http://homepage.mac.com/davidrokeby/shockabsorber.html
I found the work of David Rokeby to be very intriguing. After viewing the video posted on this week’s lesson itinerary, I wanted to look at an artist that may lean more toward the technological side of new media. I don’t want to say these works carry less of a meaning, but they do focus primarily on the technology rather than a flat meaning behind the artwork. One of my favorite pieces on Rokeby’s website is entitled “Shock Absorber.” The 2001 installation is different than any that I have seen.
The idea behind “Shock Absorber” is to split a live feed into two separate images. In the first image it shows purely the movement and the still features of the photo are absent, while the other image is the image that is left over. Rokeby’s idea was to demonstrate what happens in the eye before the brain deciphers the information that we see in order for it to appear as it does. The artist is toying with the idea of perception and giving us an inside look at how our mind works. You can check out some of his other works that are along the same lines. This isn’t the first time that this artist has done something to this effect.
I also thought it was interesting to look at this site because you can view the progression of his work over almost 10 years. He is still working and actually has a current installation up until March of this year.
The most interesting thing about the article was how the progression of his work was implemented. I was a Forensic Science major for two years, so progressive studies are a big part of what was ahead in my future. By taking this concept and placing it into a digital art scenario, you can see how a particular artist evolves, changes styles, continues his style throughout many works of art, or manipulates past influences.
ReplyDeleteMany online digital portfolios, even mine, are like that. It's interesting to look back and see what work I did when I was just starting out or even when I thought a had a good handle on the program, and compare that to years of experience later. It really is a big difference, but the similarities for each artist's work are usually evident.
"Shock Absorber" is also a really neat concept to begin with. Everyone perceives and critiques different pieces of work from artists, but it's almost like the artist is able to play with this perception and create works off of that. It's quite a thoughtful process.
-Collin Mehalick