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Dear List, We seem to have hit a bit of a lull, but now that AV is over, and node is still happening in London, it might be time to reflect on applying these issues to examples of recent artwork, as Kelli very usefully does below. I think that "Spine" is a very useful example, because I think that like many artworks, you don't need to know the invisible research, but it's more interesting if you do know the background, which is where I suppose the ancient curatorial art of writing the interpretative material comes in. Having the engagingly mysterious images helps to draw people in to further knowledge. I was also interested in the sound element of this work (I haven't seen a previous work by the same artist that uses sound so strongly). It seemed that in that particular public location, the sound was very important in changing both the space and the time dynamic: sound seems to reach out to a wider space, and entice people for a closer look; there also seemed to be a longer time in which to engage people (if you can hear it down the street before seeing it, it seems to work on the unconscious, and on sheer curiousity more, and because of the more performative feel, people seem to stand around in 'spectator at a concert' mode. What have others found about the role of sound? In relation to the wider issues of invisibility, then there is an event in London tonight which deals with "Sites and Para-sites: Networking Art" which might carry on the debate of the "Curating Immateriality" seminar of last year. Would anyone that to feed back from that event? Yours Beryl > Sites and Para-sites: Networking Art > > Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2006 10:28:02 -0000 > From: Kelli Dipple <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: The Audible and the Visible > > Hello all - I am pleased to join this month's very active dialogue. It > is interesting and pertinent that a discussion launching off the theme > of 'Audio-Visual' should go into such detail with regard to theories > and > examples of computing and programming... One thing that strikes me, > with > regard to a range of contemporary, new-media/audio-visual - art, is the > propensity that the work has, for both front-end and back-end > aesthetics. Front-end often inferring something visible or tangible, > along the lines of interface... back-end often inferring something > behind the scenes which is more often than not - invisible. My > engagement with artists working in this domain, who are creating > new-media and/or audio-visual work, is often inspired by a discussion > regarding underlying concepts, rather than the materials or methods > employed on there own. Personally, I do tend to be most interested in > work that demonstrates a detailed relationship to concept, which > follows > through in some way from the front-end to the back-end. I don't need a > detailed understanding of, or be able to write Java, to appreciate a > thorough and invigorated concept, but perhaps I need a certain type of > appreciation for practices embedded in media and technological forms in > order to understand how a programme (in computation terms) can indeed > have an aesthetic and conceptual underpinning. When the function and > aesthetic of a work is in harmony with a clearly defined concept, it > tends to be evident through the success of the work over all. > > Further than the visible boundary of the work itself, its interface or > object-ness - these conceptual and aesthetic concerns can run right > through to platform, delivery, experience, distribution and time-base, > both within the work itself and between the work and its associated > audiences and architectures, encompassing social, political, > technological and physical contexts. > > I wanted to draw attention to a work currently being exhibited in the > AV > fest by Gina Czarnecki, titled 'Spine', it in part seems exemplary of a > type audio-visual work, common today, employing collaborative and > interdisciplinary methods that aim, to not only visualise what a spine > might look like, but further seek to represent in fact, what a spine is > - and what it might become. The work has been developed by Gina in > collaboration with biotechnologists, computer programmers, dancers and > sound artists. > > And below - another example of a hybrid audio-visual practice, taken > from the biography of Carsten Nicolia (also performing as part of AV > Fest this March). > Carsten Nicolai is an artist using various media, such as sound, image, > sculpture and computer, as hybrid tools in order to research the > "codification of the world". Nicolai's work questions creativity, > coincidence and artistic creative power. A lot of his works are > directly > linked with the natural sciences. The physics of oscillation in > particular are a frequent means of his work and are not limited by > audibility and visibility, but trying to make natural phenomena > visible. > Scientists like the Physicist Ukichiro Nakaya, who researched snow > crystals in his studies, were an inspiration to Carsten Nicolai for his > "snow noise" installation. The joint collaboration with scientists, > search and research, will combine scientific experiment with artistic > sculpture. In "snow noise", the laboratory becomes the exhibition > space, > the activity of the audience makes it a part of the sculpture itself. > > I would be interested to hear responses from the group on the notion of > the visible and invisible or front-end and back-end aesthetics -- and > would certainly invite further comment from those who may have been in > Newcastle for the AV festival, who could comment further on the work of > these two artists, in light of having had the real life experience... > > I will pick up further on the notion of interface, distribution and > time > base - between artwork/s, audience/s and architecture/s in a later > post. > > Regards > > Kelli Dipple > Webcasting Curator > Digital Programmes / Education & Interpretation > Tate > www.tate.org.uk/onlineevents ------------------------------------------------------------------- Beryl Graham, Professor of New Media Art School of Arts, Design, Media and Culture, University of Sunderland Tel: +44 191 515 2896 [log in to unmask] CRUMB web resource for new media art curators http://www.crumbweb.org