TEC154 2010S, Class 27: Digital Art (Kluber and Simon)

Overview:
* Short presentation by Kluber and Simon.
* Time to view the show.
* Q & A 

Admin:
* There is no reading for Monday.
* I've been happy to see the increased response rate and quality of responses on recent readings.
* I was sorry to see so few of you at the recent events I've been recommending.
* EC for tonight's opening reception and/or talk for this show.
* EC for one GWS event of your choice.
* EC for Drag Show (supporting your MC'ing colleague).
* EC for one other pride event of your choice.

John Simon, Jr.

* Simon is at School of Visual Arts
* Was there as a student in 1987, the era of the Mac II
  * Amazingly, you could use color on those machines
  * You amazed people by telling them that you worked in computers in the arts
  * No digital photography
* The change in technology since then is fantastic
* There's never been more possibility, more power in your hands
  * And next year it will be even better
* Other characteristics are important
  * Email, upload, share, and otherwise distribute.
  * Remixing (suggested by another visitor)
  * Methods of working that you couldn't have imagined
  * Web 2.0 changes things too
* Spent many years looking at issues in fine art and materials and etc.
* Wanted to evolve beyond "You push a button and the computer makes the art."
  * E.g., AI work.:w
* More interesting to Simon that software could change the image over time.
  * How do you make a recipe for something that is interesting over time?
* Uses a large number of variables: What controls tilt, surface color, rotation
  speed, etc.
* By combining a huge number of variables you get billions of possible
  variations, so the cycle length is MUCH LARGER than you'd get on any

* Consideration in piece one: How does it "read" when you incorporate
  the screen in another work. 
  * Cabinet which reflects the ize of the screen
  * Obscure part of the screen to give you a "window"
  * Use of mirrors to show parts of the screen
  * Playing with the texture of the surface.
    * We read the mirror images differently because you get the smooth/glossy
      feel of the screen
  * More recently to separate the software and other elements.
* Laser cut materials with digital control
  * Stuff that's hard to cut manually

Kluber

* When he was in school (similar time), also wasn't a lot of computer
  use in the fine arts.
* Studied painting and printmaking because he thought printmaking would
  increase his chance of getting a job
  * And he was right
* Took lessons from printmaking to his painting.
* Art and design department got "leftovers" from other departments.
* Recalls trying to use Photoshop on Mac not quite equipped to handle it
  * But the crashes were interesting in their bands of colored light.
* Even when things were working, the gradual loading of images was
  interesting.
   * Great "Negative space" where the image was going to load.
 * Discovered pinstriping tool used by autodetailers and such
   * Made lines by hand that looked like the computer crashes (or his
     interpretation thereof)
   * Working on smaller images
* Worked out compositional issues (such as the aspect ratio of the
  canvas)
* Very interesting color relationships possible
* Then started working with flourescent paints
* Was simultaneously working on projecting onto mylar
* Moving the projector onto the color field paintings revealed 
  interesting things
* Started working with programmers to help him realize his vision
  * In contrast with Simon, who does his own programming
* Some stuff is very practical
  * Making it easier to crop precisely to fit the size of the painting.
* Comparison between subtractive color from reflected light (e.g., normal
  painting)and additive light as on the monitor.
  * These works provide a dialog between the two.
* Use of technology in making the paintings
  * Uses digital vinyl cutter to cut a mask
  * Then paints over the mask.