- New Media Art:
The authors defined new media art as “an emerging technology for artistic purposes.” And they think that new media art is the intersection of themes such as art, technology, and new media, using the newest technology for artistic purposes. But nowadays, the technologies are different than those of 16 years ago. We have new media like the browser and technologies like VR, AR, and 3D printing, which are more efficient ways to express ideas. And so people can now better express their ideas, and it is easier for the public to gain access and have a better understanding.
- Art historical antecedents, themes, and tendencies
Before 2000:
Description: This is an artwork called Every Icon made by John F. Simon Jr., and it is very interesting because it consists of a 32*32 grid and the computer is running an unstoppable program on it that will color every cube with a different kind of gray color so that it can show every possible image on the grid.
The Author: John F. Simon Jr. is a new media artist who works with LCD screens and computer programming. And he once said, “My feeling is that an artist’s state of mind when making a work is critical to what the work transmits to the viewer. I have always worked to improve on methods, technique, and materials, but only recently have I found that I can also improve the inner workings; I can develop the mental aspects of my art practice.” which I found very inspirational.
Analysis: As said in the article, new media art focuses more “on ideas than objects” and “is often conceptual in nature”, I think this new media artwork is very conceptual, for it didn’t come to create a concrete object but rather an attempt to create an icon based on programming and random luck. It is more of an idea and an action than a certain result.
After 2000:
Description: This is a new media work called After Sherrie Levine, which is a platform created by Michael Mandiberg, who re-photographed Walker Evans’s classic Depression-era photographs of an Alabama sharecropper family and put them all onto the platform.
The Author: Michael Mandiberg is an American artist, programmer, designer, and educator. One of his works is that he places the work of a photographer named Walker Evans online so it can be printed out, thus creating another reproduction.
Analysis: His works show a big feature of new media artwork, which is “appropriation”, and I think it shows a concept for new media art, which is that creating using something that already exists is better than creating from scratch. I think the different usage and combinations of the same “toolkits” will help one build unique and fun things. And in this case, the author “appropriates” the work of the photographer and, in a way, increases the popularity and public exposure of these photos, which in a way is a good thing.