HommArt.net  

 
    If you are interested in numeric or
   digital arts, the following texts, allow
   to understand better...
                              

                   Gratin.org - Été 2003

    For the use of curators, juries, commis-
   sionners,  collectors, critics, of digital
   art, of art on computers,  of  new
   technology art,  of  net art.

   "Digital" art is still struggling to get into Contem-
    porary Art, that is in Art History. Why is it so
    difficult ? Because the worse stands alongside
    the best indistinctively. Cause or consequence,
    critique is scarce. Confronted to this void, the
    task of curators, juries, commissionners is
    difficult, though crucial.
    This vademecum gathers some precepts to keep
    in mind in order to avoid the worse in terms of
    "digital" artwork or "digital" art project description.

 
                                                              --- Vade-mecum of digital art ---

    1) Notice that 'digital' does not mean much anymore when everything is digital, from the telephone to
        the camera, from the videocamera to the audio CD, from the car to the DVD. Forget the 'digital' word
        when looking at, listening to or experimenting a "digital" artwork.

    2) If you don't understand anything to the technical terms used in the description of the artwork or the
        project, wonder if the artist understands more, and if most of his or her energy did not go into the
        comprehension of the technologies used, and that his work does not deal mainly with this learning,
        which has the interest that it has.

    3) If an artist claims to deal with the dangers or the benefit of technology, put this work in relationship
        with the XXth century Art History (Constructivism, Futurism, Modernism, etc...) and wonder what he
        or she brings that is new or personnal.

    4) In the case of a conceptual project, consisting mainly in its description on paper, check that, as it is
        often the case, a similar project has not been realized already in Art History (digital or not), and if yes,
        wonder what the new project brings that is new or personnal.

    5) If a project consists in a transcoding, that is if it can be described by "this is transformed into that",
        where this and that are : an audio shape (voice, music, etc...), a visual shape (image, video flux,
        performer image, drawing in the sand, etc...), an internet-based traffic pattern (emails, search engine
        requests, low level traffic, etc...), sensors (cerebral wave, temperature, stock quote, movement of a
        dancer, etc...) or anything that is digitalizable (what is not ?), don't forget that every digital coding is
        arbitrary because it is determined by technical contraints preexisting to the artwork. Transcoding is
        thus mere "found object". Wonder if the artist brings a shape, a meaning, a style or an approach to
        this arbitrary trancoding, and which.

    6) If in front of an artwork you wonder "But how did she do it ?" or "How does it work ?", wonder if
        there is more to the work than technical virtuosity or ingeniosity.

    7) If you find an artwork nice, cute, fun or amusing, wonder if it is anything more than decorative or
        entertaining. (This is true for any artwork but it seems there are much more in the world of "digital" art).

    8) If the description of an artwork looks like the catalog of a computer reseller, check if the artwork
        contains more than mere fascination for technology.

    9) If the description of a project centers around a particular technology, especially if it is recent, trendy
        or commercial, whether to use it or to revisit it, wonder if the project is not about prolongating more or
        less consciously the ambiant commercial proselytism. Don't forget that most technologies have nothing
        revolutionnary, especially for the artistic world.

   10) If an artwork consists mainly in its description on paper, wonder if it is really necessary to produce at
        high cost its real size version.

   11) If you like a project description, check out the previous realizations of the artist to see whether he or
        she is not a better writer than an artist.

   12) Don't forget that the most important is to look, listen and experiment the work. And if you like it,
        risk it. There is an Art History to build.

                           ----- Gratin.org - Summer 2003
                                                                     See also : Digital Art by Kent