throughlines:new media artists

a good project for new media artists is covered in Spencer Keegan's Coopoerative learning. this activity is a great way for students to understand the difference between interperetive, and descriptive statements made about a piece of art. after looking at an artist's work, the students will devide into small groups. in these small groups, the students will come up with a list of descriptive statements based on the work they just saw. after the list is made, the students will switch lists, and review descriptions made by other groups. the students will then decide if the other groups statements are descriptive. this activity can be repeated, except this time using interpritations about the artist's work.
POSIBLE THROUGHLINES:
Scott snibbe's "deep walls", and henry kaufman's the memory of your touch"have many conceptual similarities. these similarities create through lines that can be used in the classroom setting. "deep walls" and "the memory of your touch" are both interactive with the viewer. this interaction, provides a teacher with the opportunity to introduce multiple through lines. one through line is similar to what we did in our class. because of the interaction, these pieces provide a strong foundation for a lesson on internal, and external understanding of the artwork. internal description is based on what the viewer can see, hear and touch in the piece. for example: in scott snibbe's "deep walls", the viewer can see that the movement of their shadow is being projected onto a large white wall. internal interpretation is based on what the viewer feels, and what the viewer thinks the artist is trying to say. external understanding of the artwork is based on acquired knowledge. this information is either drawn from artist statements, reviews etc. when we listened to a review on Snibbe's work, i began to realize that the piece held a small amount of proof that someone had been there before you, making different motions. it was said in the review that the screen captured a small part of every participants soul. this is an example of external interpretation. this is because my new understanding, and interpretation of the piece was influenced by someone else's review.

in a broader, more conceptual based sense, i think that there are many more through lines to be drawn from scot snibbe, and henry kaufman's work. one of these can be the concept of interaction. what are the similarity's between the interaction in scott snibbe's work, and kaufman's work. both works leave a mark, or an action preformed by someone who viewed the work before you did. while the screen, and piece of plexy glass remain the same...the image projected onto them is constantly changing. the big question would fall along the lines of what does interaction with the viewer add to art...what does it take away?

another through line can be found in the basic idea of what "new media" is. what are the benefits from art that is created using computer generated programs. i have been thinking about this for a long while and i think that new media cannot be bottled up into just using computers as a medium. i think "new media" is a term that is to often associated with computers. while, computers play a major role in new media, there are many other types of media that artists are expirimenting with that are non-traditional. one of these is street graffiti...or should i say "street artists". one of the most famous current street artist who goes by the name of "banksy" has been building a strong reputation for himself. while no one knows his real name, or his real identity, he has been able to use what can be considered as a new media to speak his ideas. these ideas are often related to politics, violence, and social issues.
http://www.eliotgeorge.com/img/news/banksy.jpg">
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Banksy.bomb.jpg/453px-Banksy.bomb.jpg">
http://static.flickr.com/89/240316625_cc7138635f.jpg">
while banksy's work has nothing to do with computer programs, i think that it raises the question of what is new media? is new media restricted to computer programs, and digital images? or is new media the phrase granted to artists who are trying to convey their concepts using materials that are not deemed "traditional"?

adding to this conversation, i could introduce Oliver Kunkel's work. he is a new media artist that often uses digital media, but does not rely on it.

"little plastic surgery"installation and videojuly 2006
A game, which is supposedly created for children, is the core of the installation. The object is presented to the viewer as though it was created for a shop display. In a 3D animation the commercial video shows the viewer how to use the object. A massive torso becomes the base for applying pink plasticine. By utilizing pre-fabricated casts which produce "ugly" body parts, the plasticine is formed into features that are not in accordance with the "normal" standards of beauty. "Let's operate" is an invitation to change the prescribed "irregularities" back into standards. The goal of the game should be to teach children the importance of beauty in our society, in order to condition the child at an early age, to realize what the "prescribed" norms of beauty are."
http://www.oliverkunkel.com/images/little_ps/kunkel_little_plastic_003.jpg">

http://www.oliverkunkel.com/index.php?little_ps

introducing thse artists, along with snibbe and kaufman would further the discussion of the "big question: what is new media?