The examples of digital art we looked at this week range from the abstract to meaningful, socially conscious to bizarre, and just about everywhere in between.
With the help of new participatory media platforms, artists Stephanie Rothenberg and Brooke Singer confront familiar issues that aren’t going away anytime soon. Globalization, corporate greed, outsourced labor, urbanization and the environment and are all brought to light in unique, innovative projects with varying results.
Rothenberg’s “Garden of Virtual Kinship” tracks monetary investments from developed nations to the third world using plants fixated on a world map. The less money a nation receives, the less water the plant gets. It’s really a quite brilliant look at the effectiveness of crowd-funded charity sites, like Kiva, and the complex dynamics that exist between the first and third worlds.
Brooke Singer’s “Sites Unseen” shows the state of various contamination sites in the U.S. though photography. I found it somewhat alarming that such ordinary things — trailer parks, housing developments and skate parks — have been built over these supposedly “toxic” sites. Do these people know what they are living on?
Singer’s chart of chemically modified organisms was also striking. It’s also interesting that the poster was “brought to you” by major chemical manufacturers like Proctor and Gamble, Dow and DuPont, some of which probably had a part in these modifications. What were these corporations trying to achieve by putting their names on the chart?
Finally, Rothenberg’s “Invisible Thread” uses the Second Life platform in an attempt to blur the distinction between the virtual and real world. Customers order jeans from the Second Life sweatshop and presto! they travel though the SL/RL portal to the customer (well, they’re actually made in a real-life factory). This instant gratification is a major component of the virtual age, but rarely do we stop to think about where these products come from or how they’re made. Projects like this can give us a better understanding of these processes.
One of the questions I had while browsing these sites is what makes a virtual art project work? When most people think of art, they think of paintings hanging in a gallery, but it can be so much more. Each of these projects confronts major issues in innovative ways, but are they effective?
Hi Kevin – When I think of major art pieces that confronted social issues, that have stood the test of time, I think of Diego Rivera’s murals. People may not agree with his beliefs, but his murals are still well known today. I guess only time will tell what will come of these new projects.
I was thinking about this too, and it seems that in many ways digital media’s blessings are its curses as well. That is: with something like Diego Rivera’s murals, relatively few people have access to them (vs. media on the Internet). However, everyone who passes by the mural is likely to consider it in some way, whereas online we often funnel ourselves through the same familiar pathways. In some ways, maybe shares on social media sites act as these landmarks that people randomly pass by…but even then, you have to attain a measure of popularity to get there.
Kevin,
I was amazed that some of the most toxic places are right here in Oregon. There were a lot more in Washington, but I thought that it was amazing that you never hear about this unless you come across a project like Superfund365. The participatory art approach is about the experience. The experience or immersion will give you a bigger impact. I think these transmedia artists are doing the same thing that video game designers are doing. People will remember the experience, good or bad.
Thank you Kevin for your engaging and thought-provoking analysis of these digital art projects. Your commentary adds valuable insight to the understanding of the intersection between art, technology, and societal issues.