 |
 |
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 *