varnish.: 2009

Digital seems to be around us in everyday life, yet I think there's not many people actually know what is "digital"..including myself.

Digital is artificial, not natural.
Digital is fast and convenient, connect people better (?) and instantly.
Digital has a huge opportunity to expand in very short time because of its massive information storage ability.

Information technology has created an unlimited possibility of conversations, between people, among the whole wide world.

"To see something as ART requires..
An atmosphere of artistic theory,
A knowledge of history of art,
An art world."

Anticipate the future, beyond the horizon.

Identify possible roles and strategies for future intervention.

“There’s no ‘ism’ associated with digital art.”---Rush. M. 1999

Definition of Digital Art:
Art that uses digital technology as a tool in the process of making so called “traditional” art.
Uses in any of these ways:
-As the product.
-As the process.
-As the subject.

Walter Benjamin think digital art raise issues of:
Authorship.
Uniqueness.
He suggest:
Art work’s “aura” is lost in reproduction.
If image can be reproduced, where is art?

From issue of reproduction, to totally new form of production.

Loss of “aura” in representation of “the real”

“Real and Virtual”

Do we need a whole new language to understand the “aura” and “hybrid” ?

Tic-Tac: personal co-ordinate on existing huge environment.

“It is only a matter of time before constant broadcasting of one’s life becomes as common as e-mail.”

80% of the world population never used internet.

5 views of the internet:
Just a tool. (e.g. eBay is just a large and convenient flea market.)
Big but becoming Dull. (integrated into everyday life.)
Big but Bad. (1. killing exports and professionals-mass amateurism. 2. dependency on web-eroding independent thought-dumbing down. 3. eroding privacy and identity.)
Big and getting bigger Fast. (don’t over-play the negative side of open environment.)
Big, Good-could become Bad. (some people want to close it down, adopt it to safe and chargeable new internet.)

The machine is us. (is using us.)

Collaborate group > institutions-control being inhibition of development.
Negative side-no profit for the creations.
Encouraging mass production.

Change the way of thinking about values.

Social capital > Technology capital

Digital environment create the possibility for...
-Conversation with anyone in the world.
-Brand new way of communication, socialization.
-Finding the right answer to your question.
-Finding the right member of “your group”.
-Faster the globalization.
-Equality (in general)-Equality for expression.
-Powerful global group.
-Chaos!
-Lost of information.
-Instability of information access (loss of history).