The
Chance Parameter
To further
our discussion about what constitutes art on the web, let's describe
some parameters. We know that websites consist of web pages that are
linked by hyperlinks and so an important feature of the website is navigation.
Navigation by the viewer through the site means that there will always
be some form of interaction between the viewer and the artwork. This
is fundamental in that it introduces an element of chance to the experience
of the art.
As the
artist, you may be able to determine the initial page that viewers see.
But unless you only have two pages on the site, the next page viewed
will almost always be one of several, determined not by you, the artist,
but by the viewer.
Chance,
or randomness, has long since been introduced into serious art, most
notably by John Cage the composer. Bill Viola, (see www.billviola.com)
the visual artist, says the following:
"If
you don't have some place in the loop for random chance events, you're
never going to make real progress. The problem we're having today
in the age of corporate media is that everything is so deliberately
created and controlled. I think the illusion of digital media is to
believe that it's possible to touch up and continue to perfect anything
you do before you actually release it out into the world."
So we will
keep to this philosophy of creating a dynamic piece of art delivered
over the web which incorporates the random element of viewer participation.
Another
of the dynamic qualities of our artwork created for the web will be
our ability as artists to constantly change, or update, the piece. The
piece will develop over time and the proces of creation will be integral
to the work of art itself.
You may
choose to think of the web piece as having various paths of outcome.
This could indeed be likened to a three dimensional piece of artwork
in space. A viewer may see the piece from an initial perspective and
then walk around the piece in one or another direction and experience
it in a different way from another viewer.
Does
this mean each viewer experiences a different work? Obviously
not, it is a single piece of artwork experienced in different ways.
Does
a sculptor necessarily account for every experiencial possibility when
creating a piece of three-dimensional art in space?
Not necessarily, the piece is created as a whole, and the experiencial
possibilities flow from this whole.
Similarly,
we will create our web pieces as a whole, and the experiencial possibilities
will flow from this whole. For example, we will not be able to determine
what quality of monitor, what resolution, what connection speed, etc.
our viewers will have. We will create the web piece, and then leave
these experiencial parameters to chance. This will be part of the dynamic
quality of our artwork.
It is appropriate
to think of ourselves as creating an environment, similarly to the creation
of sculpture. But instead of a 3D environment in traditional space,
we are employing virtual space, or cyber space if you prefer.
So the
architecture of our space will be dynamic. Certain areas, or components,
or elements within the space will be controlled by us, the artists,
but the overall experience will largely be determined byt he viewer.
What
elements will we use to build our web environment?
The elements
we use as artists to build our web environment will be determined by
the tools we focus on learning during this course. That said, once you
know the various tools that are at your disposal you, as an artist,
will always be able to choose what suits your expressive needs. For
example, you may always feel comfortable drawing and scanning, you may
become comfortable manipulating vector based graphics, you may take
digital photography or digital video. We will look at all of these possibilities
and use the software and HTML structure to create our web pieces.
At the
fundamental level, your site will consist of several HTML pages linked
together with hyperlinks and containing images. There may be Flash objects
or buttons and events. You may incorporate sound or video media. In
the end, the final peice should use the tools to appropriately construct
the desired artistic web space.
Start
to think about what your web environment will look like. Before
you know the tools intimately is a good time to creatively muse
about the piece. A lot of what you create will be determined
by what you can do and what your experimentation with the tools
brings in the creative process.
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Please
proceed through the lecture below. Click on the links to audio/video segments
in order. The menu to the right gives you links to major written sections
within the lecture.
TRUE
FALSE