Is the internet really forever?

Everyone always says, whatever you post on the internet will stay there forever. Well, until Zack Gage came along, that might have been true. In his project called "Temporary.cc" each time a "unique visitor" visits the site, a piece of information from the site is deleted. So instead of collecting information, such as every website is known to do, "Temporary.cc" will eventually "fall apart entirely," ultimately "becoming a blank white website." The way this whole website works is that every time a visitor visits the site the website deletes part of itself and thus this changes "the way browsers understand the website's code and create(s) a new composition through self-destruction. "

This project caught my eye because it is definitely different than any other website on the internet. Today in the digital age, people would prefer to save something electronically because it will always exist, unless some tragic crash or some other disaster occurs. Computers are not designed to intentionally delete its own material, which makes this project all the more interesting. The end result will be the deletion of the entire project, which can be said of the more typical pieces of artwork such as paintings or other medias, but one would think if it was electronic it could live forever. I guess Zach Gage has taught us wrong.

John Berger

In John Berger's article, he explored the nature of publicity. Many people would find that quite odd because quite honestly, publicity is everywhere but what people don't know is what really drives publicity. First off, publicity is everywhere. In the subway, on the road, on tv, I mean you can't escape publicity. What many might not realize is that publicity deals with the past and focuses on the future, meaning that the present isn't dealt with. It want consumers to see themselves in the future with whatever product is being promoted but it uses the past to hook people into the advertisement. Publicity persuades the consumer to want the product. It also manufactures glamour. Through publicity, glamour plays a key role in selling a product. Glamour exists through personal social envy that is produced by publicity. If this didn't exists, consumers wouldn't be envious of the product on TV and want to go out and purchase it. Publicity also plays on the fact that in today's society, people are measured by "you are what you have." By using inciting images and making the consumer envious of those with the desired product, the consumer will run out and buy whatever is being sold just to be considered "in". This basically is an anxiety that makes the consumer purchase the product.

Just from the tone of the article, one would think that publicity is bad. In some aspects it seems that way, but capitalism thrives on it. Because publicity is all around us, people are basically brain washed to think that if they don't have this product they will be considered insignificant. These companies making these ads aren't helping us by providing us the product, they are making us feel bad about ourselves in order to buy their product. Unfortunately profit is the only drive that keeps this cycle going. Whether this is bad or not, it is continuously used all around us, so I guess it is up to the consumer whether publicity is good or bad for society.

"Pandora's Sound Box"

"Pandora's Sound Box" is an exhibit that features a wide variety of interactive multimedia that has showcased many artists and their talents. Inspired by the 1929 film which Hitler hated because of its suggestive content and material, Pandora's Box was thought of as being light years ahead of anything else in the art world at the time. Now a days, "Pandora's Sound Box" "deals with the identification of fearing contemporary society... as conveyed through the strong material presence of sound." "Pandora's Sound Box" features many artists including, but not limited to, Pierre Bismuth,Django Hernandez and Tanja Ostojic. Bismuth explores what art will look like in the future with his installation "The Bruce Nauman Project." Hernandez takes lamps and turns them upside down on top of record players that project presidential secrets from the lampshades. And Ostojic portrays a woman's existance in "Misplaced Woman."

As far as art goes, this is pretty tame but I can't really fathom how so many diverse topics can be put together into one show. I chose to write about it because it is so diverse and had an interesting story behind why this show was put together. There are some elements that deal with new media, but I like how the artists use some older technologies to incorporate their ideas into something that seems way more modern, like the upside down lampshades for example. I guess I gravitated toward this because it sounded interesting. The mix of new and old media blends well, especially in a day and age where "retro" is popular.

Ubermorgen.com: Media Hacking Vs. Conceptual Art

You would think that most media art books, or any kind of computer type book would be really boring, but fortunately "Ubermorgen.com: Media Hacking Vs. Conceptual Art is not one of those books. Presenting the work of Hans Bernhard and lizvlx, the book reads like an "old photographic or graphic design reference manual crossed with one of the popular web design survey books of the early 2000s." Both controversial and sometimes mainstreamed, the artistic duo has completed many media art based works over the past decade including "Voteauction" during the 2000 presidential election, "Google Will Eat Itself," and "Nazi-Line," one of their more controversial works of art. This book shows how the artists take media art seriously. From "introducing uncomfortable truths and repressed memories into the net and into the gallery," the artists take serious subject matters and display them on a media accessible to everyone.

What caught my eye about this article was the fact that not only was the art getting great reviews, but the the book about the art got great reviews. Taking a look at a decade's worth of media art, which is a long time in the media art world, can certainly show how different the art form has changed, but with these artists, it showcases all of their strengths, even if some of the techniques are outdated. What was really impressive is how they successfully dealt with controversial and non-controversial topics. Both were given the same amount of thought and are well executed, which displays the underlying meaning even more. With hopefully more to come from the media art world and more books about it, these artists are a great foundation for the field and are displayed as such in this book.

What is the difference between a Museum and a Store?

And the answer is, nothing. Well, according to artist Borna Sammak and curator Thomas McDonnell. Sammak created videos that were specifically designed to be displayed on HD televisions screens for the best effect, and for an artist with little funds and museums with a lack of such technology, McDonnell thought of a better idea. Being the leading retailer of HD technology and TV's, McDonnell thought that it was the right choice to showcase Sammak's videos. Comprised of a montage of images really, his videos come from footage Sammak shot himself to actual commercials and advertisements Best Buy uses to showcase their TV's. Made into images of landscape, the vibrant colors and shapes were only on display for two hours in the NYC Best Buy store, but it certainly changed the way people showcase art.

What caught my attention the most was where this was showcased. I never imaged art exhibited in a retail store before, but anything can happen. I found it quite logical though, because in order to show the art correctly, or how it was intended by the artist requires the right technology or conditions. If Best Buy has everything the artist needs to portray his art the way it needs to be portrayed, then it should be held there. Not to mention the fact that this artists art uses some of the newest technology on the market don't hurt. In a world where HD is taking over, it is expected that art would be impacted by it. I have a feeling that this trend will continue and with this exhibit, Sammak is on the cutting edge.

Devo-Not just a Band

When most people talk about new media artists, they tend to think in the time frame of the twenty-first century. Fortunately for the world, DEVO, the 1970's and 1980's band can be said to be one of the earliest examples of media artists. Not only has the band been controversial in its lyrics and themes, but they were on the cutting edge of technology when people couldn't even fathom that technology ever existing, especially in the music industry. According to the article, DEVO reveals a "morbid obsession with the decay of technology and an uncanny aptitude for the graphic dissection of pop culture." How did they achieve this? Through video and other modes of media technology. DEVO was one of the first bands to create a movie and project that movie behind them while performing onstage. As well as movies for tours, DEVO was way ahead of the MTV music video age. While MTV was just starting, DEVO had already completed nine music videos. In those videos they started using techniques such as Chroma Key (like a green screen) and 3D graphics. Along with enhancing their music videos, former members of the band worked on MIDI technology, where a computer can regulate and sync other computer based musical instruments. Not only did they stretch the boundary when it came to music, they even created their own "point and click" adventure game years ahead of other bands signing on their music to video games, let alone create one.

First off, combining media art and music can only result in good things. Having grown up with atari, I can vividly remember how pixilated and how "high tech" the graphics were for the 1980's. What DEVO achieved was ground breaking. Not only were they ahead of the music video trend, but they weren't afraid to try new things, especially with all the new technology that was emerging in that time period. It might be hard to agree that they are new media artists but they did use computers in their music as well as using them to construct the various movies and videos they created. Back then, using the computer was very rare and they made it work, quite successfully. Unfortunately like their music, the technology they used didn't catch on right away, but nevertheless, they were pioneers both in the music industry and in the media arts.

"Open Source Embroidery"

"Open Source Embroidery," curated by Ele Carpenter, is a mix of new media art with more physical art forms, such as weaving and patchwork. According to the interview, this is more than just an exhibit; this also serves as a workshop for computer programmers and artists alike. In the article, Ele Carpenter explains that she created this "Open Source Embroidery" because she wanted to combine the open source context with older forms of collaborative production. Not only do expert artists work on this project, but amateurs as well. As for the more digital part of this project is the use of the internet, and how it is keeping communities connected and allowed people to network across great distances. With this exhibition being popular all over the globe, the internet has really jump started it's popularity. Ele Carpenter really puts an emphasis on "collective production" and "skill-share where each person contributes to part of the whole" in the creative process. As it moves from city to city, each city gives their own context to the body of work. That's what makes "Open Source Embroidery" so popular and intriguing. It changes constantly, like the technology changes constantly, the only difference being that physical art is being created, not digital.

I found this article very interesting. It caught my eye because I have never really thought about putting open source with a physical art form before. Plus, I recognized the term open source from one of my favorite movies, "AntiTrust," so I figured I would be more interested in the content of the article. What really struck me about this article is how accessible this is to everyone. The article mentioned that everyone is encouraged to participate, even people who have no background in HTML or embroidery. I also thought it was cool that each city where the exhibit visits puts their own spin on the project. It really gives it that new media feel because in the new media world everything is constantly changing, and that is exactly what happens for this exhibition. It may seem weird to combine the two art forms, but I think that Ele Carpenter has done a great job bringing the two together and making something interesting, not just for artists, but for everyone.