Visual art exhibitions and events with a platform for critical writing
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Ayling & Conroy, ‘A la Pencil’, performance with charcoal on wall, 2008.
performed by Frank Abbott
Bianca Winter considers the nature of digital art and new media artforms utilised in the UK contemporary artscene.
Reviewed by: Bianca Winter
Most people engage with technology on a daily basis and artists are no different. Whether as a means of production or promotion, artists enter the digital domain and make use of technologies that have shaped the way we live today. In The Fundamentals of Digital Art, written by Richard Colson and published by Ava, the author suggests that “very often it is the work of an artist, the publication of a book or the release of a film that is able to provide a way in which society can begin to handle the wider implications of a technological development.”
While we are all getting to grips with new hardware and software, new ways to organise and spend our work and leisure time, it seems that artists, as agents of culture, are allocated the task of critically appraising our engagement with new technology as well as other facets of our modern living. The arts have been democratised to some extent by technological advances – sophisticated tools, techniques and materials are available to everyone, thanks to the efforts of many people with varied specialisms and innovative ideas.
Technologists and scientists generally have a different set of skills and abilities to that of artists, but the gap is perhaps not as large as Colson would have us believe. Colson regularly references the difficulties artists have in collaboration with engineers, technologists and scientists, which has been historically necessary even if it is no longer such an essential part of creating digital art. The book is designed to “provide a quick scan across a broad area of practice in digital art and lay down some key markers so that the reader can navigate their way within the subject with a growing sense of assurance and knowledge”.
Well designed, with excellent layout and a thoughtful breakdown of different facets of digital art, the book is very appealing. Some sections work really well as bite-size introductions to an unfamiliar practice, with examples and pointers for further research; yet the tone is inconsistent enough to undermine any authority. Whilst the examples of work in each section are many and varied (though consisting of more than a few examples of Colson’s own work), their significance to the field of digital art is not always clear: the supporting text is descriptive and offers no guidance or commentary on the broader context of the work.
Colson astutely breaks down the broad area of digital art into smaller areas of practice, though he perhaps would not argue that digital art is not solely about the media confusing double negative here. In an exhibition that explores the potential of making marks without drawing, the cross-disciplinarity of digital art is exposed in ‘A space to think outside the body’.
Frank Abbott charmingly describes his current show at Southwell Artspace as “drawing with digital knobs on”. Curated by Abbott, utilising his vast knowledge and experience of artists and practices engaging with digital media, the show responds to Artspace’s remit as a gallery dedicated to drawing. From the off, this exhibition has a refreshingly home-made feel about it, supported by the presentation of the work which is suggestive of the human touch. Computers and other digital devices are stacked on cardboard boxes or precariously perched on collapsible tables, sited to encourage an individual encounter between the audience and the work. Though not everything in the gallery is interactive, there is a definite sense of engagement and collaboration in the production of the work.
The exhibition has a number of themes that are at least as prevalent as the digital aspect. Interactivity is important – the most traditional drawing in the exhibition was ‘directed’ by Ayling and Conroy (and performed by Frank Abbott acting as a human pencil). Visitors are encouraged to contribute a drawing to the cumulative collection, using digital devices in Draw-o-matic by Active Ingredient. There is a strong note of affinity with physical materials – epitomised by Michael Shaw’s Doodle, a digitised drawing, which has the distinct quality of pencil and charcoal, and the effect an eraser has on paper. Running Stitch, by Jen Southern and Jen Hamilton, builds up a tapestry of journeys, extrapolating GPS data into physical stitches and creating something permanent out of a transitory act. There is also a sense of play – Frank Abbott and Duncan Higgins display a type of video tennis that clearly started as an exploration of the movie-making technology on their mobile phones.
For artists that can easily grasp the concepts behind technological advances, and can learn how to use the technology, as well as think about how to abuse it, digital media seem a natural choice. However, if the creation of Digital Artists Handbook is anything to go by, there are many artists needing guidance about the application and potential of digital technology.
“The goal of the handbook is to be a signpost, a source of practical information and content that bridges the gap between new users and the platforms and resources that are available, but not always very accessible.” At the time of writing, the handbook is a web-based publication that has seven main sections, with a number of subsections. It includes thorough, referenced essays that critically survey the area of practice and the tools currently being used, with a focus on Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS).
The handbook is intended to slowly fill up with contributions added from practitioners and experts willing to share their knowledge and experience, and as such has the potential to be perpetually ‘incomplete’. Each article summarises the history of the practice and critically appraises the context for the work and the current implications of using tools and joining communities that form part of the area of practice. The length and thoroughness of each article demands an interest in the subject, but this approach, combined with an enviable and international list of contributors, means the Handbook is an appropriate resource for those wishing to read around the subject and desiring a firm base from which to pursue further research.
One implication of using technology that is available to everyone is that artists seem to be under some obligation to bend the rules, to misuse the technology to discover a critical perspective. If re-purposing technological tools equates to misuse, then artists can hold up their hands; but it is undeniable that this creative application is more constructive than destructive.
‘A Space to Think Outside the Body’, Southwell Artspace, Nottinghamshire, 15 March – 26 April.
The Fundamentals of Digital Art, published by AVA Fundamentals Series.
Digital Artists’ Handbook, published by Folly.
Writer detail:
Bianca Winter is an independent publisher and fine art graduate based in the East Midlands.
hello@bianca.org.uk |
www.bianca.org.uk
Venue detail:
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