1 Year Performance Video

Introduction to the work

•         This video is done by M.River and T.Whild Art Associates (MTTA). MTAA is the artist collective of Michael Sarff and Tim Whidden.
•         This artwork is called 1 year performance video (aka samHsiehUpdate), it is one work of the "Updates" Series.
•        Year created was 2004
•        We can see this artwork on internet anytime.
• Here is the link you can get into the video
• http://www.turbulence.org/Works/1year/performancevideo.php

A detailed description of the work

•         Before talking about the updated 1 year performance video, I would like to first talk about the original work. The original work is Tehching Hsieh's one year performance in 1978 called Cage Piece, in which he make a documentation of his live in a cage for a year by taking pictures.
•         MTAA's 1 year performance video is the plays off of Hsieh's work, it bring the past into the digital world today.
•        1 year performance video is one of the works of the "Updates" Series, this series aim at updates seminal process art form 60s and 70s, it replacing human processes with computer processes.
•        1 year performance video is an online video of Michael Sarff and Tim Whidden had living in a 10m x 10m rooms separately for a whole year.  
•         When viewers enter the website, they can see a side by side video of two artists living in cell-like rooms. They did ordinary activities like eating breakfast in the morning; doing exercise; surfing on the internet; at night they go to bed.  
•         Viewers are asked to watch this activity for one year, they can follow them from day to night. There is a second counter at the bottom of the website to recording how long did viewers watch the video, the goal is to see through for a full year.
•         However, what I talk about only the literally meaning of this artwork. The video is only pre-taped clips edited at runtime using computer program, it even only takes few days to record it and looped many times.
•         MTTA have updates Hsieh's work in few different way. First, they use video to recording their live rather than taking pictures. The video clips are edited dynamically at runtime so different viewer sees a slightly cut. This is one of the updates that everyone can see their unique artwork.
•         Second, they transferred the duty of 1 year commitment to the work from artist to viewer. Viewers are the one who realized fully of the work after one year.
•         The purpose of this artwork is to tell us how our culture, society, and the creative process had changed.

Describe what is puzzling about this artwork

•         Will a viewer ever complete the work? It's doubtful.
•         The answer is YES
•         But there still something puzzling for this artwork.
•         M.River put it: "In the work, we mimic endurance without doing the labor. We also know the audience can just close the browser and walk away. No one needs to suffer on this one. The failure is built-in at the front end."

Why this work is a Network Digital art:

•        This work makes use of computer, internet, software, digital cameras etc.
•         It present in the screen / our own computer.
•         It can interactive with viewer as most of the digital artwork.

My Opinion:

•         The format of this artwork show us how our society and culture have changes, and how advance technology involved in our life.
•         The updating of Hsieh's work told me that the creative process has changed, artists will think about how they can make special effects using technology or the presenting way of their work.
•         Boarder the Art World. As in the past, there are painting, sculpture.. and other kind of fine art, and nowadays we can create amazing work with the help of technology.

Interview Video

1 year performance video (aka samHsiehUpdate)

1 year performance video is an online stream of two men in 10mx10m rooms living there for a whole year. However in reality it is edited video to make individual streams for each viewer to correspond to the time they are viewing the stream. 

This plays off Hsieh's one year performance in 1978 call cage piece, in which he did a similar documentation of where he live in a cage for a year taking pictures to document his life. This Hsieh's Update is one to bring it into the digital world we live in today.

The choices made in updating the work tell us how our society, culture, and the creative process has changed since the original was created.

 

"This work is typical of much digital art because it is an artwork that places importance on....

• Formal instructions: There are clear instruction to teach us paste links to his work in order to create your own version.
• The concept rather than the art object: His art work are combined by distorted texts and graphics, I think normal people never think about what is behind a website. People can have a different perspective of a website.
• The event an audience participation: Shredder what us to paste links to his work in order to create your own version, people need to interact with the website to experience it. People will interested on it and keep on paste different website on it.
• An interest in random event and/or in chance: Different website will create different version, there never he same effect for different website.
• Borrowing and appropriation: His work need to borrow others link to create the work.

Comment on the screening of Game Revolution(CBC documentary, 2007)

a)According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing videogames for individuals and societies?

Pros:

• Relaxing
• A interesting way of learning
• Advertising (eg. to solicit American Soldier)
• Training or gain experiences (eg. design scene for soldier to practice)

Cons:

• Addicted to the games
• Violent games may arouse bad emotion (eg. shooting games)
• Get lost to the real world

b)According the film, is there any evidence that digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world? Do you agree?

I agree that digital games will encourage bad effect but only to some extend,  because it depends on what the games about. In the film, it give example that people will learn things from the videogames and act in the real world, not matter it is good things or bad things. Children don't have enough knowledge to judge, if they really get in tough  with the violent games, he may become aggressive and anti-social.

c)Should governments have the right to ban a certain game or place age restrictions on it? Why?

Yes, place age restriction is needed. I think government should give more guideline to the producers to make sure that suitable videogames to appointed age group.

d)Interview

My interviewees said that she never think to much when playing video games, she just want to enjoy and have fun.

Could "Super Mario Clouds" be considered as art?

"Super Mario Clouds" is created by Cory Arcangel, which is develop from a famous game "Super Mario". He removed all the characters and design and left only the clouds and blue sky.

Cory Arcangel said that, "I knew that the clouds would be simple enough for people to latch on to, and I knew that in order to make art that dealt with technology, you had to, in a way, have the art not directly be about specific technologies. I mean, we think everyone played Nintendo, but really, hardly anybody played Nintendo. Now looking back on it all – it's about… what do these pixelated clouds represent? It represents the whole progression of humans, communication and technology. But I couldn't write that down. And it became a meme slowly. I put it up and it took years for people to see it, but it worked…" 

(The meaning of Super Mario Clouds 12.7.2009)

Art doesn't have to mean anything.  This is the conclusion on The Guardian's Keith Stuart.

Some people may think that videogames is just a game, it not art. But I think Cory's work is different. He have the intention to do his art work, he want people focus more on the background, but not only the game. There is meaning for the clouds too.

Opinions about whether "Digital games can be defined as Art"

In our opinions...

Key features:

Question One:
1. Inspire people to think
2. Visual enjoyment
3. Beauty (harmonious arrangement of  formal element: color, forms, style)
4. Meaning or artist's expression
5. Creativity
6.Education value

Question Two:
1. Arts last: People preserve arts as they are aesthetically interesting.
2. Arts conveys message.
3. Art has content.
4. Art has an Aesthetic.
5.Arts contains ideas.
6. Art Makes you feel somethings.
7. Art is not formulaic.

Our own opinion and Question:

For example, the famous artwork Fountain by Duchamp which is ugly and vulgar. However, it challenged the traditional value of art. It raised a question that whether everything can be art. Then, it becomes an ironic example to criticize the conservative value of arts in 19 century. Can the Fountain be an artwork even if it lack of attractive appearance but contains a message? On the other hand, the luxurious golden toilet cannot be classified as an artwork. In spite of attractive visual effect, it does not have any useful message. So, if the artwork conveys significant or important messages but against the common standard of arts, can that artwork still be claimed as Arts? Or Arts have to include a message and attractive visual effect at the same time? 

Question Three:
Can videogames be classified as art?
Adams: yes, if there are aesthetics for games, experiment with the medium and prizes including aesthetic merit.

Rona, Kayo, Echo, Helen, Soobin, Kathy talk about Eric Siu's Touchy

Eric Siu

Video by our group

About Me - I am Kayo

 

I am Kayo. This blog has includes what I learn in the Visual Studies course. Hope you enjoy!