dear Sarah and other Crumbs,
Just some thoughts...
Since the discussion is going in many different directions I decided
to look back at your initial call and theme, which is in the subject
line of this mail. Am I mistaking when I think this topic is first
and foremost not so much about time, but about presence, access and
connectivity? I have always found this aspect the most intriguing
issue in art using any kind of electronic media, because of the
sensitivity and vulnerability involved. In this area one time aspect
appears that was not mentioned here yet, and this is delay. Delay is
of special importance in decentralized performance. I remember how
VRML and sound performance Adrift by Helen Thorington and Fakeshop
between Vienna and New York in 1997 was difficult because of it. I am
not sure how and if it is of influence in 'decentralized'
installations, like for instance in Atau Tanaka's Global String.
Delay only really matters in case of actual real-time experiences;
there are also real-time simulations. The beauty of all media (print
included) is of course the possibility of some sort of presence
despite of distance. In the 19th century the museum's reach for
example was expanded through the publication of photographs and
collector's albums and magazines. A very interesting text about
photography/reproduction and the artworld is the PhD of Friedrich
Tietjen, which was not published as a book yet as far as I know.
Radio, TV and Internet create a much stronger sense of real-time
presence though, which can feel very real even when faked. I think of
for instance Debra Solomon's project 'The_Living' in which she
combined chat-performances with fake webcam input of her and her
keyboard under water, on a bicycle, or on a boat in an Amsterdam
canal. It took a while before her audience realized one could connect
a video camera/player to the webcam input quite easily. This
theatrical side of electronic media (think also of War of the Worlds
or in some ways the Truman Show) is well known and discussed, like in
Zizek's text about the Matrix. It undermines a sense of reality, and
thus of engagement. I like very much how questions of presence, the
tension between local and distant interaction, and the importance of
intimacy/closeness for an experience of reality can be investigated
and displayed through the theme of Real-Time. I hope some of you can
share some nice examples of exhibitions or artworks that explore
these topics. Technical issues are most welcome to hear about too... ;-)
Back to work,
J
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