This week we discussed the notion of witnessing within computational art, as well as further developments of our research projects.
As well as the developments in computer graphics from the SAGE system that I studied last week, I am also interested in looking at the work of John Whitney, an animator and inventor often regarded as a pioneer of motion graphics. He made use of mechanical products that he located from army depots, such as anti-aircraft computers dating back to WW2. They were repurposed by Whitney to create animations, such as the 1966 piece ‘Lapis’. This consisted of a series of small dots that would continuously repeat and create mandala forms.
Whitney, along with other technologists, also made frequent use of the oscilloscope, which served as the primary device for real-time visual computer outputs in the 60’s and 70’s. In one of my other modules from last term, I created a project using the oscilloscope, displaying interactive animations inspired by Whitney:
I am interested in artists that reference media archaeology, using modern technology to replicate old technology, creating work that is originally inspired by the latter. Some modern artists that work within this field that I intend to discuss within my research are Robert Henke, Robin Fox and Ted Davis.
In regards to the topics covered in the week’s discussion, the piece that stood out to me the most was ‘Dronestagram’ by James Bridle. The piece is an ongoing project where the artist collects information about drone attacks that are carried out in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. By gathering information from a number of different resources, Bridle is able to calculate the locations of these attacks, posting aerial photos using Google Maps.
The piece stood out to me as I have always been opposed to the use of drone warfare on the grounds that it creates an emotional disconnect from the horrors of war. I believe the intention of the piece is intended to be a commentary on this - by posting images of these specific locations, Bridle highlights the human loss as a result of Drone technology. This is reflected in the following extract from his website:
These are the names of places. They are towns, villages, junctions and roads. They are the names of places where people live and work, where there are families and schools. They are the names of places in Afghanistan and Yemen, which are linked by one thing: they have each been the location of drone strikes in the past couple of months.
References
http://booktwo.org/notebook/dronestagram-drones-eye-view/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzniaKxMr2g&ab_channel=Chapad%C3%A3odoFormoso