#electronic superhighway

[schibborasso]

The Future /s Now Trailblazer, pioneer, forward-thinking, innovator, ahead of his time; The late artist Nam June Paik has always been praised by his capacity to observe the present and anticipate the future. He coined the term 'electronic superhighway' to foretell the future of communication in the Internet age, and he's usually referred to as the 'grandfather of video art.'

[luditarebelde]

The exhibition title is taken from a term coined by Korean American artist Nam June Paik who is considered to be the founder of video art. Paik is credited with an early usage (1974) of the term "electronic super highway" in application to telecommunications: "The building of new electronic super highways will become an even huger enterprise. Assuming we connect New York with Los Angeles by means of an electronic telecommunication network that operates in strong transmission ranges, as well as with continental satellites, wave guides, bundled coaxial cable, and later also via laser beam fiber optics: the expenditure would be about the same as for a Moon landing, except that the benefits in term of by-products would be greater”. In the 1970s, Paik imagined a global community of viewers for what he called a Video Common Market which would disseminate videos freely. The Whitechapel Gallery in London presents this major exhibition bringing together over 100 works to show the impact of computer and Internet technologies on artists from 1966 to 2016. Arranged in reverse chronological order, Electronic Superhighway begins with works made at the arrival of the new millennium, and ends with Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T), an iconic, artistic moment that took place in 1966. Key moments in the history of art and the Internet emerge as the exhibition travels back in time. The exhibition runs from 29 January to 15 May 2016 featuring new and rarely seen multimedia works, together with film, painting, sculpture, photography and drawing. The full list of artists included in Electronic Superhighway (2016-1966) are: Jacob Appelbaum / Cory Arcangel / Roy Ascott / Jeremy Bailey / Judith Barry / Wafaa Bilal / Zach Blas / Olaf Breuning / James Bridle / Heath Bunting / Bureau of Inverse / Technology (B.I.T.) / Antoine Catala / Aristarkh Chernyshev / Petra Cortright / Vuk Ćosić / Douglas Coupland / CTG (Computer Technique Group) / Cybernetic Serendipity / Aleksandra Domanović / Constant Dullaart / Experiments in Art and Technology (E.A.T.) / Harun Farocki / Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige / Celia Hempton / Camille Henrot / Gary Hill / Ann Hirsch / Nancy Holt and Richard Serra / JODI / Eduardo Kac / Allan Kaprow / Hiroshi Kawano / Mahmoud Khaled / Oliver Laric / Jan Robert Leegte / Lynn Hershman Leeson / Olia Lialina /Tony Longson / Rafael Lozano-Hemmer / Jonas Lund / Jill Magid / Eva and Franco Mattes / Model Court / Vera Molnar / Mouchette (Martine Neddam) / Manfred Mohr / Jayson Musson / Frieder Nake / Joshua Nathanson / Katja Novitskova / Mendi + Keith Obadike / Albert Oehlen / Trevor Paglen / Nam June Paik / Jon Rafman / Evan Roth / Thomas Ruff / Alex Ruthner / Jacolby Satterwhite / Lillian F. Schwartz / Peter Sedgley / Taryn Simon / Frances Stark / Hito Steyerl / Sturtevant / Martine Syms / Thomson and Craighead / Ryan Trecartin / Amalia Ulman / Stan VanDerBeek / Steina and Woody Vasulka / Addie Wagenknecht / Lawrence Weiner / Ulla Wiggen / The Yes Men / Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries. This video was created and produced by ARTtouchesART. It displays the work of the artists mentioned above on the track of The Chemical Brothers - 'Asleep from Day' featuring Hope Sandoval. This video is our tribute to the video art scene of the last 50 years.

[asweethistory]

Electronic Superhighway

Black Sesame and Activated Charcoal Ice Cream with Nerds

In 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway Act allowed for the creation of a network of interstate highways, spanning the country in every which way. Suddenly anyone could see the nation. Nam June Paik, a Korean American visual artist and composer, moved to New York City eight years after the Highway Act was enacted to continue experimenting with the intertwining of video, music, and performance.

He was one of the first artists to use televisual technologies as an artistic medium, something that became known as “video art.”

In 1995 Paik designed one of his most well-known pieces: “Electronic Superhighway Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii.” A decade after moving to the United States, Paik had used the term “super highway” to talk about the electronic telecommunication network that culturally and economically connected the country. The nation was united by technology, no longer just transportation. The piece comprises more than 300 TV screens, stacked on top of each other in the shape of the United States. Each state, outlined in colored neon, displays images that Paik viewed as pertinent. One of his musical idols, composer John Cage, is shown in Massachusetts. On one hand, the glowing work shows appreciation for our access to communication, but on the other hand, it comments on how technology is impacting our culture and the idea of “information overload.”

“Electronic Superhighway” is permanently on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

[ecf]

Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii by Nam June Paik.

[acidtripper666]

Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii by Nam June Paik, 1995

[videopraktiken]

Electronic Superhighway

[peacelove724]

Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska and Hawaii - Nam June Paik, 1995 🎨

[asweethistory]

Electronic Superhighway

Black Sesame Charcoal Ice Cream with Nerds

In 1956, the Federal-Aid Highway Act allowed for the creation of a network of interstate highways, spanning the country in every which way. Suddenly anyone could see the nation. Nam June Paik, a Korean American visual artist and composer, moved to New York City eight years after the Highway Act was enacted to continue experimenting with the intertwining of video, music, and performance.

He was one of the first artists to use televisual technologies as an artistic medium, something that became known as “video art.”

In 1995 Paik designed one of his most well-known pieces: “Electronic Superhighway Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii.” A decade after moving to the United States, Paik had used the term “super highway” to talk about the electronic telecommunication network that culturally and economically connected the country. The nation was united by technology, no longer just transportation. The piece comprises more than 300 TV screens, stacked on top of each other in the shape of the United States. Each state, outlined in colored neon, displays images that Paik viewed as pertinent. One of his musical idols, composer John Cage, is shown in Massachusetts. On one hand, the glowing work shows appreciation for our access to communication, but on the other hand, it comments on how technology is impacting our culture and the idea of “information overload.”

“Electronic Superhighway” is permanently on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.