Summary Not since the arrival of thecamera has something come along to change the style of art making’spossibilities on such a grand scale as digital art. Digital art captures anartistic work or practice that uses any form of digital technology as part ofits creation or presentation process. As the digital age began its march intothe world between 1950 and 1970, it was only a matter of time before artists wouldgrasp its progressive technologies for their own creative output. As with allnew mediums, artists began to use these bold new innovations of society,including television, the introduction of the personal computer, theaccessibility of audio and visual software, and eventually the internet, intoworks of their own. Although digital art is not recognized as a distinctmovement, we will no doubt continue to see it unfold into a, ever-changinglandscape, making itself an alternative to traditional means of art making fora post-millennial society.
Art and Technology, TheBeginningIn 1967, a group was formed created by engineers BillyKluver and Fred Waldhauer, and artists Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman.This group was then named “EAT” which was short for (Experiments in Art andTechnology) and its aim was promote the collaboration between art and the worldof technology.They created installations andperformances which involved innovative electronic systems, including electricalcircuity, video projection, Doppler sonar and wireless sound projection. Thiswas a good step as it gave good groundwork for this type of art which embracedand explored the technological progress.The EAT experimentsrepresented the connection between artists and technology that would have neverhappened without them. They directed the canons of Conceptual art, Experimentalnoise music, theatre from eras of Dada, Performance art and the happenings ofthe 1960s into the revolutionary digital age. The first widely known piece was created in the 1960s inthe scientific research company Bell Labs where the founder of EAT Billy Kluverworked.
The piece was made by Kenneth C. Knowlton who was a computer graphicsspecialist. His work was a photograph of a young nude woman and he turned theimage into computer pixels. The Beginnings of the InternetWhenthe internet was a big hit around the 1990s, this was a big deal for everyonebut it also helped a lot of Digital artists become more skilled and helpingthem become more noticeable. It allowed artists to begin learning new mediumswhich involved combing words, images, audio and video files.The internet helped create a new type of movement in somepeoples eyes which was different from Digital Art, this was called Internet Artor Net.
Art. But it was usually linked with the Digital art movement which wasgetting bigger and bigger because of the advantages of the new technology whichwas being created and developed.The internet was a great help for people to speak and communicateeasier which allowed the artists to come together and easily create work allfrom their own computer screen which was impossible for artists in the past asthey could never communicate or interact with other artists around the world.. Exploring the InternetWhen the internet startedbecoming bigger and bigger a lot of artists used this to further their work sothat they could become more noticeable or viral in internet terms. This soonbecame a big Artistic medium for artists. Take Justin Kemp Psuedo Event2008, in which viewers would scroll horizontally to view a collage of photostaken at ribbon cutting events.Concept and StylesThe Digital Arts definition can be very broad as there ismany different types of styles and work but it usually involves work that has aDigital aspect or has technological means.
This is some of the main categories I have found.Digital SculptureDigital Art can also be a physical piece and not just on ascreen, this is usally created through a sculpture. One of the most famousDigital Sculptures pieces was from artist “Nam June Paiks collections oftelevisions in Electronic Superhighway”Thiswork Is very interesting and the colours really burst out of the screen and thetv screens also work well.
The size of the piece reminds the viewers to consider theway which technology is a powerful but often unseen presence in our life’s. Many digital sculptures take the physical parts oftechnology with less obvious digital abilities. Trevor Paglen and JacobApplebaums work “Autonomy Cube (2014) is both a sculptural object and an open accessWi-Fi hotspot, while Computer GeneratedImageryWhen computers first came about, artists used the computersprogramming and technology to help with their work and to maybe update it tomake it look better. Technology and programming systems to Update their artwork. Frieder Nakes “Hommage a Paul Klee 13/9/65 Nr.2 (1965)was the first piece created using a computer process.
The piece looks like justa normal Drawing, but there were technological steps between the artist and thefinal image.Fifty Years later, as computer graphic software began beingsold in the market, artists started using these programs from the advertising andgraphic design industries, allowing them to make their own work. Art on ScreenMost Digital Artwork isproduced in a format that it can only be seen on a screen, which means thatwithout this technology the work would have never been created or seen, artistscan now showcase their work online on the internet or even YouTube just likethe artist/YouTuber Petra Cortright who uses her youtuve channel to show offher animated graphics, she uses this on her live YouTube channel, so she cancreate a make-believe life with her real one Interactive DigitalInstallationsInteractivityhas been a big part of Digital Art, Bruce Wands who is an Author who wrote abook called “Art of the Digital Age (2006) was once said quoting that the”Creative Possibilities of interactivity and the development of immersive environments were both given alarge boost by the arrival of computers in installation art, which allowedartists increased control over the interactive experience and access tocyberspace and virtual worlds.” This type of artlets the viewers feel the full experience and makes it feel like real life eventhough it is all made up.
In 2012 an Artist Collective Random International made apiece named “Rain Room” an experimental installation where rain water wouldfall on the person, this was only possible because of the 3D trackers thatfollowed them about, which had been programmed to stop the fall of the rainwater wherever the person was standing, this meaning the person could feel and experiencea rain storm without ever getting wet. which would have been impossible without theassistance of Digital technology.The piece encouraged viewers to consider the relationshipbetween Man, Nature and Machine. Internet as MediumDigital Art tools is available to literally anyone now withevery person having a computer in their home, and the artists who used theinternet for their work forged a new environment within the art world. Thisallowing their work to be seen outside of a traditional gallery and giving them,a wider cultural reach giving them more exposure to the world.
Butsome artists used the internet as a marketing tool to upload project onpersonal websites, one artists Cao Fei, created a universe on the virtualreality Platform “Second Life” as a work of art, her work “RMB City,2008” was anopen public space for experiential creative studies, letting filmmakers,designers, artists and other creators to build a ever changing world thatpushed the boundaries between virtual and physical life. Interactive technologiesallowed social media and user generated content to be shared easily and peopleto be able to showcase and edit work in so many different ways.
