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Thaumatropia.Net will go dark on Jan 18 to fight SOPA and PIPA

January 17, 2012

In solidarity with a number of prominent US-based websites, Thaumatropia.Net will go dark tomorrow to protest SOPA and PIPA. These pieces of legislation currently grinding their way through the United States Congress will give sweeping powers to censor and shut down websites in the hands of large media companies, criminalizing the overwhelmingly benign activities of most content producers and consumers on the internet for the sake of maximizing profits.

Over at BoingBoing, Cory Doctorow has this to say:

Even though a substantial portion of my living comes from the entertainment industry, I don’t think that any amount of “piracy” justifies this kind of depraved indifference to the consequences of one’s actions. Big Content haven’t just declared war on Boing Boing and Reddit and the rest of the “fun” Internet: they’ve declared war on every person who uses the net to publicize police brutality, every oppressed person in the Arab Spring who used the net to organize protests and publicize the blood spilled by their oppressors, every abused kid who used the net to reveal her father as a brutalizer of children, every gay kid who used the net to discover that life is worth living despite the torment she’s experiencing, every grassroots political campaigner who uses the net to make her community a better place — as well as the scientists who collaborate online, the rescue workers who coordinate online, the makers who trade tips online, the people with rare diseases who support each other online, and the independent creators who use the Internet to earn their livings.

The contempt for human rights on display with SOPA and PIPA is more than foolish. Foolishness can be excused. It’s more than greed. Greed is only to be expected. It is evil, and it must be fought.

(Incidentally, under these pieces of legislation, I could potentially face severe legal consequences for quoting Mr. Doctorow here, up to and including having my excellent hosting service forced to blacklist my domain, effectively shutting down this website.)

This video gives an excellent overview of what’s going on, and what’s at stake:

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

If you have a website, I encourage you to join the Strike. If you do not, but the internet plays a significant role in your business or daily life, please take the opportunity to speak out against SOPA/PIPA tomorrow with your friends, family, and colleagues.

Thank you.

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Truth. And Above All Things, Love.

December 10, 2011

I dreamt, though not long, of getting caught up in a quiet yet earth-shaking adventure. A story of Truth and Determination and, yes, even Love unfolded. Seas were navigated, villains were confronted, and we were all Changed.

At the end, we stood looking over a cool, gray vista. I fumblingly apologized for crowding into her. She looked at me with an incredulously cocked brow, before leaning in and kissing me. I felt rain on my cheek, her hair in my fingers, and, perhaps for the first time, I felt Free.

I woke up, with my heart still racing, gradually slowed by the creeping realization that I would never feel this way again.

I believe this was my sense of Romanticism kissing me Goodbye.

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Threading

November 08, 2011

When I was a kid, my mom would let me skip school to go to the Art Institute. I would go on Tuesdays- back then every Tuesday was Free Admission Day- and usually on rainy and/or chilly days. I would get down there way early, hop off the EL at Adams/Wabash, pop in to Au Bon Pain to grab something warm to drink and possibly light noms, and sit on the steps under one of the lions waiting for the museum to open.

Once I was in, I would always start with the Renaissance and the Old Masters, where I would marvel at the command of form and texture; then I’d wind my way into Impressionism, getting lost amidst the sea of color; and finally ending up in Contemporary Art, giving myself over to the arresting landscapes of Magritte and Mondrian.

I justified these regular jaunts by saying I learned more in a few hours at the AIC than I would have at school. Which was true.

Now, it’s another rainy, chilly day. It’s early, and I’ve stopped off at Au Bon Pain for coffee (yay for loose change scrounged in my room) on my way to the Art Institute. Except I’m not skipping class. I’m sitting in a graduate art history seminar, where we’re talking about Minimalism.

Life is twisty.

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Graduate School Personal Statement

August 28, 2011

As part of my applications for various graduate school programs, I had to write and submit personal statements. Each program had slightly different expectations for the statement, but they all amounted to the same- they wanted to know more about my work, and why I think an MFA program can help me get better.

The statement I wrote for SAIC is more focused on my work than me personally (in contrast to, say NYU:ITP or UC-Santa Cruz), but it was a much deeper personal exploration of my work than I was used to. I really had to try to nail down the Whys of my work more than I was accustomed to- and even then, I don’t think I quite nailed it. Still, with a couple of revisions I could probably take what I wrote and make it my Artist’s Statement.

Since I’ve been accepted already, and indeed am getting started on prep tomorrow (and thus can’t quite jinx things), I think I can safely share my statement here. I think it will be good to look back on it in two years after I graduate to see where my work veered off to.

*****

I believe in Truth, and Beauty. I believe these things matter. And I believe that, more than any other human endeavor, art can capture these two ideas into singular artifacts and moments of experience. There’s a lot of uncertainty concerning our existence, and the only thing we know for certain is that our time is limited. But I believe the single greatest danger we face is Death In Life- of being so caught up in pain and banality and irrelevant details that we are isolated from Truth and Beauty. Art frees us from that bondage. Through art, we can know the unknowable, even if for fleeting moments.

Of course, if I walked into an exhibit opening and said that, I’d be laughed right out of the gallery. Even my instructors would shake their head at my naivete. Meanwhile, people outside the exclusive country club that is the “art world” have just plain given up on the power of art. When the Regular Joes of the world think of art, they think of the worst excesses of the 20th Century avant garde. Ceramic blobs propping up G.I Joe action figures. Canvases with a single red square in the corner. An LCD monitor that plays video static on a four-hour loop. And, perhaps the worst offender of them all- performance art. When artists gave up on their charge to inform and inspire, everyone else gave up and found something else to keep them busy.

Artists can forge that connection anew- they can rebuild that bridge. But there has to be a change in approach. Art can no longer simply comment on other art. Artists cannot hide behind “critical inquiry” as a way to avoid saying anything meaningful. Art must be an experiential bridge for the audience, and that bridge must also be sound.

How the artist bridges that gap is an intensely personal journey. Much of the danger that lurks within art is borne out of the uncertainty of how to proceed. Everyone has a different approach to producing meaningful work. For my part, much of my personal work is drawn from an internal conflict between Ecstasy and Transcendence. I want to explore and embrace the world as it is, to revel in sensory input and the temporally sublime; yet also look beyond this world, to understand the transient and impermanent nature of the senses and consciousness.

Our experience is governed in large part by our perception. Change your perception, and you change your world. In this way, through work that explores, hacks, and mutates perception, I create art that necessarily changes the world.

Computers- and, ostensibly, digital media- offer an historically unique opportunity to mediate our perception (and thus, our reality). This leads me to incorporate computer hardware, software, and networked technology as Material to create objects, interfaces, and environments to work towards something akin to a Perceptual Singularity. This idea particularly informs my interest in responsive environments and augmented reality in the context of contemplative spaces or trance-like experiences.

I want to move past some of the experiential limitations that technology imposes (i.e. software should be able to reliably produce the same results again and again, and failure to do so is often noted as a bug) and create work that is Happening-esque in nature- less a solidly-defined piece and more like a loose framework that allows for the emergence of singular, unreproducible personal revelations.

At the same time, my work also reflects a yearning for Connection. As our experience is influenced by our perception, it is also influenced by the perception and projection of others. Connection with other Actors- human or otherwise- invariably lead us to alter our personal experience. A consensus emerges, and we either embrace it or willfully defy it.

Computers and networked technology also shape Connection. This technology creates and contextualizes Connection and Interaction, as well as mediates that Connection. This leads me towards computer-mediated collaborative work where many people- even those separated by space and time- can help shape a singular experience. A recent example of this is #colorwall, which allowed Twitter users to change the colors that lit the walls of a room. A live webcam streamed images from the space onto a website, creating visual feedback that allowed people to interact with and influence the space (and thus, the people in that space) without being spatially or temporally present in that space.

I am also interested in the idea of Sacred Computing. I define this as using computers and digital media in the context of religious worship, meditation, and spiritual communion. My approach to this idea is informed in large part by my background in Western mysticism, and ties back to my interest in perception and consciousness. My recent work includes a work-in-progress that incorporates sound, color, abstract shapes, and user input in a space to attempt to create an altered state of consciousness. My research into Sacred Computing also ties back to my interest in Connection by way of ritual and performance. I’m currently researching how to incorporate these ideas into a computer-mediated space that solicits meaningful acts of worship through user interaction and perceptual feedback.

Because I believe in art that can change the world by way of our perception, I feel an obligation to make art that changes the world for the better. This has led me to consider how to incorporate my work- in particular, my recent work with interventionist performance art- into my social justice activism. If, in the course of my career, I can give people a sense of meaningful Connection with others, and a confidence in their agency over their environment, and thus inspire a renewed sense of Compassion and Social Responsibility, I will consider my work successful.

I believe there’s an intersection between art, technology, and culture, and in that intersection is the potential to grow and amplify the capacity for social good in all three. I don’t entirely know where that intersection lies, or what it looks like. What I hope to gain from study in a graduate program is insight into that intersection. My goals are to get the lay of the land, determine how art, tech and people come together in constructive ways, and carry that insight into my art, research, and pedagogy.

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Going On

August 25, 2011

It’s been a quiet summer. For a while I joked that I was going to sleep for months when I finished undergrad. I didn’t expect that it would actually happen!

My last full semester- and in particular the last 3-4 weeks- were exhausting. In one 10-day period at the very end, I had a big performance project, a UI redesign project, an installation, and prep for a big professional development event all come due. If it weren’t for friends and housemates helping me out with graduation prep, I probably wouldn’t have any hair left.

But I got it done. The performance was well-received. The UI project was fine (although I want to revisit it). The installation went well, despite some day-of-opening technical hiccups (a guest tore the wires off of my vibe sensor, most likely for the lulz). The professional development event was good, even though I wasn’t really looking for a full-time job. And my graduation shenanigans were a hoot and a holler.

And when it was done, I entered hibernation. I napped. I read. I put a dent in my Netflix queue. I took one last class over the summer. I did a short-term web project. I went for meandering walks (as the weather allowed). I spent a lot of time alone- reflecting, planning.

But I’m starting to get the Itch again. And not a moment too soon. Next week I start my graduate work at SAIC. The tangle of emotions I’m feeling is a bit too high-frequency to adequately parse here, but mostly I’m excited.

As I jump in to high-level research and studio, I think this blog is going to end up being a place to trepan. [Ed. note: I wasn't sure if 'trepan' was actually a word when I wrote it- it totally is!] One common criticism of academics is that they tend to live in their own heads- a problem which I already struggle with. I think getting my thoughts in a printed, widely-distributed format will help me avoid that. Soon I’ll figure out how to re-enable comments (I believe this WordPress theme disables them by default), which will give me an opportunity to let people sanity-check some of what I’m working through.

Right. Time to get to work.

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Upcoming Show: PANTS ON FIRE at Defibrillator

April 13, 2011

I will be performing a piece as part of a group performance art show called PANTS ON FIRE. The show features work from a dozen emerging artists in Chicago:

Jesse Sioux Achramowicz
junn
Shayna Cott
Kelly Craciun
James Patrick Gordon
Lauren Humphries
Jesse Kegan
Ellyn Leahy
Kris Martin
Grace O’Brien
Rayme Silverberg
Melody Snyder

The show will be held on April 29th from 7p-9p at Defibrillator Performance Art Gallery, 1136 N. Milwaukee, just off the Division/Milwaukee Blue Line stop. Admission and beer are both free.

Defibrillator is an amazing new space dedicated to providing studio and gallery space for performance, live, and ephemeral art in Chicago. Like any ambitious arts or cultural project, they’ve been hit hard by drastic cuts in federal funds and private donations, and they need your help. In addition to dropping a buck or two in the donation box at PANTS ON FIRE, consider making a contribution to their IndieGoGo campaign.

Hope to see you there!

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Can We Talk About Something Else?

March 26, 2011

I realized earlier that the problem I have about New Media Art is related to the problem I have with Contemporary Art in general.

Contemporary Art, to me, seems stuck in this sort of phenomenological questioning of form and subject. Since Dada and the Futurists we’ve been making art that questions the meaning and value of Art itself. Sometimes it was specific- Rauschenberg’s and Ryman’s interrogation of painting as a medium- and sometimes it was a broader- Duchamp, et al- inquiry into the proposed meaninglessness of artistic endeavor. The Pop Artists took the ball and ran with it, and Conceptual Art took this idea to its logical conclusion. But absent a further line of inquiry, Contemporary Artists simply created work that commented on previous work. This has created a present conundrum where Art has become an inside joke that only a privileged few are clued in to.

Similarly, New Media Art is, in many ways, still bogged down in the Dadaist quagmire. Early NMA was a response to the aggressive privatization of media and the digitization of cultural forms, in much the same way that Dada was a response to mechanized warfare and the industrialization of image and text. NMA, like Dada, uses pre-existing materials and previous artistic and cultural artifacts to construct a through-line of critical inquiry. The problem is that NMA has become another shade of Contemporary Art with different formal considerations (such as they are). For NMA to remain a viable formal movement, artists must move beyond formal and subjective Dada. At the very least, NMA needs to explore the Surrealist aesthetic for a while.

In this milieu, critical inquiry is the prevailing vector along which new work is justified. But critical inquiry isn’t enough. We’ve asked all the questions, and we’ve said everything that needs to be said. We are, all of us, beating a dead horse.

Can we please talk about something else?

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Counting Down

March 24, 2011

Despite my best intentions for updating more regularly, life interjected. I’m on Spring Break right now (something which has consisted mainly of sleeping late and watching Netflix), and this is sort of the calm before the storm. Starting next week, my life becomes one long slog leading up to Manifest and Graduation. So while I have this chance to breathe and reflect, I want to recap some big things that are happening in my life and my career.

* After much consideration and soul-searching, I’ve decided to accept an admission offer from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Starting this fall, I’ll be working towards an MFA in Studio Art through the department of Design for Emerging Technologies. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and something that only a select few are offered. I feel extremely honored and grateful for the chance to work alongside other brilliant emerging artists under seasoned faculty in the shadow of one of the greatest artistic and cultural institutions in the world to hone my commitment to deep studio practice.

* But before that, I still have undergrad to finish. Next week is Week 9, which means I’ll have seven more weeks to get all my ducks in a row before I graduate on May 15. The culmination of my work for the next seven weeks will be a new installation piece to be featured in a group exhibition with other IAM students at Manifest.

* As of last month, I’m the new web intern for Metropolis Coffee Company. Mostly I’m working on email and web communications, as well as some light front-end web development and a bit of copywriting. I’m really enjoying myself- I’m meeting a lot of great people and I get to work around the very thing that makes my career possible.

* On April 29, I’ll be participating in a group performance art exhibit at Defibrillator on Chicago’s West Side. The details are still being hammered out, so keep an eye out here and on Twitter for updates.

* I’m taking performance classes with the Neo-Futurists Theatre Collective. The class is focused on Unreproducible Performance, working in the Neo-Futurist aesthetic to create work that is impossible (or at least difficult) to replicate. The class is definitely stretching my comfort zone, and it’s already having a positive impact on the rest of my performance work. I’m also enjoying the opportunity to work with a group of performers that I’ve been a fan of for many years.

* As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I recently had to the opportunity to work on an interactive exhibit that was shown at TED 2011. I worked with Patrick Lichty in collaboration with Sub Rosa Interactive on a musical simulation of GE’s Brillion Technology. It was a lot of work, but I’m proud of what we did in such a short amount of time, and extremely grateful to Patrick for the amazing opportunity.

* I’ve done a lot of work on the website. The biggest change is a major overhaul of the portfolio sections. I’ve unlinked the Web and Text sections (they’re still there, just hidden), making this site a showcase for my Art only. I also condensed my subcategories within Art to three that I feel best represents my work- Installations, Generative, and Performance/Interventions. Anything that doesn’t fit into those categories has been de-linked. I also removed some of my weaker pieces from the three main categories- which I see as a small victory, since I’m at the point in my career where I can start being selective about my body of work. I’ve also reworked my CV and my Artist’s Statement, making the former longer and the latter shorter. And finally, I’ve now bought JamesPatrickGordon.com, which redirects here. I’m not quite done with site improvements yet, so stay tuned.

I think that’s about it. Updates might be a bit slow in coming between now and graduation, but I will do my best to see that it isn’t the case.

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What Is Bad Art?

February 09, 2011

Yesterday I spent some time thinking about what constitutes bad art, good art, and mediocre art. Here’s what I have so far:

Bad Art doesn’t say anything.

Mediocre Art makes statements.

Good Art asks questions.

Great Art provokes responses.

What I still haven’t figured out yet is what constitutes the Best Art. My original idea was that it engenders understanding, but I feel like that’s too broad a property to assign to such a narrow field.

Thoughts?

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So What IS New Media?

February 08, 2011

The complaints about attempts to define “New Media” are so common that they border on cliché. While many often boil down to petty niggling over semantics, there are some valid points. Time is likely the more resilient of contention-points. On what relative time scale do we understand “new?” When does a form of “New Media” stop being “New” and is just “Media?” The Gutenberg press was once “New,” after all. Where are the cutoff points?

The semantics are important, but they’re also distracting. They lead us towards over-specification, such that we have curious definitions such as “New Media As Metadata” and “New Media As Distribution Platform.” This approach leads to results that are obscure, oversimplified, and ultimately off the mark.

I suggest that moving away from technology, distribution, and ontology is key to understanding New Media- what it is, what it’s doing here, and what it wants with us. New Media, as is commonly conceived today, can be understood best as a phenomenological construct, wherein form and content reflect a reevaluation between artist and audience.

Before I go on, I have to cop to a critical bias that I harbor. It’s not terribly uncommon or controversial, but it’s contested enough that I need to disclose it. Accordingly, Art refers, broadly, to a complex system of communication and emotional connection between an artist and an audience by way of the work the artist produces. The relationship between artist, work, and audience is, traditionally, an ordered sequence of events. During the development of the work, the channel of communication and connection exists between the artist and the work, and the audience relationship to the work (which is, ultimately, the filter between artist and audience) is either irrelevant or nonexistent. This dynamic persists until the work is finished and released into the wild, at which point artist and audience roles are reversed- the artist’s relationship to her own work is irrelevant or nonexistent, and the relationship between the work and the audience becomes the main flow-channel.

With “old media,” or the kinds of media associated with classical fine art (oil painting, marble sculpture, etc.) this dynamic is ordered and sequential. The artist creates the work, the work leaves the artist’s hands, the audience discovers the work. With “New Media,” however, the dynamic is less reflective of a sequence and more adequately described as a feedback loop. The artist making decisions, the work developing, and the audience engaging and critiquing all happens asynchronously. Sometimes even simultaneously. This loop cycles through often in the same shared time, and often (though, with the increased sophistication of networked technologies, not necessarily) in the same space.

Although the development and spread of digital and networked technologies lends itself well to this new dynamic, technology itself is not a necessity for its emergence. Indeed, performance and performative art, devoid of the need for technological and formal competency thresholds, lends itself naturally to work where this feedback loop develops. Arguably, one of the hallmarks of performance art (and, perhaps, live art in general) is the capacity for the artist’s labor, the piece, and the audience come gather in an intimate space and time where all three develop together. Digital and networked technology, for its part, slots nicely into this new paradigm, as the increasingly-sophisticated opportunities for computer mediation support the feedback loop naturally and reveals new vectors for interaction, collaboration, and intervention.

Having taken a phenomenological, rather than technological, approach to an understanding of “New Media,” we have, perhaps, arrived at a description that is defensible against both Time and Critic. In all probability, this definition will be rendered obsolete soon. However, with the new technological and critical paradigm that New Media operates in, if this definition is made obsolete, we should at least know about it right away.

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