Web Art ART 321 Dr J R Parker

Web Art ART 321 Dr. J. R. Parker Art/Digital Media Lab Lec 01 Winter

Web Art This course will focus on the basic concepts of web art and net art. This is not a course in web page design. At the end of this course you will have a better understanding of the nature of net art, and the materials and tools used in its construction. 2

Evaluation There are 9 assignments that can be completed in this course. Each one is worth the same amount. Although some are harder than others, they are presented in an order that is compatible with what you should know at each point. You may do them in the lab each week. A final project is worth 30%. This is a web art project of your choosing or a term paper. 3

Materials You are responsible for materials used in completing the assignments. You will need access to computers, and may use your own, the computers in the lab, or any on campus. You will be asked to pay for printing and any materials you consume. 4

Instructor (ME) Dr. Jim Parker Specialty: Digital media, video games, animation Office: AB 606 LAB: AB 611 jparker@ucalgary. ca http: //www. ucalgary. ca/~jparker/311 5

What Is Web Art? It’s likely that any definition with Web Art will eventually have to be so flexible as to be nearly meaningless. However, for now we have some basic criteria. 6

What is Web Art? - Web Art is on the Internet. Anyone can access the work from any browser that is connected to the Internet. 7

What is Web Art? Web Art is interactive. By clicking, typing, dragging, or whatever the viewer has some or full control over the experience with the work. Or can be interactive. 8

What is Web Art? The name of the work can be a registered domain name. A typical name might be untitled 5 work 9. com or art 321 asg 1. ca 9

What is web art? The work is interesting to look at when there is no one interacting with the site as well as while the viewer is interacting with the site. 10

What is Web Art? The work is self-contained. It stands by itself. If there must be links, the work must still be able to be considered a work of art even if the link to the outside fails. 11

What is web art? The work is interesting to look at when there is no one interacting with the site as well as while the viewer is interacting with the site. 12

What is web art? Web Art does not sell, preach, recruit or teach. A mail order catalog may be stunningly beautiful but we would be reticent to put such a catalog an an art museum as a work of art. The more likely scenario is that the work is intended to be a work of art from the beginning. The purpose of Web Art is to inspire, to cause wonder, to be fun. 13

What is web art? It is very likely that the web site is built with Free Open Source Software (FOSS). 14

What is web art? The web site is free of Digital Rights Management (DRM) and any other limitations that could diminish its lifeexpectancy. Web Art is art for art's sake. http: //aotn. us/what_is_web_art 15

What is web art? http: //www. radiohead. com/ 16

What is net art? Net art differs from art on the net. Art on the net is mostly nothing more than the documentation of art which is not created on the net, but rather outside it and, in terms of content, does not establish any relationship to the net. Net art functions only on the net and picks out the net or the "netmyth" as a theme. It often deals with structural concepts: A group or an individual designs a system that can be expanded by other people. 17

What is net art? Museum of Net Art http: //www. mowa. org/ 18

What is net art? http: //www. radiohead. com/ 19

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New Media It is the result of a natural evolution of information technology in the usual direction that humans choose – art. Everything that humans do, essential or not, we make into art. Architecture, cooking, resting, recreation, communication, . . . 28

New media uses the enabling technology associated with computation to create art. This began simply, slowly, and grew, and will continue to grow. So, texts, graphics, and sound recorded on computer readable form are an elementary example of new media. 29

New media More advanced forms of new media cannot exist without the computer. An example is the video game, which I consider a pure form. Hypertext is next – it can, in principle, exist as cross references to paper and other sources, but computers make it practical and useful. 30

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age 1. Do Not Be Always On Humans can only really perceive the present moment. Computers are in some sense biased against time. Joining too closely with computers means abandoning our natural cycles. 31

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age Computer programs (code) is biased away from continuous time. These programs encourage behaviours also biased against continuous time. Email, twitter, facebook, etc. demand our attention. We can say no. 32

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age 2. Live In Person Computer networks allow immersive communication over vast distances. If we engage too closely we can not deal with what is in front of us. [dislocation] 33

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age Messages that underlie digital network communication travel various routes to arrive at us. There is no sense of place. We should avoid the use of computers to simulate presence when real presence can be accomplished. 34

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age 3. You May Always Choose None of the Above. Computers turn everything into a choice. A problem resides in who choses, and what we get to see and do. 35

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age Messages that underlie digital network communication travel various routes to arrive at us. There is no sense of place. Vision: what colour is that? 491 Thz? 492? Where does orange end and red begin? Sound: CD vs analog recording. 36

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age 4. You Are Never Completely Right. Digital; tools oversimplify nuanced problems. Digital media is a polarizing influence. They model reality, not substitute for it, and are not completely accurate. 37

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age Digital technology tends to attempt to reduce complexity. It levels the playing field by allowing simple and comprehensive searches, but does not convey the complexity of the results. We now tend to cherry pick the facts we like, which polarizes us. 38

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age 5. Once Size Does Not Fit All Everything scales, on the net. Abstraction is a natural activity, but some things have a natural or best scale to operate. 39

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age Successful Bookstore – gets business online, hires some kids to create a web site with shopping cart and Paypal. Online transactions are less expensive, so he gets computers for the shop for orders. Then eliminates the store and goes online. Now aggregators collect prices from all book purchase requests by customers, and looks for lowest price. If hers is not lowest, the sale is lost. Business fails. On the net all happens at the same level. 40

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age 6. Be Yourself The out-of-body nature of digital experiences foster depersonalized behaviour. You should mostly resist the temptation to be anonymous. 41

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age The less responsibility we take for our online behaviour the more likely we are to behave badly (our worst natures become exposed). Only 7% of human communication is verbal. 42

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age 7. Don’t Sell Your Friends Our digital networks are biased towards social connections. Any effort to redefine those connections for profit will compromise the integrity of the network, you connections, and the promise of contact. 43

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age 8. Tell the Truth False info placed online will soon be exposed to the light of day. Truth is the only option. 44

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age 9. Share. The Internet is ideally situated for sharing information. We are not used to operating in such a sharing environment. In addition, credit must be given. Exploiters risk being exploited. 45

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age Internet was initially created by academics (for a military purpose, to be sure). The idea was to build a survivable communication infrastructure. As it became more publically accessible and privatized, the sharing aspect has largely remained. 46

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age 10. Program or be Programmed Digital technology is created by programs. It is biased towards people who write code. If we cannot code we are at the mercy of those who can and do. 47

Philosophical Sidelight Ten Commandments for a Digital Age The public is always a generation behind the modern technology of communication. The invention of the alphabet did not lead to a society of readers, but one of listeners (oral transmission). The printing press created more readers, not writers. Radio created listeners, TV created watchers. We’re always a step behind. Instead of optimizing computer systems for humanity, they optimize for machinery. 48

Philosophical Sidelight This course is designed to have you catch up to the current technology. You will become programmers. It is easy, really, and gives you options and understanding of systems that you never thought you would have. You will control the lightning, make the computer do your bidding. It’s a powerful feeling. Art is the most fundamental human act possible. You should feel powerful. 49