|
|
chicago home
events calendar
bars & clubs restaurants specials best of chicago 
art
film and video food and drink music and clubs stage style words sports features |
|
|
 Eye Exam A Random Walk
New media art--art that integrates computers or technology in any number
of different ways--suffers from an ongoing visibility problem. It's
still not accepted or understood in any meaningful way either within the
art world or by mainstream audiences. Even so, new media's quietly
enjoying a golden age. It was eye-opening to visit the Network of Visual
Art Studios this past weekend (a studio/exhibition facility I manage as
the director of Bridge) for the opening of "Unexpected Token: An
Exhibition of Algorithmic Drawings," a show of work by students from
the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I had no idea what to
expect; we had simply handed the space over to Tiffany Holmes, an
assistant professor in the Art and Technology Department
(www.tiffanyholmes.com). She in turn gave the space over to fourteen
students from her class who each brought out examples of their own
algorithmic and generative art.
As a particular subset of the new media genre, algorithmic art
requires explanation. If you were to draw a new-media family tree, the
line would descend directly to "generative art," art made using a
semi-random software algorithm, or some other type of mathematical or
mechanical process (www.generative.net is a good online resource).
Artists working in the generative genre introduce into their
computerized process a formula that ensures randomization. The result is
a new type of algorithm separate from the initial two--neither fully a
product of either the computers or the artist's process. The earliest
known example of algorithmic art was made by Roman Verostko, who keeps a
Web site at www.verostko.com detailing his and his fellow Algorists'
work.
There are some other fantastic examples of new media on display right
now: it's also the umbrella genre, for example, for the budding medium
of surveillance art; check out www.open-loop.org for a map of all known
cameras in the Loop. Kevin Hamilton, a researcher at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, opens a new exhibition at the College of
DuPage's Gahlberg Gallery this Thursday called the "Department of
Rhythmalysis." He describes the installation on his Web site at
www.synchronaut.net as implementing "site-specific alarm systems that
monitor the status of a variety of remote and local conditions." In
plain English, he has outfitted the gallery with wall-hung boxes
resembling electric panels lined with rows of red and green lights that
blink on and off in response to a list of queries such as: "Are you
keeping your voice down?" and "Is there daylight in Baghdad?" These
are in turn hooked up to bullhorns. The goal? There's a reason Hamilton
took the name of his exhibition from the Marxist philosopher Henri
Lefebvre--he's attempting to address the rhythms of "individuals,
groups, whole societies."
"Marked," an installation by Joseph Kohnke at the West Loop's
Three Walls, also opening this weekend, updates traditional notions of
new media in the artist's signature fashion. Working with "kinetic
sculpture," he uses machines to animate inanimate objects. According to
press materials, after a friend died of melanoma, "Kohnke was drawn to
every skin imperfection on his own body" and began considering how
"markings on the skin can act both as camouflage--increasing chances of
survival--as well as harbingers of death." His piece for this show
helps to search for and categorize skin markings as a way of reading the
patterns of flaws that may offer indicators of health and disease. If new media art's just a little too progressive for your taste, two
new exhibitions opening this weekend are also worth a look. First
there's Micki LeMieux's addition to the Evanston Art Center's
"Sculpture on the Grounds" program. LeMieux has installed a series of
elastic sky-blue pieces that rise plant-like from the earth;
soft-featured, they're adorned with tentacles that resemble paint
splashes. They recall manga, children's book illustrations such as Dr.
Seuss and Japanese graphic art. It makes sense, since LeMieux earns a
living making work commercially. But there's a clear evolution in these
pieces from earlier sculptural experiments such as her 2000
micro-organic epoxy sculptures, "Neurons" and "Connectors."
Also this week is the fourth installment in the California Occidental
Museum of Art's growing list of one-night exhibitions. This mobile
concept gallery started as former Chicago artist Chris Uphues' mash
letter to the Bridgeport neighborhood (it was formerly known as the
Bridgeport Museum of Modern Art). With Uphues' departure to New York,
the concept moved to the Humboldt Park home of local artists E.C. Brown
and Annika Seitz (see www.kittyspit.net/coma). Each of the exhibitions
hosted by COMA lasts only a single night and COMA #4's no exception: on
June 3 from 7pm-10pm, visitors will be treated to excellent examples of
work by JJ Sulin, Stan Shellabarger and MCA 12x12 vet Sumakshi Singh.
Each is individually worth the price of admission (it's free), and
together bode an exciting, interesting show. "Unexpected Token: An Exhibition of Algorithmic Drawings,"
shows at Nova Project Space, 840 West Washington, (312)421-2227, through
June 10. "Department of Rhythmalysis" shows at the College of DuPage
Gahlberg Gallery, 425 Falwell Boulevard, (630)942-2480, through August
5. Joseph Kohnke shows at Three Walls, 119 North Peoria, (312)432-3972,
through July 1. Micki LeMieux shows at the Evanston Art Center, 2603
Sheridan Road, (847)475-5300, through January 1. COMA #4 shows at the
California Occidental Museum of Art, 1626 North California #2. June 3,
7pm-10pm.
Also by Michael Workman Eye Exam
Eye Exam
Eye Exam
Eye Exam
Breakout Artists
Eye Exam
Eye Exam
Eye Exam
Tip of the Week
Eye Exam
Eye Exam
Eye Exam
|
|
about Newcitychicago | about Newcity magazine | advertising | privacy policy | FAQ | employment |
