Simposyum Emoção Art.ficial 2002

São Paulo, August 11th to 14th, 2002

In order to discuss the possible relations between art and digital culture, and also to establish parameters for their definitions, production, and interfaces, Itaú Cultural promoted the [emoção art.ficial] International Symposium. Round tables gathering representatives from major international media centers and from local and foreign universities analyzed how technology associates with the contemporary creative process. Read here the round tables’ reports.

Lev Manovich starts up the discussions of the symposium

by Ana de Fátima Sousa, august 11th 2002

photos by Carol Lambert

The russian artist and theorist of New media, Lev Manovich, celebrated the opening of the symposium Emoção Art.ficial. Manovich brought up the theories explored in his most recent paper [finished while he was flying to Brazil, last thursday], The Anti-Sublime Ideal in Data Art.According to him, the data art is a connection of two main concepts: one is data visualization and the other is data mapping.

The computers work as the intermediary level of transmission os this new expression of art, as they tuirn it easier to map data and elaborate different drawings, lectures and even graphic visualizations of these data – wich can be represented by a very simple cartesian graphic or something deeper and much more abstract as a picture like Mondrian’s artwork.

“It’s possible to think about art as a great data mapping, whatever they are: images, sounds or even colours”. The mapping – for Manovich – is the more adequate form to describe what new media can do with the old ones. As you map an artwork, you are able to add new interface, new sort of objects, preserving the original media structure.

Manovich showed a series of artworks that deal with the caractreristics of data art. The work of Joachim Sauter – which is also part of emoção Art.ficial exhibition – and the german media center ART+COM was largely explored during the conference.

The opening event also gave to the participants the opportunity to watch the national release of the documentary Sónar 2002, by Denis Rodriguez e Eliana Iwasa (digital video, 18 min), about the last edition of one of the most important eletronic art festival that takes place in Barcelona, Spain.

Media art is (re)defined in an enthusiastic debate

By Ana de Fátima Sousa, August 12th 2002
photos by Carol Lambert

The term media art was the major focus of the first round table at the [ emoção art.ficial ] symposium. Guest speakers Alex Adriaansen (V2_ Organisation/Holland), Cláudia Giannetti (MECAD/Spain), Arlindo Machado (PUC/Brazil) and Monika Fleishmann (MARS/Germany) showed consensus around the infinite possibilities to define such term. All of them stated that this new art expression is an unstable, malleable field, full of variants, and those are its greatest quality. Creativity emerges only in the midst of unstableness.

One of the highlights of the round table was the sharp talk delivered by Dutch guest speaker Alex Andriaansen, one of the founding artists of V2_ Organisation. He is the one who defined media art production as an unstable media. “Unstableness gives art objects and processes the quality of dynamism, the possibility of transformation,” he states. According to him, the “unstable” state can be seen as the force that unbalances the homogeneous structure of things. “Conflict is definitely necessary to create media art and also to transform the world,” he believes.

Andriaansen also addressed the new vision of the man-machine relation. While man used to operate the machines in the old times, today he works with them. “There is an intense network of collaboration, the “machemistry” (machine + chemistry) relation, as the theorist calls it.”

The talk by the Brazilian Professor Arlindo Machado was also another highlight in the debate. “I particularly think that the term media art has been interpreted in a stricter way, wherein the only association is that of the technical aspect of using electronic equipment with the making of beautiful works. What does this new artist produce actually? He deprograms the machine, gives technological devices a new function,” he says. The machine, according to Machado, now operates in a transgressive manner, performs a new role and is socially inserted. “Critics tied to tradition describe media art as something ephemeral, epidermal, superficial. However, smart are those critics who see the new art as a natural path of transformation of human expressions”, he declares.

An involving and didactic talk given by Arlindo was closed by making reference to German thinker Walter Benjamim, who – in his time – had already forecast the eternal shock to define art. “The issue is not to know what we can consider as being art or not. What really matters is to realize that the mere existence of new products leads old definitions to crisis and requires thinking to be reformulated”.

The clear passion of all speakers for the theme [media art] was evident in the talk addressed by MARS director, Monika Fleishmann. “IBM influences our lives much more than the 40 years of communism, which we have practically forgotten. Nevertheless, our relationship with technology is intense, it involves us thoroughly, makes us feel eager to transform the world,” she said firmly.

Good news for technicians, artists and curious people in general came with the representative for MECAD – Spanish media center – Cláudia Giannetti. The institution’s Escola Superior de Disseny awards scholarships for master’s degree and regular courses. Registrations are open and can be made through the institution’s web site [www.mecad.org].

Art media centers reveal how they work

by Carlos Costa, august 12th 2002

photos by Rubens Chiri

Officers from five major art media production and research centers around the world explained how their institutions operate during the second round table at Emoção Art.ficia, held Monday evening. By showing outstanding works, explaining lines for research and furtherance that they adopt and giving out information on their budgets, interests and opinions, the speakers helped the attendants picture how major art media centers develop their work.

The session was opened by Fabienne Nicholas and Elizabeth Hughes, the two representatives from Australian institution Experimenta, which deals with research and development of digital video and installations connected with technological development and congruence between different sciences. With no gallery or specific premises for exhibitions, the institution displays artworks and screens video films in a variety of venues ranging from sheds to houses.

For next year, they are preparing the exhibition called “House of Tomorrow”, which is meant to show a completely interactive house that portraits a likely future for residential properties in a creative way. According to Elizabeth Hughes, the exhibition will be held in a property, in the metropolitan area of Melbourne. The institution is open to suggestions and projects related to the “House of Tomorrow”. Further information can be obtained in the web site.

Featuring as one of the best performances of that evening, Iamas’ president Itsuo Sakane, from Japan, told the audience the history behind the institute foundation, showed images of part of their extensive and comprehensive collection, pointed out the concern with education and the aid obtained through partnerships with private companies, a characteristic that can also be seen in the Experimenta case. An outstanding moment was when the artworks were projected, thus proving that media art circulates among the most different fields of human knowledge and has a strong playful appeal.

To proceed with the presentations, Audrey Navarre, from Fondation Daniel Langlois, in Canada, addressed the foundation’s lines of work. These include the program geared to the development of projects of organizations prioritizing initiatives from South America and Northeast Africa.

The foundation was created by Daniel Langlois, responsible for the first digital animation short in the world, and its objective is to assist research and implementation of projects from developing countries. The foundation’s web site furnishes more information on the programs.

Coming from Poland, Piotr Krajewski talked about the experience of WRO – Center for Media Art, born at the time when the country was still living under the Communist regime. The institution running method is similar to that of the other ones and is exclusively devoted to media art.

Bringing new enthusiasm to the audience, Susan Kennard, curator for the Banf Center, in Canada, spoke a little bit about the institution and drew attention to the research conducted on works and artworks that approach the emotional restrictions of technology, like the example of “Talk Nice”, which is being displayed at the Emoção Art.ficial exhibition and was produced and developed according to the institution’s lines for research and furtherance.

Virtual communities and the construction of reality

by Carlos Costa, august 13th 2002

photos by Carol Lambert

Two works developed by Gilbertto Prado and by Itaulab’s team – Imaterialidades and Desertesejo – were the theme of the artist’s talk, multimedia, which marked the beginning of the third session of he symposium [Emoção Art.ficial], this afternoon. The works, which create virtual environments, were the subject of the reflections about the critical analysis of the construction of reality, an issue exhaustively portrayed by art.

Prado also explored the theme of the session, Networks and Virtual Communities, making references to two other works by Brazilian artists – Jornada Xamânica and Vozes. To close the talk, Gilbertto Prado chose to read a text that, among other issues, analyzed the role of users in virtual environments, “the masters and part of the environments they visit “.

Ravi Sundaram, member of CSDS, from India, took the opportunity to outline the history of networks that have always connected men, particularly in India. From the beginning of the Press, through the telegraph and the train, virtual networks have always connected people. The scholar thinks that shopping malls, airports and other similar places work exactly like virtual communities.

Then, Mônica Narula, one of the founding partners of the Sarai media center, in India, showed the audience the website Opus, which works with an open platform for users to build virtual communication networks.

The trustee of Transmidiale, Germany’s Internacional Artmedia Festival, Susanne Jaschko, talked about the strength of the young culture that creates artemedia, which is fun and playful. “Children developed their own wireless means of expression”, she said. According to the trustee, the two main forms of expression of that culture are clear in the games and perceptible in the music. Among other works, she showed the audience a video about writing music based on the sounds of a game boy.

Finally, Anne Nigten, manager of V2_Lab, from Holland, showed works of the laboratory, such as an interactive game based on the work of the painter Bosch Hieronymous, created as a solution to replace the site of the museum that houses the collection of the works of the artist.

The latin-american production

by Carlos Costa, august 13th 2002

photos by Carol Lambert

The symposium’s fourth floor [art.ficial emotion] gave us hints of what is going on in the Latin American art and technology scenario. But that was it. The discussion that promised excited remarks brought brief summaries of Argentinean, Brazilian, Mexican, and Peruvian productions.

The representative of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Jorge La Ferla, opened Tuesday night’s programming (13) with a political play-on-words. “In Argentina we are not going through artificial emotions. The feeling is very real in everything and has loud colors “, he said. The audience cheered emotionally and he went on. “Our bankers are hackers, who destroy our financial system and never return our money”, he fired off.

The protest speech of the well-humored Argentinean came to rest then. La Ferla’s concern was to introduce the work of fellow artists who have developed projects in art-technology. According to La Ferla, the creators more directed to this field of expression are in other countries, where they receive incentives and equipment to put their ideas in practice. The works presented shared a common feature – a language that allies aesthetics, interactivity, and non-linearity. The speaker particularly praised the work of artist Marcello Maçado. “These pieces denote audiovisual evolution”, he said.

Jose-Carlos Mariategui (Andean High Technology/Peru) introduced an extensive scenario of Peruvian production in the past 10 years. According to him, Latin American production will not be left behind in the world scenario. “Our conceptual creation is already framed within global standards”. Mariategui believes this type of art can survive and feed from “localizing what is global and globalizing what is local” – that is, only those who can translate regional qualities into a universal language and vice-versa can stand out.

In his presentation, Mariategui portrayed the evolution of Peruvian artists through the work of Francisco Mariotti (who already worked with digital media in the 60’s), Roger AtasiIván Esquivel and Angie Bonino. To check on the institution production, we recommend visiting the site.

The Mexican Príamo Lozada presented the work of the institution Arte Alameda, while the Argentinean professor and musician Ricardo Dal Farra (Universidad Tres de Febrero) presented a complex educational proposal directed to media art. The Brazilian Silvia Laurentiz (ECA-USP) made a demonstration of the Art and technology scenario she developed together with Arlindo Machado.

Virtual environment has to be touching

by Ana de Fátima Sousa, augusta 14th 2002

photos by Carol Lambert

On Wednesday’s (14) first floor, the symposium [art.ficial emotion] discussed the process of creating interfaces and immersing environments. All works and proposals presented mainly focus on inserting extremely human elements to generate interactivity, interest, and emotion. Without a human narrative, the virtual environment is only an empty space.

One of the hearty defenders of this line of thought is the artist Elizabeth Vander Zaag (Banff Center/Canada). “Why are soap operas so successful on TV? Because they show new stories daily, and always translate feelings like hatred, love, and surprise. Spectators mirror themselves on the stories and can entirely dive into the plot “, she explained. According to Zaag, it’s the same in cyberspace. “All and any work produced for men has to conquer them, give them the feeling of being able to interact with that world “.

Elizabeth Zaag is the creator of Talk Nice [which is in the exhibit on until October at Itaú Cultural] in which two girls chat with visitors. The piece works on the user’s voice modulation. Depending on vocal intonations, the girls “accept” spectators and establish a more friendly communication.

Another work presented by the Canadian was developed in 1990 and provides hints on how to speak softly to a man. A simple inexpensive piece that – says the creator – uses much healthier interactivity. That is, interactivity that brings interface and “friendly” narratives. You can check on here.

The German Joachim Sauter (ART+COM) presented a series of projects created at the institution he runs. One of the presentation’s most beautiful pieces was Time Traveller, in which the user can browse by landscape images or films shot in different times. One of the options is to take a panoramic look at a vast field in Berlin that, when overlaying the image of the past, goes back to the time in which the Berlin wall solidly stood out in the scenario and divided Germany in two.

If there are possible recipes for the use of this immersing multi-user environment, the also German Wolfgang Strauss (MARS) has one. According to him, there are five steps: 1 – user identifies the structure and rules; 2 – user plays with them (rules and structure) 3 – user reflects on how action takes place; 4 – users notices the presence of other participants; 5 – users try to communicate.

The Brazilian cyberspace was exposed in the lecture of Suzete Ventturelli (UnB). The professor presented her projects, which range from interfaces to multi-users to her recent research on the language of games, and also brought projects from other country artists such as André Parente, Gilbertto Prado, Diana Domingues, Rejane Cantoni, Daniela Kutschat and Tânia Fraga.

New tecnologies are transforming art

by Carlos Costa, august 14th 2002

photos by Carol Lambert

The [Art.ficial Emotion] symposium’s last floor gathered artists and academic professionals, from different nationalities, focused on showing the new trends in the artistic scenario, amidst constant technological evolutions. The remaining impression is that man still wants to be God. Create new worlds. Repeat the Genesis. Either with paint and paper or software and digital platforms. But the new technologies definitely changed the world we live in.

The Brazilian artist Eduardo Kac, who lives and works in Chicago (USA) in the new and complex universe of transgenic art, opened the floor. Kac drew the attention of his work for the dialog between technology and biology and briefly explained his transgenic art installations, which created a bacterium (inspired in an adaptation of an extract from the book of Genesis), and changed the development and life of animal species on behalf of philosophical questioning.

“It’s a protest against reductionism that tries to explain everything through genetics”, he said. Among the ideas he produced during his speech, Kac defended that currently Wall Street has more power on the development of our species than the natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin.

Next, the Australian Jeffrey Shaw, professor of art media in Germany, made a parallel between film and art media and pointed out important features for pieces that try to insert in a new art prospect, such as immersing space and interactivity. Shaw is also the founder and director of the ZKM art media center and participates in the [Art.ficial Emotion] exhibit with three pieces.

Cheering participant’s mood with his wit, the French artist and professor Maurice Benayoun caused laughter and reflection. Going by his pieces and using a wide screen to project phrases especially written for the event, he ironically commented on his own work and, in this fashion, built his personal prospects on art media.

To close the speeches, the German artist and academic Roy Ascott proposed a deep philosophical reflection, based on quotes from several theoreticians, about the possible prospects for the future of art, particularly art media.

In his speech, he built three concepts, originated from possible constructions with the consonants VR in English. These concepts included Virtual Reality, which all knew, Validity Reality, based on the Newtonian aspect, of machine, and Vegetal Reality, conceived under the inspiration of Shamanic traditions and tribal uses of herbs with hallucinogenic powers.

With active audience participation, the last floor left us the certainty that art horizons throughout the world are going through change and that the new technologies increasingly enable us to turn our dreams into reality and build illusions.

The latin-american production

by Carlos Costa, August 13h 2002

photos by Carol Lambert

The symposium’s fourth floor [art.ficial emotion] gave us hints of what is going on in the Latin American art and technology scenario. But that was it. The discussion that promised excited remarks brought brief summaries of Argentinean, Brazilian, Mexican, and Peruvian productions.

The representative of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, Jorge La Ferla, opened Tuesday night’s programming (13) with a political play-on-words. “In Argentina we are not going through artificial emotions. The feeling is very real in everything and has loud colors “, he said. The audience cheered emotionally and he went on. “Our bankers are hackers, who destroy our financial system and never return our money”, he fired off.

The protest speech of the well-humored Argentinean came to rest then. La Ferla’s concern was to introduce the work of fellow artists who have developed projects in art-technology. According to La Ferla, the creators more directed to this field of expression are in other countries, where they receive incentives and equipment to put their ideas in practice. The works presented shared a common feature – a language that allies aesthetics, interactivity, and non-linearity. The speaker particularly praised the work of artist Marcello Maçado. “These pieces denote audiovisual evolution”, he said.

Jose-Carlos Mariategui (Andean High Technology/Peru) introduced an extensive scenario of Peruvian production in the past 10 years. According to him, Latin American production will not be left behind in the world scenario. “Our conceptual creation is already framed within global standards”. Mariategui believes this type of art can survive and feed from “localizing what is global and globalizing what is local” – that is, only those who can translate regional qualities into a universal language and vice-versa can stand out.

In his presentation, Mariategui portrayed the evolution of Peruvian artists through the work of Francisco Mariotti (who already worked with digital media in the 60’s), Roger AtasiIván Esquivel and Angie Bonino. To check on the institution production, we recommend visiting the site.

The Mexican Príamo Lozada presented the work of the institution Arte Alameda, while the Argentinean professor and musician Ricardo Dal Farra (Universidad Tres de Febrero) presented a complex educational proposal directed to media art. The Brazilian Silvia Laurentiz (ECA-USP) made a demonstration of the Art and technology scenario she developed together with Arlindo Machado.