Velvet-Strike- Anne-Marie Schleiner, Joan Leandre and Brody Condon
Velvet-Strike "is an artistic intervention that enables participants to insert what the artists call 'Counter-military graffiti' into the virtual space of the game Counter Strike." The Velvet-Strike website also provides ways of having virtual protest within the game.
Although the artist states she is not making a statement on violence in video games, that is exactly what I see her doing. The fact that the artists want people to basically protest the game they bought and play is very confusing. I understand that this was close in time to 9/11, but why go after the video game? Often in times of war, War games become popular in the masses because war is relevant to the person. Much like the games Spacewar and SpaceInvaders, both coinciding with a type of military conflict, they become popular because it was on peoples minds. Thanks to technology we have our games are looking more and more realistic, but on average if the AI became real people, most likely around 98% would not participate and 1% of the 2% are most likely military forces.
386 DX- Alexei Shulgin (1998)
Shulgin created a CyberPunk band. The band doesn't actually consist of real people, but of computer generated speech with an "Intel 386DX Processor running text to speech and MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) software. The songs sound like a robot singing karaoke to early video game soundtracks.
Oh wow, this is weird. I mean do what makes you happy, but I cant believe he holds actual concerts to watch a program sing. Although I find it odd, I think that it takes a lot of talent and ability to both program and write songs.
aLife- John F. Simon, JR. (2003)
" This work features a grid of 6 continuously changing 3D compositions." Each animation is generated in real time. The software models "recombinant processes of living evolutionary systems.
The Idea is fairly interesting. I would like to see it inaction. I gather from the text and images that the topic/living thing is always moving and changing which is interesting. I like artwork that constantly moves and evolves to show progression.
Female Extension- Cornelia Sollfrank (1997)
Sollfrank made up names and personal information and submitted more than 200 online works to project Extension. She created a software that scanned HTML material and 'remixed' the information. Even though she submitted the majority of art as all female artists the 3 prize winners were all male. Sollfrank "attributes this to the widespread sexism that biases the selection of artists for exhibitions. This discrimination was her intention to critique through Female Extension."
This is the best revilement of sexism in the art world I have ever seen . She has guts to do what she did. I am saddened to see that not too much has changed in the art world in relevance to sexism since 1997.
2001- Wolfgang Staehle
In 1999, Staehle installed Empire 24/7 for the 'net_connection' Exhibit at the ZKM center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe. Empire 24/7 was a 24 hour 7 days a week instillation of a web cam pointed at the Empire state building. The gallery it was hosted in provided the ability for the viewer to feel as if they were merely looking out of a window. In 2001, Staehle installed 2001 in Postmasters Gallery in New York. The instillation consisted of a monastery, a TV tower, and the third webcam was focused on the world trade center. The webcam was on and running on 9/11 2001. The entire attack on the trade center was captured in real time by Staehle.
First of all, The title of the article is 2001. So why until the last paragraph was I hearing all about BBS and Empire 24/7? As for Empire 24/7, I am sure that it was a very beautiful capture of the Empire State building, but I would be bored in a matter of seconds. I like the concept of watching from a live feed from dawn to dusk and through every moment of time. But to be honest...who really sits there to watch it? As for 2001, I would have been bored as well save the fact that a very important moment in our history was captured live. That is the only thing that catches my attention about this type of art. Of course this is my personal aesthetic there are many people who love this type of artwork...That is why I love the world of art...all subjectivity.
The Region of the Transborder Trousers - Torolab (2004-05)
This project utilizes GPS technology and uses it to track the daily life of the 2 cities of Tijuana and San Diego. The project lasted 5 days, all members wore, "Torolab designed garments including a skirt, a vest, 2 pairs of pants and sleeves that could be worn with a t-shirt, each with a hidden compartment for a mexican passport. Each person kept records of their fuel consumption." Once they completed the data collecting of both the GPS and gas consumption over the period of 5 days the information was added to a program that created an animated map of each persons journey across the 2 cities and the border in combination with a gas meter.
This is a cool project, although I thought there was going to be more to the reason for the project. I expected some elaborate meaning behind the reason for the clothes and gas consumption data rather than just an aesthetic experience. However the way the project was installed is really neat and
future-esque. In the photo available it looks much like a hologram which is just so cool! This aesthetic of viewing the final product is what catches my attention.
Bust Down The Door Again! Gates of Hell-Victoria Version- Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries
In 2000 Bust Down The Doors! was exhibited and told the story of a "midnight raid on a home by unidentified armed aggressors." The 2004, Bust Down The Door Again! Gates of Hell-Victoria Version was a remix of the original in which the original text is used, but superimposed over a picture of the duo's work as it was "displayed on 9 internet refrigerators for an exhibition in the Rodin Gallery in the Samsung Museum of art in Seoul.
I would like to see this in person. I would most likely feel confused from the background and the superimposed text and possibly grow anxious from that combination with the meaning of the words. This remix is very interesting and I can see that there was much thought in how it would be done and the affect to the aesthetic and mental experience.
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