V4: Text & Language
Since the early days of conceptual art, text and language have played an important role in the creation and content of new work. Given the digital nature of much contemporary new media art, it is no surpirse that text has made a resurgence in recent years. Being the basic element of computers, text has had a strong role in digital artmaking. As new media art progresses into the use of broader and more rich media, the use of text and language has been carried along to new levels of exploration.
V3: The Artist as Content
THE ARTIST AS CONTENT started out as a survey of self-portraiture in new media. It quickly became apparent, however, that the role of the artist in new media has gone far beyond that of simply subject or even creator. The body, actions, ideas and personas of the artist can now be expressed and explored in many subtle and evocative ways. The shifting perception of the role of the artist within the artwork, during and after its creation, has advanced in tandem with the exploration of motion, time, and interactivity in art.
V2: Artists of the West Coast
From San Diego to Seattle, the West Coast of the U.S. is an environemnt that has long fostered the growth of new media. Numerous educational and cultural institutions act as epicenters around which artists, technologists, and experimenters can coalesce and interact. The works in this issue of Aspect represent artists who are innovating in new fields and have established paths for future artists to follow.
EnvironMental SerVices: Projects for TV
Douglas Weathersby creates site-specific installations by combining artmaking with the business of cleaning, home repair, art installation, and other services. Weathersby uses his commercial enterprise, EnvironMental SerVices, as a means to support and create his art. Clients hire him to perform an agreed upon service while giving him permission to make art. Using light and the dust and detritus accumulated while performing these services he creates temporary installations which he documents with video and photographs. DVD includes: 18 videos and over 40 still images.
