Net.Art... Our Art Historical Footprint
In the age of technology, where everyone has a smart phone, has instant access to information, and most people spend their lives documenting their lives online, it was inevitable that art would in some form or another start to represent this new way of life. When you think about it, art is what helps represent history, and so far our history is weighed down with technology. The idea of being without my smart phone can turn into a state of panic (I’m sorry to admit). But, knowing this, artists have been dabbling in a new form of expression with Net.Art and digital art. These ideas have been blossoming since the early 90’s when hackers were dabbling with a new form of code writing, and creating things on a computer that had no more memory space than what we would find on a calculator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HSHmfBmINk
Today, there is the merging of the two worlds. This means, now these underground alternative hackers are being depicted in some of the top galleries around the world.
Recently the Carol Fletcher gallery was having an exhibition by artist collective UBERMORGEN titled “userunfriendly”. UBERMORGEN, which is made up of two artists lizvlx and Hans Bernhard, put together a show that was comprised of their investigation into the censorship that takes place over us constantly. They started out the exhibit with routers that were placed up on the wall, curated by Aram Bartholl. The “Net.Art” was a series of routers that you had to connect to with either your smart-phone, tablet, or laptop. Since I never leave anywhere without my smart phone, I eagerly took out my phone to see what was going to happen. Once I connected to the wireless router, each one was attached to a single image. It was interesting on the level of getting to have my own personal experience with the art. Yet, this form begs the question of its marketability, and should it be marketed in the first place? Being that Carol Fletcher is a commercial gallery, I would assume that they are prepared to sell the work. Taking the business model from photography, I could see them selling editions, but this work was being sold as a single installation. Which is where pieces like this can find success, rather than in a personal collection where not too many are able to access and interact with the work.
Moving through the room I couldn’t help but notice the watchful eye that was following me from room to room, and no it was not the gallery assistant. Part of the installation was titled “CCTV – A Parallel Universe” and it was a commentary on the CCTV that follows us all around here in the UK. The idea was how much authority should the government really have when it comes to surveillance. If anything, this work gave a dialogue between my friend and I, who were experiencing this work. Which is a big part of arts responsibility, to create a dialogue between art and viewer.
After I left the gallery feeling completely fascinated with the idea of “Net.Art”, and understanding that the legacy we leave behind will never be like what was left before, I wondered how our art would translate 50 years from now. We are in an age of technology, and being able to depict that through art is apart of who we are as human beings. Whether this art will translate or not, only time will tell.