Digital Media Artist
Comparisons
Since
the creation of digital media as an art form the medium has splintered into
different avenues of interests and developed many new forms of self-expressions
from within the same mother industry. I am looking at two digital media artists
that I have found, that have some similar approaches yet contrast each other as
they represent their own separate aspects of the digital media. Looking through
the list of artists I decided to look at Digital
media in the market place, and the interactive form of media expression Projection art. The two artists I have chosen
are Katie Torn and Mike Hall.
Katie
has explored several mediums and has settled in to the in the area of
hyper realism. Most of her works including her videos along with her prints focus
on the everyday routine of life in the industrial age. Her work has been
inspired from the roots of futurism and cubism. She uses computer technology and
to up to date computer software similar to that used in Hollywood in film
production to create her body of art. Her latest project called “Dream House” is a 3D animation of a “Woman biomorphic architectural structure”.
The animation structure slowly builds up with consumer products over a
seven-hour period. The piece of art is a representation of how the main stream
media floods the public with a desire to possess more than what we need. Yet at
the same time tries to cater to the wants, desires, of the consumer and the waste
created by the modern market place.
When
looking at the use of digital media in the market place you can see the use of
this medium in several areas of marketing directed with in consumerism. Katie
Torn’s art work represents how we have been bombarded with digital ads ever few
seconds. Going back to our readings I can compare this to some of the first
multimedia form relating to film. Using film for propaganda purposes such as
like this group and don’t like this group for whatever your agenda dictates. Digital
media has the ability to define social and political reality for some time to
come.
This
may have been the basic ground work that established a basis for marketing any
form of product or service. When applied to marketing we can see that the
message is still the same. Katie has a more subliminal way of getting her
message out. Within her work “2013
Eyebeam Fellow Katie Torn’s Dream House on view in the Eyebeam”, she is trying to tell us; look
at all of this that we buy and throw away because we are told to. We live in a
disposable world that is supported by main stream media from a global economic
system. As mass consumers we need to start to be more interactive in offering
the general body meaningful alternatives to the main stream bombardment. We
need to support independent sources of media that breaks away from the normal flow. We need to invite different more revolutionary forms of business models to
establish a new wave of consumerism that uses moderation or even limited
consumerism as a standard form of consumer response.
I
believe that the newer form of marketing systems using digital media gives the
consumer more selections, more items, and more choices than ever before when it
comes to available products. Young entrepreneurs believe that we must do
everything to keep the cash flowing into our business, possible without a set
of moral guidelines. Katie’s body of work tries portraying a possible urgency to
become realistic and responsible for the massive push of products onto the
consumer.
From
his Bio, Mike Hall is a projection video artist who operates out of his studio
in Brooklyn, New York. His main body of work has been created from a unique
form of light processes. “The process involves the creation of optical feedback
reactions in which the form, color, reflectivity and texture of the projection
surface causes the generation of imagery upon the surface itself”. The technical
background of Hall's work based within a 20-year career in software engineering.
One of his passions in life has been the lifelong study of music and how it has
led to the development of his acoustically reactive software.
Currently
he is finishing the development of a cloud-based web tool called media Frame,
which features the ability to create “Complex, database-driven online media
applications, written in a proprietary XML-based language”. His work has
required him to develop the specialized mechanical harnesses and staging
elements which helps makeup this complex optical reaction. In addition to
abstractions generated on uniform surfaces, Hall works with movement artists to
interact with the optical fields, producing a luminous quality to the skin which
suggests that the light is somehow emanating from the body in all directions.
We have seen in our readings that
digital media is allowing artist to use a wider range of their artistic
talents. The use of digital processes has opened up a wide variety of
possibilities for creating new forms of art. Mike Hall is creating a form of
art using light wave and light patterns projected onto a live undressed human
body. His work that I am looking at is “ Mike
Hall Studio, Lines In Flux (2011)”. The light patterns add contrast
between the color of the human figure and whichever color and pattern being
portrayed. As a projection artist he has pushed the boundaries’ a bit with his
techniques.
In comparing these two artists I would
have to say that two are similar in the sense they both use top of the line
update software. I believe that they are both addressing the subject of
consumerism in two different ways. Katie Torn uses her background in futurism
and cubism along with the use of three dimensional programs to create an almost
abstract form of hyper realism. Focusing on the industrial problems in
consumerism and post-consumer waste she uses the digital graphics software used
in Hollywood to create video animations and high resolution posters. Mike Hall
uses his experience with light sound and computer software development to
create objects of art. Even though Katie has done some participation in her
videos as a solo performer for the most part her art is flat 2 dimensional.
Mike has come up with some unique ways
of creating technical creative works of art. One of the first digital works
came from an experience using a digital camera a projector and a simple flash
light. He would shine to light on the wall the video camera would record the
image and then project it back on to the wall creating a feedback loop. The
ever increasing image would leave a longer tail on the spot of light as he
would move it. His current work is not too far from that by utilizing similar
techniques he uses images of light and pattern to create his body of work. He
now uses the human figures to project his art onto allowing them to become the
canvas and along with it they become the piece of artwork
They
are different or in contrast of each other in the way that most part Katie Torn
creates art that the audience simply observes. Mike Hall is creating a form of
interactive Art. The audience can become the art by participating in the
patterns of light and shadow being projected across the room. . Looking at a
possible metaphoric meaning one might think that he is making the statement
that everything has a price and everything is for sale. Someday someone may
just become the piece of art that they just bought at auction. The goals of
both artists are heading in different directions as far as what I could
determine and I will try to keep track of them and see where they go. I could
not find out if the two know each other but it would be interesting if they did
a collaborative project.
In
conclusion both artists use aspects of the medium that we studied in our
readings. Both have used film and video to develop their separate and unique
forms of art. Using the newest technology and concepts both are creating forms
of expressionism that may accelerate interests in digital Media. I sent e mails
to both artists to see if I could set up an appointment but it was unfortunate
that I did not get to chat with either artist. I will send out invites to chat
on Face Book or Skype to see if I can get a hold of them using that avenue.
Citations
Works Cited
Torn, Katie. "Dream House |
Eyebeam.org." Web log post. Eyebeam Front Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 13
Dec. 2013.
Torn, Katie.
"Katie Torn." Weblog post. Katie Torn. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec.
2013.
"Katie Torn
Plus." Weblog post. Vimeo. Vimeo, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
Hall, Mike. "Mike Hall
Studio." Mike Hall Studio. Wordpress, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.
Hall, Mike. "Lines of Flux."
Weblog post. Vimeo, Your Videos Belong Here. Mike Hall, n.d. Web. 22
Nov. 2013.
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