Maybe I will follow some of these up. A couple of artists in the style of Jenny Holzer.
Martin Firrell, media artist.
http://www.martinfirrell.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Firrell
Barbara Kruger, photographer, text artist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Kruger
http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/Literary_Criticism/feminism/kruger/kruger.htm
Wednesday, 2 May 2007
Artist research - Carola Unterberger-Probst
Carola Unterberger-ProbstArtist's website
Wikipedia entry
Unterberger is an Austrian digital artist who has worked in many mediums, including teletext itself. Framed is a piece of pixel art created as recently as 2006. Perhaps this is evidence that, particularly on the continent, teletext thrives.
The piece is more likely an allusion to 'retro' art, a homage to 70's primitive digital technology, as hinted at on its info page:
This would at least show that the medium is still in the public consciousness, even if the popularity of it could be seen as waning.
PDF Version of 'Framed'
As well as imagery as shown in the picture to the right, the piece rotates through three frames and includes pieces of lyrical poetry. These, according to the artist herself, allude to teletext 'aesthetic, TV channels and TV culture'.
Framed page 2This was an info page included with the main piece explaining it in the Teletext format itself. What is interesting about this websites reproduction of this format is the attempt to convert it to the web format. This could be something I may consider for my final website - perhaps an homage to the layout but adapted for the web.
In the 'art' section there are some scrambled screens that scrub through random generations of pixels and ASCII characters in much the same way as jodi's piece at text.jodi.org.
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
Project directions
Based on research undertaken thus far, I have been considering more possible project directions.
> Teletext's role as a precursor to Interactive TV. Lessons learnt. Also - Interactive TVs debt to the Internet.
> Lost or forgotten elements of Teletext. Phone-in holidays, competitions, written correspondence etc. Has the Internet superseded these?
> Concentration on simplicity of content - look at artists that use minimal text/image to drive home their message, if there is one. Sparse forms of communication.
> How teletext may survive/develop - carried on by its successor- the Internet. Ceefax.tv. Also - interactive TV's role. Pay per view elements.
> Manipulation of the medium - eg. page 379 project, Moody. Use of teletext as an exponent for art. Strengths, weaknesses, case studies etc.
> Teletext's role as a precursor to Interactive TV. Lessons learnt. Also - Interactive TVs debt to the Internet.
> Lost or forgotten elements of Teletext. Phone-in holidays, competitions, written correspondence etc. Has the Internet superseded these?
> Concentration on simplicity of content - look at artists that use minimal text/image to drive home their message, if there is one. Sparse forms of communication.
> How teletext may survive/develop - carried on by its successor- the Internet. Ceefax.tv. Also - interactive TV's role. Pay per view elements.
> Manipulation of the medium - eg. page 379 project, Moody. Use of teletext as an exponent for art. Strengths, weaknesses, case studies etc.
Jenny Holzer - more resource points
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.02/holzer.html
http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_work_md_65_1s.html
"I'm always trying to bring unusual content to a different audience - a non-art-world audience." -- Holzer
The piece commented on here is a 1989 installation for the Guggenheim Museum. This was a retrospective of her previous works, bringing together many statements used, both personal and political. They were projected onto a spiralling electronic board played to an 'insistent but silent' beat.
This particular piece was slightly different in that whereas her other works were inserted into public places, this was actually placed inside a museum, where, as one of the articles linked to above mentions, people are more likely to be aware of the messages the piece is trying to convey. In this way it is taken slightly out of context from her usual works.
http://www.artnet.com/artwork/424325815/253/jenny-holzer-inflammatory-essays-purple.html
Nevertheless the piece is still powerful - the textual element being an important element, the presentation an accessory. Her 'Inflammatory Essays' series is much like this in that the text is the focal point - her 'truisms' invoking differing emotional responses. Here, they are placed one after the other in an essay format in a similar way to Moody's text piece. Influenced by Trotsky and Hitler amongst others, the medium is merely a way of implanting the message into the public arena.
That said, the purple background and italicised capital text has an impact in itself, almost as if you have to get up close to the words to read them properly, inviting people to look. This is, in some ways, reminiscent of some parts of early teletext with their slightly clashing, pre-Internet accepted colour schemes.
Truisms, Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla
http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_work_md_65_1s.html
The piece commented on here is a 1989 installation for the Guggenheim Museum. This was a retrospective of her previous works, bringing together many statements used, both personal and political. They were projected onto a spiralling electronic board played to an 'insistent but silent' beat.This particular piece was slightly different in that whereas her other works were inserted into public places, this was actually placed inside a museum, where, as one of the articles linked to above mentions, people are more likely to be aware of the messages the piece is trying to convey. In this way it is taken slightly out of context from her usual works.
http://www.artnet.com/artwork/424325815/253/jenny-holzer-inflammatory-essays-purple.html
Nevertheless the piece is still powerful - the textual element being an important element, the presentation an accessory. Her 'Inflammatory Essays' series is much like this in that the text is the focal point - her 'truisms' invoking differing emotional responses. Here, they are placed one after the other in an essay format in a similar way to Moody's text piece. Influenced by Trotsky and Hitler amongst others, the medium is merely a way of implanting the message into the public arena.That said, the purple background and italicised capital text has an impact in itself, almost as if you have to get up close to the words to read them properly, inviting people to look. This is, in some ways, reminiscent of some parts of early teletext with their slightly clashing, pre-Internet accepted colour schemes.
Truisms, Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla
Monday, 30 April 2007
Jenny Holzer - brief intro
Art at the Turn of the Millennium, Taschen
Holzer Wikipedia entry
A 'text artist', Holzer uses the structures of mass media to "smuggle messages into the public arena". Taking the form of pointed one liners projected onto such public spaces as the large screen in Times Square, New York, her work, according to the artist herself, revolves around 'Sex, death and war'.
It is these one-liners that interest me. Often they can be loaded with meaning, as the aforementioned artist quote hints at, such as in the Survival series (1983-1985). Quotes such as "Men Don't protect you anymore" and "Protect me from what I want" are often militant in approach and were splattered on billboards around the city.
Selections from Truisms, 1977 onwards
Holzer Wikipedia entry
A 'text artist', Holzer uses the structures of mass media to "smuggle messages into the public arena". Taking the form of pointed one liners projected onto such public spaces as the large screen in Times Square, New York, her work, according to the artist herself, revolves around 'Sex, death and war'.It is these one-liners that interest me. Often they can be loaded with meaning, as the aforementioned artist quote hints at, such as in the Survival series (1983-1985). Quotes such as "Men Don't protect you anymore" and "Protect me from what I want" are often militant in approach and were splattered on billboards around the city.
Summer 2007 research project - plan
For the next few months, I will have plenty of time to add to this weblog as the main courses have now finished for the summer.
Plan for summer
1. Continue to work in weblog:
> Research artists that use the pixel graphic style/Teletext as a medium etc.
> Collect magazine cuttings, go to library, buy books, look for sources online etc.
> See what develops from these - record findings in this weblog.
> From these, narrow down what I would like to look at for the research project.
2. Presentation Considerations
> Proposed possible formats. Perhaps have one or two solid concepts for this by the time I return to Uni.
> Arrange some chapters and headings based on research. Even if I am not doing a dissertation it might be useful to get a clearer idea of organisation.
Hopefully I will be ready to start work in earnest when I get back for the start of third year. There will be an introductory lecture and I would like to be prepared to begin designing/writing/whatever.
Possible methods of presentation
> Installation with accompanying text piece.
> Blog and website - text elements in blog, design presentation within the website.
The second of these is looking favourite at the moment but I will continue to consider potentially more interesting methods of presentation as the research continues.
In addition, I will look to purchase an A5 (for portability reasons) sketchbook/notebook in which to record thoughts and to work things out.
Plan for summer
1. Continue to work in weblog:
> Research artists that use the pixel graphic style/Teletext as a medium etc.
> Collect magazine cuttings, go to library, buy books, look for sources online etc.
> See what develops from these - record findings in this weblog.
> From these, narrow down what I would like to look at for the research project.
2. Presentation Considerations
> Proposed possible formats. Perhaps have one or two solid concepts for this by the time I return to Uni.
> Arrange some chapters and headings based on research. Even if I am not doing a dissertation it might be useful to get a clearer idea of organisation.
Hopefully I will be ready to start work in earnest when I get back for the start of third year. There will be an introductory lecture and I would like to be prepared to begin designing/writing/whatever.
Possible methods of presentation
> Installation with accompanying text piece.
> Blog and website - text elements in blog, design presentation within the website.
The second of these is looking favourite at the moment but I will continue to consider potentially more interesting methods of presentation as the research continues.
In addition, I will look to purchase an A5 (for portability reasons) sketchbook/notebook in which to record thoughts and to work things out.
Friday, 27 April 2007
Project direction
At this point I felt it might be good to reassess where I am with regards to having a solid idea for a research project. I think that at the moment, the concept is developing quite well as I undertake more and more research into the subject. The jodi stuff really impressed me, as did Arcangel's work, although this is more of a video game pixel graphics thing. Perhaps it will transpire that I will look at different media that utilise this pixel graphic style:
> Teletext
> Video Games (8-bit)
> Early Internet and Internet Art
All of these would be constantly compared to Teletext and how they differ as mediums, including their strengths and weaknesses as methods of communication, in particular as artistic mediums. This has been explored in more detail in a previous post but I just wanted to reinforce and refresh what I propose to look into for this project. I actually already have something of a firm grounding with regards to initial research and could probably mock something up with regards to textual content.
Possible mediums
> A weblog - possible or will this be necessary as a 'side' thing?
> A dissertation - classic style. May be best for my writing style but will it really be as interesting?
> A website. Design aspects would be in the pixel graphic style. I like designing sites so this would be interesting.
> "Teletext cast" via the Internet. Research presented in teletext format. Would have to find out more about the possibilities of creating my own teletext pages. Problems - loading times etc. May not be too bad if this was a supplementary part of the project and the main bulk of the work was done in another medium.
> A video blog/podcast. Getting hands on and producing actual aural accounts of my findings, conversational style? More of a documentary/experiment like the MySpace idea?
> Teletext
> Video Games (8-bit)
> Early Internet and Internet Art
All of these would be constantly compared to Teletext and how they differ as mediums, including their strengths and weaknesses as methods of communication, in particular as artistic mediums. This has been explored in more detail in a previous post but I just wanted to reinforce and refresh what I propose to look into for this project. I actually already have something of a firm grounding with regards to initial research and could probably mock something up with regards to textual content.
Possible mediums
> A weblog - possible or will this be necessary as a 'side' thing?
> A dissertation - classic style. May be best for my writing style but will it really be as interesting?
> A website. Design aspects would be in the pixel graphic style. I like designing sites so this would be interesting.
> "Teletext cast" via the Internet. Research presented in teletext format. Would have to find out more about the possibilities of creating my own teletext pages. Problems - loading times etc. May not be too bad if this was a supplementary part of the project and the main bulk of the work was done in another medium.
> A video blog/podcast. Getting hands on and producing actual aural accounts of my findings, conversational style? More of a documentary/experiment like the MySpace idea?
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