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.