falls into the digital age of media and production, it is hard to track down specific information on bloggers and random internet posts. For example, the image above was pulled after googling "glitch art," (which happened to have thousands of results). A vast majority of the images displayed fall under an amateur category, such as shown on the right.

(Unknown Artist): Example of Amateur Art

It was interesting looking for legitimate artwork after reading Walter Benjamin's article predicting the peak in technologies and replication. As an individual who has experience putting images through text edit and/or a scanner, I know how easy it is to create with the help of two or three programs

One of the inspirations for my next project comes from renown media artist Wayne Bryan. A local artist living in Alexandria Virginia, Wayne holds a diverse portfolio of incredibly intricate work. He studied at University of South Florida in Tampa before becoming inspired by advertising and pop culture work through media. His works have received multiple awards along with being displayed in studios as far as Beijing.

My personal favorite collection on his Saatchi Online profile would most likely be "P/D3 Glitch Collage Studies"work. Not only are these images powerful in which they overwhelm viewers in random detail and sparse color, they also feel oddly connected and organized- a feeling I hope my final project will release.

More of his modern works have taken on a much more advanced, almost "coded" look

PD3: GCSD72, 2010, giclée print on archival rag paper,

Linear Thinking Trip-Switch (P/D3 Glitch Collage Studies), 2010,
giclee print on Archival rag paper

Highly Resolved Ghost (P/D3 Glitch Collage Studies), Mural Proposal for the Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education Building, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2013,

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction- Section 11

In Walter Benjamin's published journal The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, he discusses the various perspectives shared towards technology producing and replicating great numbers of art, film, and other crafts with gaining ease. As a film major I chose to focus on section 11 and how the creation of film became an illusion towards the audience.

Looking around us, it is hard to imagine U.S. pop-culture not existing, but just over a century ago, there was such a period. Art, fashion, and music, three things originally enjoyed only by high brow society, trickled down onto the masses once mechanical reproduction, printing press, and public education were introduced. Now that these foreign items were newly available, western culture flourished, giving way to all sorts of entertainment. One of the many past times (and arguably still is) was visiting wax museums and witnessing the many prominent/infamous figures in their world face to face for the first time.

Arguably the single most influential technology that had the largest impact was the introduction of the motion picture camera. After photographic capturing showed various exotic vistas never before seen to the public, film actually took the audience to that unknown location- fascinating thousands with the projection of bustling cities and trains. It didn't take long for directors and producers alike to realize they had quite a market on their hands and began creating visual narratives.

In the reading, Benjamin compares the two very different styles of art pertaining to painters and cinematographers. While the painter is viewed as the "classic" artist due to his raw talent and skill, the cameraman is able to manipulate what the audience sees, becoming "precise fragments under a law" (Benjamin 10) and forming a tangible world. An example of this can be found even in my own student films such as The Visit (Dylan Cope 2013) where a student's parents make a surprise trip to see their son. Once I began shooting with the manipulation of the camera I was able to create an environment much larger in reality that it presumed, thus the reason why painting is referred to as "magic" and film as "surgery."

A New Culture of Learning: Chapters 2-3

In this modern era of available technology and education, our nation's approach towards learning has changed vastly over the past 10-20 years. As a "next generation" college student, the internet has readily been available since my inception; truly changing the process of gaining knowledge through a common household desktop. While some of the more impoverished groups in society may not have access, I feel the public school system has done a fine job towards introducing/using various systems and styles of learning- such as the smartboard or tablet when I was in high school.

Once my first research paper was assigned in 8th grade, I didn't visit my local library. Not only was that access archaic and unfamiliar, it mostly came down to convenience- and convenience is the single most dangerous gift in our society.

Obviously a free education is an excellent choice to help benefit a growing job market, industry, and economy; just like the introduction of technology can help integrate accurate knowledge at the touch of anyone's fingertips. So on a lighter note, yes we should incorporate as much technology as possible into our classrooms.

On the other hand, the United States ranked 36th in an international test given to a variety of 15 year olds across the globe. Now run that number across your mind- 36th. Not top 5 or even top 30, 36th. How is it possible the most influential and powerful country in the world is outranked by 35 other countries? While a number of poor teachers and unnecessary curriculum may be blamed, I feel it comes down to the students lack of motivation and drive when it comes to knowledge- and when everything is given to them freely in society, who can blame them? Take the basics of life: clean drinking water or a comfortable bed for example, because our country has such vast access to these two necessities, we tend to overthink their importances.

Day in and day out, the U.S. puts millions of children and teens into the same meat grinder in hopes of one day capturing the same diploma. Despite this however, companies are outsourcing jobs elsewhere in countries such as India or East Asia- places that ranked higher on the international test mentioned earlier.

In conclusion, while the access of technology is becoming more and more important, it is also becoming more and more dangerous. More than anything we should restructure our school systems before pouring billions into touchscreen projectors or electronic keyboards because I can't see that helping us break the top 30.      



Link to Educational Survey Article:
http://www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=978874#.UvkCjPldWSo