This week saw us cover the topic of Computational Art and Critical Practise.
One of the texts we were required to read was titled ‘Disobedient Electronics’ by Garnet Hertz. Created shortly after the US election in 2016, the zine is a catalogue of projects that are politically charged and confrontational, using electronics as a way of conveying their message. Topics covered include climate change, the gender wage gap and government surveillance. I originally came across this piece while studying on my BA - I was introduced to it by one of my tutors as I was interested in experimenting with electronics, particularly a technique referred to as ‘circuit bending’.
This involves deliberately tampering with the circuit of electronic hardware so that it short-circuits and glitches. It can be implemented in a number of different ways - it can be used to create a visual output that is often psychedelic in nature, or for the creation of sound if the user were to experiment with a musical instrument for example. The appeal of the technique for me was in the chance behind it - Each experiment produces a different result, allowing the user to create work that can potentially not be replicated. Due to its experimental nature, it has often been used to create work that is politically charged and anti-authoritarian, similar to the work displayed in Disobedient Electronics.
An example of this can be seen in some early examples of video art, particularly the work of David Hall and Nam June Paik. These artists purposefully incorporated glitches and faults within their work in an attempt to “raise questions about technology as a successful artistic medium, but also its role in relation to the human condition and nature” (McAndrew, 2009). Paik in particular was famous for exploring the use of chance within his work for political commentary. He was a firm believer in re-appropriating the television as an artistic statement, famously proclaiming: “TV has attacked us all our lives; now we’re hitting back”. (Lawson, 2001, p356).
One example of this would be the piece ‘Nixon’ (Dewar, 2013), where he attached magnets to television screens playing various footage of Richard Nixon throughout his presidency. “The result of the setup is a visually and aurally disrupted sequence of footage that simultaneously animates and undermines the words of the politician.” (Dewar, 2013). You focus primarily on the image that is being distorted on the screen, ignoring the intended message Nixon is trying to convey.
A similar concept was explored with David Hall’s piece ‘this is a television receiver’ (McAndrew, 2009). Hall had the newsreader Richard Baker read out text to the camera starting with the line “This is a television Receiver, which is a box”. He re-filmed this footage repeatedly, each time adding layers of distortion to the video. Baker at the time was a household name, associated with truth and order; by distorting the video, Hall created a feeling of unpredictability, undermining his image. Hall recalled the effect of this piece:
“My mother was absolutely distraught when she saw that piece, because she believed in Richard Baker. He was, and had been, the principal news reader. The one Person for whom you could suspend all disbelief was the person reading the news. Someone well-loved and seen for so long. Then when his image began to disintegrate and he started to be critical in a sense, of television indirectly, through what he was saying, that whole deconstruction, floored her whole belief.” (McAndrew, 2009)
By deliberately exploiting the faults within technology, Paik and Hall raised questions about communication tools that had become an integral part of people’s lives, as well as undermining images commonly associated with authority.
The topics explored in this weeks lecture have given me a lot to think about in regards to my research project. I have an interest in the history of computer animation and moving image, however it needs to have more of a purpose than simply studying work that has already been discussed. If I explore more examples that are politically charged akin to the work in Disobedient Electronics, it may open some potentially new interesting lines of enquiry.
Reference
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/paik-nixon-t14339
http://stormbugblog.blogspot.com/2005/11/war-on-television.html
Susannah Lawson, 2001. The 20th Century Art Book. Phaidon
McAndrew, J., 2009. DESTRUCTURAL VIDEO.
http://www.disobedientelectronics.com/