POST 18- COMPUTATIONAL MEDIA AND DIGITAL ART

     This lecture talks about multimedia installation, interactive media, and video games as art. The first topic covered was computers as a medium vs a tool, which I believe early artists use the computer for both to express themselves and create their art. Early digital artists would use computers as a tool by creating and altering images on a computer. Computers as a medium enable us to partner with the computer to create art. An example of this is digital artists such as Michael Knoll also created algorithms so the computer could create thousands of images, even once he was dead. Another topic the lecture covered is video games, VR, and AR as art. In class, we had a large discussion on whether or not these would be considered art. By the end of the conversation, I now do believe that these are a form of art. They are all interactive digital entertainment, that someone creates and designs for the computer, game console, or phone/tablet. Art is ever changing, and I believe these forms are a newer form of art. Not only does the creator physically make the game, but the players of the game are tasked with interacting with the art. This is similar to the newly found art installations. One person or team creates the installation, and the viewers interact with it. The last topic was regarding post internet art/artists. One major example of this is the video, How Not To Be Seen: A Fucking Didactic Educational .MOV File, which is a 2013 video by Hito Steyerl. The video goes over ways to “not be seen” both in the physical world and the digital world. In a world so heavily reliant on the digital world, it can be a good thing to take a break and not show every detail online. The video depicts the tension between the capabilities of technology to surveil humans/encroach on physical experiences, and the social/political invisibility of marginalized populations.