Art for the 21st Century and beyond
Posted on 29. Jul, 2009 by admin in Headlines and Opinions
by Gita Pather
Assigning meaning is an instinctive human response but art and especially new art is particularly illusive as theorist Theodor Adorno who most aptly encapsulated this when he stated in 1969, “It is self-evident that nothing concerning art is self-evident.”
The saying “The more things change, the more they stay the same” may not be exactly accurate anymore. Computer technology and the World Wide Web have changed the very nature of society and no one is immune to its reach and influence. The global village is a virtual cyberspace connecting information networks and people,changing radically how we think, interact, play and work.
One of the most visceral statements of this change is art. Traditional notions of art have been exploded, subverted, incorporated and fundamentally changed by an onslaught of new formats, techniques and concepts. It’s a natural response to a technology driven world and like artistes from time immemorial, new media artistes express themselves and reflect their experiences through means particular to their time.
Boundaries between traditional art forms have been stretched and squeezed like a palette of paint resulting in photographs that are not quite what they seem, films that incorporate digital special effects, whole musical compositions based purely on digitally produced sound and interactive artwork that belongs to no-one and yet everyone.
Art is intrinsically subversive – reflecting and critiquing society but new art seems even more so since it strives all at once to break down the barriers between art and audience, between tangible and intangible, rollicking merrily from being playful to serious, self reflexive to socially critical. The impulses are as diverse as the artistes who create and the tools that they use.
New Media art, digital art, netart, tradigital art, computer art, cyber art … are all terms to describe the different “art” forms that have resulted from the development of computer hardware and software. More than any other creative landscape, these forms are far more dynamic because of the constant technological advancements/refinements of computer and web technology.
Images, sound, video, algorithms, DVD and CD ROMS, animation, video games, websites are all classified as “digital art” and through interdisciplinary collaboration have spawned a whole range of art forms including performance art, installations, multimedia performance, happenings… the days of rigid definitions that circumscribe an art form are over.
Post-postmodernism… a combination of art for arts sake and art with a heart: asking questions, making statements about the world, the stranglehold of corporate monopolies, the super powers, the materialistic nature of existence in the 21st century and consumerism.
Before one can ask the question is it art, one has to define what art is and therein lies the problem. That answer / those answers have changed over time reflecting the complexities of an age shaped by very different defining forces. Viewed largely as a philosophical debate closely linked to aesthetics, notions of beauty, artistic skill, value and worth; it has profound and far-reaching implications within a particular time. Assigning aesthetic values is an instinctive practice made only by human beings but is impacted upon by a huge number of variables from sensory perceptions to the full gamut of factors that influence and shape culture like education, politics, morality and economics.
Thus theories of art abound, each reflective of a series of variables that shape a world view with both proponents and opponents resulting in theories within theories. Definitions of art include: art provides a unique insight into life, art is spiritual creating a link to the mystical and unknown, art is education, art is an experience, arts are a political and moral statement, art is a reflection of life and art is an interpretation of life.
Philosophers and theorists from Aristotle and Plato to Kant to Hegel have all posited definitions of art but perhaps it is Theodor Adorno who most aptly encapsulates the illusiveness of assigning meaning to art when he stated in 1969, “It is self-evident that nothing concerning art is self-evident.” New Media Art is a reflection of our time…so whether it is art or not is probably immaterial …
Two amazing sites to visit are www.digitalartistshandbook.org and www.artsandculture.com
