New Media in Art: 104-115 Response

   Video art is interesting to me in that it has the capacity to be very impersonal and commercial, as is the case in many blockbuster films, but it also has the potential to be a profoundly personal and expressive medium if put into the right hands. For artists like Bill Viola, video art is a vehicle for self-discovery and expression through a process similar to a painter experimenting with different paints on a canvas. On the other hand, other artists like Andy Warhol used video as a form of diary and documentation to act as a supplement or companion piece to the actual work being produced int he studio. Using video as a means to document the process of creating really lends itself to the idea of process art and audience participation as well.

   What I found most interesting about this section was the idea of shocking and alluring viewers into a unique relationship between the artist and the viewer. The book explores this idea in regards to American artist Chris Burden and his dangerous and shocking performances, but I feel that there are many other ways to create this relationship without utilizing extreme actions. This can clearly be shown through the popularity of YouTube "vloggers" who garner millions of viewers on videos that only exist to document someone's everyday life. It shows the power and appeal of the personal and intimate side of video art and the relationships between creator and audience that it can foster.


   Rush, Michael. New Media in Art. 2nd ed., New York, Thames & Hudson Inc., 2005.


Comments

  1. Carter KOctober 14, 2018 at 9:54 PM

    I think that vlogs are interesting because in a sense, those are performances because no one actually lives like they do in vlogs. I think that it is a veiled performance because the audience often doesn't realize that what they are watching is usually unreal.

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  2. Taylor SeidOctober 14, 2018 at 11:51 PM

    I agree that there are other ways to establish a relationship between the artist and viewer, and I really like the example you give of YouTube vloggers. They let people in on their lives, documenting more than just the best days, and I think that appeals to many people because it's real and they feel like a relationship is established. I also like how you point out that video art can be personal and expressive, but can also be impersonal and commercial; this shows the range and use of the medium.
    -Taylor Seid

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  3. therosefollowerOctober 25, 2018 at 5:48 PM

    I have to con-cure with what you said on the matter of Vloggers. It really surprises me how so many YouTubers are going around, playing into the camera a persona and a lifestyle that in reality isn't true. And in that, comes the whole debate about age demographics and such.

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