BLOG PROMPT ONE

BLOG PROMPT ONE: Non-linear Narrative

My Boyfriend Came Back from the War (1996) by Olia Lialini  

PLEASE ANSWER BY POSTING COMMENTS.

Step all the way through My Boyfriend Came Back from the War (MBCBFTW) by Russian net art pioneer Olia Lialini. What do you think the narrative is about? 

MBCBFTW may look extremely primitive now, but imagine how people might have felt seeing it in 1996 in the very, very early years of the internet. How might the site have challenged expectations about web design and about linear narrative?

My Boyfriend Came Back from the War by Olia Lialini:  http://www.teleportacia.org/war/

 

To see some of the legacy of MBCBFTW click on the "museum" link when you've made it through the site.

 

BLOG PROMPT TWO

BLOG PROMPT TWO: Appropriation and Collaboration

In B Flat (2011) by Darren Solomon and Thru-You (2009) by Kutiman

 

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From A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art, "Appropriation in art is the use of pre-existing objects or images ... To appropriate means to adopt, borrow, recycle or sample aspects of (or the entire form of) human-made visual culture."

Collaboration is when two or more people intentionally work together to create a work of art.

Interact with In B Flat and watch at least one song from Thru-You (I recommend "Mother of All Funk Chords"). Briefly describe these art projects in terms of appropriation and/or collaboration.


In B Flat by artist/composer Darren Solomon: http://www.inbflat.net

THRU-YOU | Kutiman Mixes Youtube by artist/musician Kutiman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tprMEs-zfQA&ab_channel=kutiman

BLOG PROMPT THREE

BLOG PROMPT THREE:  Interactivity – Audience Participation

241543903 (2009) by David Horvitz and Glyphiti (2001) by Andy Deck

 

PLEASE ANSWER BY POSTING COMMENTS.

1. Both of these works rely on the participation of strangers. Take some time to draw in Glyphiti and/or follow artist David Horvitz's instructions.

2. Watch the results. Google "241543903" to look at images from around the world and watch one of the time-lapse videos of people interacting with Glyphiti. 

3. Discuss these experiences. How do you feel about participating in an online art project? 

 

Glyphiti (2001)
Glyphiti has been described as "an artistic experiment in extending the reaches of public art." Among other issues, New York media artist Andy Deck is concerned with interactivity and participation, in opposition to passive consumption. The "About" page offers some insight into the artist's goals. It's also where you'll find links to video clips.

Glyphiti by Andy Deck: http://artcontext.org/glyphiti/

 

241543903 (2009)
In 2009, New York based conceptual artist David Horvitz posted daily 'instructions' to his tumblr account. Instructions as artwork have a history that can be traced back at least to Fluxxus artists of the 60's and 70's. Many conceptual artists involve the viewer in making art – moving creative encounters outside of the walls of institutions like museums and galleries, and embracing the role of chance in the ultimate outcome of the work.  

241543903 by David Horvitz: no url, just google 24154903

BLOG PROMPT FOUR

 BLOG PROMPT FOUR: Kinetic Imagery

Indirect Flights (2015) by Joe Hamilton and various websites (2001-Present) by Rafael Rozendaal

 

PLEASE ANSWER BY POSTING COMMENTS.

Please share your thoughts regarding these works, which explore the web in a light-hearted, aesthetically driven way.

Indirect Flights by Joe Hamilton: http://indirect.flights/

Rafael Rozendaal: https://www.newrafael.com/websites/

Tasmanian artist Joe Hamilton created "a looping spiral of meticulously layered scenes built from video shots. ... Geographically disconnected locations merge to form a hybrid panorama. ... The piece directly references histories of landscape painting via expressive paint marks lifted from famous paintings. ... Indirect Flights is a response to the impact of digital technologies on the representation of landscape. ... [Hamilton's] work questions our established notions of the natural environment within a society that is becoming increasingly networked."

Dutch-Brazilian artist Rafael Rozendaal sells websites as art. Collectors purchase the domain and must agree to keep the work publicly accessible.

BLOG PROMPT FIVE

 BLOG PROMPT FIVE: Subverting Commercial Design

WiFi-SM: Feel the Spectacle of Pain (2003) by Christophe Bruno

 

PLEASE ANSWER BY POSTING COMMENTS.

What is this artist critiquing, and why do you think he attempts to make his product appear real?

WiFi-SM: Feel the Spectacle of Pain by Christophe Bruno:  http://www.unbehagen.com/wifism

French net artist Christophe Bruno examines "network phenomena and globalization." Wifi-SM was created in 2003, so the design may feel somewhat dated, but image you're running across this page on the internet at the time it was released. 

As explained by the artist, "You have the impression that the disasters of the world do not touch you anymore? You feel vaguely sorry for other people’s misfortunes but you don’t feel the inner urge which used to make you help your neighbor? WiFi-SM is the solution!"

FINAL BLOG PROMPT

FINE ARTS LEARNING OUTCOME #2

Explain with detail how artistic endeavors both reflect and affect culture

Explain how the work of one or more artists we’ve discussed this semester successfully reflects our culture and may even attempt to affect it. What issue or issue/s are addressed in the work, and (in your opinion) how does the artist hope to make viewers feel, think, engage, or react? How does their creative approach support their message?

Answers should be clear and relatively detailed.

• Owen Mundy, “I Know Where Your Cat Lives”
• Felix Gonzalez-Torres, “Candy Spill” (or one of the other works we looked at)
• Olia Lialina, “My Boyfriend Came Back from the War” or “The Most Fragile Gif on the Web”
• Natalie Bookchin, “Now he’s out in public and everyone can see”
• Alexis Rockman, “A Fable for Tomorrow”
• Olafur Eliasson, “Little Sun”
• Kutiman, “Thru-You”
• David Horvitz, “241543903”
• Andy Deck, “Glyphiti”
• Duane Michals, “Christ is Beaten Defending a Homosexual”
• Emily Allchurch, “Tower of Babel”
• Jake Scharbach, “Obsessive Compulsive Disorder”
• Adam Miller
• Jeff Gillette
• Banksy and others, “Dismaland”
• Michael Mandiberg, “Buy Michael Mandiberg”
• Jon Thomson and Alison Craighead, Dot-Store, “Credit Card Numerology” and “Teach Birds to Sing Ringtones”
• Alexei Shulgin, “See Free”
• Christophe Bruno, “WiFi-SM: Spectacle of Pain”
• Darren Solomon, “In B-flat” or "Every Bad Thing But Forever"