contemporary art

By Hannah Ackermans, 8 December, 2016
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This paper will outline the key elements of an ongoing research project, whose main focus is to explore the application of new technology to the study of key works of modernism, whilst simultaneously arguing that modernism can itself offer fresh perspectives on contemporary digital art. I am interested in the way modernism presents the artwork as both an object to be experienced and as a structured theory of knowledge. This tension can be seen most obviously in such canonical works as Ezra Pound’s Cantos (1917-1969) where his aesthetic of the ‘luminous fragment’ is set against the poem’s larger, Dantescan, vision of history. Concomitantly, I wish to argue that the resources of digital technology offer a significant new set of tools for approaching modernism itself, allowing us to explore the boundary between the work of scholarship and work of art.

(Source: Abstract ICDMT 2016)

By Hannah Ackermans, 14 November, 2015
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The term Electronic Literature (EL) is already obsolete, just as the term contemporary art. The obsolescence of words depends on the changes that the content of their meanings are undergoing. These contents change in the light of the technical-logical progress. Their own form changes giving ultimately rise to new signs and signifiers. New concepts generate new interpretations.

The change of technological processes introduces new types of communication and of social relations. These changes weaken the rules of linguistics. The content and the meaning of words change, as well as their own signs that are used to define the EL and to describe what comes from it as an end: politics, social philosophy, aesthetics, ethics, business, and business ethics. The works that are produced through the EL undergo changes and have an outreach that involve a dialogue on an augmented art synchronically developed on a augmented reality perceived through the use of new technologies.

The OLE (Officina di Letteratura Elettronica) has focused its initial research on the study of aesthetic and ethical changes due to new technologies, and on the relation between these changes and the definition of contemporary art. This paper will highlight the boundaries within which the EL as it is defined in the previous paragraphs, turns out to be, indeed, the true contemporary art. This introduces a series of changes, and sometimes of deletions, in the contemporary system of art. How will words such as “business”, “conservation”, “work”, “public”, “use”, “collecting”, “museum”, “restoration”, “author”, “exposition” change and/or disappear in this system? How will the EL develop with these broader meanings? The multiple forms of writing introduced by the use of new methods of communication – not only the interpersonal ones, that is between man and man, but also between men and objects, objects and objects – offer multiple literatures, some of them robotic and some also independent from human thought.

(Source: ELO 2015 Conference Catalog)

By Hannah Ackermans, 27 October, 2015
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This is a two-part meditation on where electronic literature came from, some of the places it’s been, and how (and why) it might possibly go on.

Espen Aarseth will look at the roots of electronic literature in the period before 1997, discussing the origins of digital writing in terms of contemporary art and theory. Particular attention will be given to interactive fiction and what happened to it.

Stuart Moulthrop skips over the really important bits (1997-2010) and concentrates on the state of electronic literature in the current decade, especially the intersection of various text-generation schemes with latter-day conceptualism and “the new illegibility.”

Both keynote speakers will offer critical prospects on the very idea of electronic literature, the meaning of the name, and various present and future ontologies for our discourse.

(source: ELO 2015 conference catalog)

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Description (in English)

"Je veux" is a collection of poems written in 1997/1998 directly accessible through the authors' website by clicking "Being Human 1997/1998". Access to the text is through a menu offering a choice between "Je veux" , "tendresse easy easy", "a kiss" and "more". In the three poems the reader/visitor is invited to click on either "tu" or "you". The narrator's voice appears in the forms of "Je", "me" as well as in expressing his/her desire in "je voudrais".

In the poem "a kiss", the visitor "engages" with the narrator when s/he encounters a dialogue box and is asked to enter his/her name - the narrator only kisses people whose name s/he knows. The visitor then has to confirm if he or she wants a computer kiss. There are four different languages: German, English, French and Dutch. If the visitor responds in the affirmative in a language, oui, ja or yes, the screen is emblazoned with monochrome flashes of orange, red, pink resembling lipstick kisses. There is also a sentence in the middle of the screen saying how many times the narrator has kissed, reminiscent of the number of visitors to a website. The visitor returns to the menu and finds it changed. S/he now finds "a kiss" replaced with "we could meet again?" This new link brings the visitor to an error page. The question remains as to whether this is intentional or a reminder of the ephemeral character of electronic literature.

If the visitor responds "no", another scenario is launched. The narrator asks for the visitor's name, and reveals the number of times s/he has kissed up to that point. The moment the visitor responds "no", s/he is left with the return response of "Then, I will leave you" as well as the "threat" of the closing of the window. The window closes automatically after a few seconds and the visitor is out of the website completely. There is a possibility to keep the window open, which mirrors an ultimatum in a real relationship - underneath "Then I will leave you!" which is presented in bold letters, in fine print is "If you don't want the window to close click here". The program playfully mimics a relationship. The personalized reaction of the program to the visitor's answer suggests artificial intelligence.

In the poem "je veux", the words "tu", "me" and "respectes" in white appear on a black background. These form to read "je veux que tu me respectes" (I want you to respect me); "you are loved", "you loved me". Some words are underlined in the poem, and if those words are clicked, they freeze. After clicking several more times on different words, the visitor is returned to the initial menu.

In the poem "tendresse", rectangles and squares form across the screen in different colors. Seven screens follow in succession in different colors and containing different words for each. The words appear in English, French, Dutch and in German. The seven screens represent the seven days of the week, and those words are written in English and in French moving from top to bottom of the screen. The days of the week are associated with emotions and feelings and also have different sounds for each one. This collection of poems blends visual, plastic and textual art, and animated poetry shows how well this relationship works.

(Source: Iona Wynter Parks)

Description (in original language)

"Je veux" est une sorte de collection de poème écrits en 1997/1998 et accessible sur le site internet de l'auteure qui s'intitule "Being Human" L’accès au texte est direct avec un menu où le lecteur peut choisir entre “Je veux”, “tendresse easy, easy”, “a kiss” et “more”. Dans les trois poèmes le lecteur est interpellé avec l’utilisation de “tu” ou bien “you”. La voix du narrateur ou de la narratrice se fait entendre par l’intermédiaire du “Je”, du “me” et de l’expression de son désir avec “je voudrais” etc.

Dans le poème “a kiss”, le lecteur revêt même le rôle d’avatar. on lui demande d’entrer son nom, car le programme, la narratrice n’embrasse que les personnes dont elle connaît le nom. Puis, le lecteur a le choix de vouloir embrasser la narratrice (le programme?). Il a plusieurs façons d’accepter dans quatre langues différentes: allemand, anglais, français et néerlandais. Si le lecteur répond oui, ja, yes, alors l’écran produit des flashs monochromes de couleurs orange, rose, rouge, tels les baisers faits par des lèvres maquillées. Après cela, le lecteur retourne au menu, et là il se trouve que le menu a changé. Au lieu de “kiss” on trouve “we could meet again?” En cliquant sur ce nouveau lien hypertexte, on trouve une page d’erreur. Est-ce intentionnel ou là encore cela témoigne de l’aspect éphémère de la littérature électronique, à car à cause d’un plugin manquant, ou autre module nécessaire, la littérature disparaît. Si le lecteur répond non en revanche, un autre scénario se met en action. Le narrateur demande également le nom du lecteur, et affiche combien de fois il a embrassé jusque là. Puis dès lors que le lecteur répond “non”, un message apparaît “Then, I will leave you”. Quelques secondes plus tard, la fenêtre se ferme d’elle même. Il y a donc un acte performatif qui est joué par la machine et qui amuse, surprend et interroge le lecteur. Ce la donne une impression de vie de la machine qui est en face de nous, comme si nous l’avions offensée. La question de la vie artificielle est donc posée ici car le programme répond à la saisie d’information du lecteur, le poème est donc en quelque sorte personnalisé.

Dans le poème “je veux”, un fond noir avec les mots “tu”, “me”, et “respectes” en blanc avec des flashs de couleur blanche. Les mots que l’on peut lire au tout début sont « je veux que tu me respectes », « you are loved », « you loved me ». A n’importe quel moment dans le poème, le lecteur s’aperçoit que certains mots sont soulignés. Si il décide de cliquer sur ces mots-là, ils se figent. Après avoir cliqué plusieurs fois, sur les différents mots, le lecteur peut enfin alors revenir au menu initial.

Dans le poème “tendresse”, des formes rectangulaires et carrées se forment à l’écran de couleurs différentes. Sept écrans se succèdent les uns après les autres de couleurs différentes avec des mots différents pour chaque écran. Ces mots sont en anglais, néerlandais, français et allemand. Certains mots et expressions peuvent être associés à des onomatopées tels « stststst » donnant un effet de poésie sonore. Les sept écrans sont associés à des jours de la semaine, qui défilent en haut à gauche de l’écran en français et en anglais. Ces jours de la semaine sont donc associés à des sentiments, des émotions, des couleurs et des sons différents.

Ces poèmes marient l’art visuel et plastique à l’art textuel et la poésie animée illustre bien ce mariage.

(Source: Johanna Montlouis-Gabriel)

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Description (in English)

A photo- and text mosaic made by the group StadtFlur. The piece illustrates the drop-in washeries of Cobenhagen, through texts of the industries' golden age and downfall and pictures of interior design and the trivial.

A booklet (PDF) was part of the project, distributed in a limited edition, to about thirty of the washeries of Cobehagen.

Description (in original language)

En foto- og tekstmosaik udført af gruppen StadtFlur. Udstillingen skildrer de københavnske møntvaskeriers tidslommer i storbyen gennem tekster om branchens storhed og fald og interiørbilleder af såvel trivielle motiver som unikt design. Alt sammen præsenteret i bedste interaktive automatstil.

En booklet (PDF) indgik i projektet Program:Møntvask. Den blev udgivet i et meget begrænset oplag og lagt på ca. 30 københavnske vaskerier.

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Живая энциклопедия петербургского искусства последних двадцати лет.
Хаос,
в силу самой идеи групповой выставки художников разных направлений,
сложится,
если повезет,
в цельное мозаичное панно.
Открытие выставки 17 января в 19 часов

Художники: Евгений Антуфьев, София Азархи, Юрий Александров, Александр Белов, Людмила Белова, Петр Белый, Игорь Брякилев, Ирина Васильева, Алексей Варсопко, Катарина Венцль, Дмитрий Виленский, Константин Водяницкий, Илья Гапонов, Василий Голубев, Андрей Горбунов, Илья Гришаев, Сергей Денисов, Вадим Драпкин, Ирина Дрозд, Денис Егельский, Олег Зайка, Евгений Залманов, Владимир Козин, Марина Колдобская, Алексей Кострома, Олег Котельников, Боб Кошелохов, Виктор Кузнецов, Владимир Лило, Владислав Мамышев-Монро, Олег Маслов, Алексей Митин, Артур Молев, Александр Морозов, Тимур Новиков, Светлана Носова, Иван Оласюк, Илья Орлов, Игорь Орлов, Дмитрий Пиликин, Александр Подобед, Иван Плющ, Андрей Рудьев, Татьяна Сергеева, Иван Сотников, Александр Теребенин, Олег Хвостов, Иван Химин, Антон Хлабов, Андрей Хлобыстин, Кирилл Хрусталев, Иван Чечот, Алексей Чистяков, Олег Шагапов, Петр Швецов, Юрий Штапаков, Дмитрий Шубин, Андрей Юрьев

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By Luciana Gattass, 6 November, 2012
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216-227
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CC Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike
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Abstract (in original language)

O assunto deste artigo é a transição do analógico ao digital, e seu tema específico é a imagem digital. Visando identificar de que maneiras a imagem digital pode condicionar a arte que dela se serve, reflete sobre a técnica ligada a essa imagem, e relaciona-a ao conceito de espaço na filosofia moderna. Argumenta que o digital barateia e simplifica o trabalho com imagens, mas que isso não garante que a imagem digital seja um vetor de democratização.

By Hannelen Leirvåg, 7 September, 2012
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161-178
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This essay argues that the poetic turn from nothing to form art tends to “diabolic”strategies in present language allowing for a self-referential presentation of cultural distinctions.This poetic deconstruction of symbolic forms such as man/machine, male/female,or 0/1 is closely related to humor and gender in cultural and artistic performances.This shall be illustrated by discussing two examples of language art in the fi eld of digitalelectronics: the interactive installation Die Amme by Peter Dittmer and female extension, asubversive net art project by Cornelia Sollfrank. These projects are interpreted as genderedforms of the poetic as comic self-observation.

Source: author's abstract