posted by exisle on November 28, 1997 at 15:54:47:
About art 'on' the web
I have learned many things, from very
technical to highly personal, during the
course of my participation in the weavers
project and particularly as a result of
the intense work on my own project. In
all that I've learned one thing really
stands out which will stay with me as
long as I engage in any creative process,
especially if it has to do with the web.
This lesson is that we don't create art
ON THE WEB (or on the canvas) but we
create it IN THE REAL WORLD, blessed and
infested as it is with generosity and
animosity, versions of truths and
fabrications of lies, collective goals
and exclusive agendas. Assuming that creating art (in any
medium) is not influenced and even
conditioned by the prevalent politics of
our society - the apparent and latent
classism, sexism and racism - leads us
right into a pit, particularly when we
come together in groups that are not
homogenous (as if any group could be).
That some of us are engaged in daily
battles to save and establish our voices,
traditionally oppressed, and some come
from a long tradition of ignorance,
stemmed from the privileges we have no
reason to be aware of, inevitably
politicizes any gathering. As
individuals we may find ourselves moving
from one end of the spectrum to the
other, depending on the specifics of the
gatherings we participate in. This may
be reason for confusion but it cannot be
an excuse for ignorance. I have only
this to say about ignorance; it is a
threat to my person and I fight it daily
in the best way I can. As for confusion,
we can clear things only if we
consciously situate ourselves and
communicate with those who are affected
by our presence. That is if we aim at
establishing an equitable collaborative
relationship. Any other approach is
erroneous, particularly in a creative
environment, and will end in alienation,
frustration and even, god forbid,
indifference. (If you're interested in a
documented example of this error, read
the e-mails that make up part of steps to
the moon.) That we use technology to
create art for the 'virtual' world does
not relieve us of our responsibilities as
humans in the 'real' world because the
former is only a crude replica of the
latter with all its power dynamics,
misappropriations and misrepresentations. I recall from our first weavers meeting
that we all came in excited by a sense of
urgency about the issues we wanted to
explore in our work. Having had the
opportunity now to visit all the sites, I
am struck by how this urgency has been
translated into strong, sincere,
thoughtful and provocative expressions.
This in spite of the fact that for most
of us web technology is a relatively new
medium. We all struggled through the
technical stuff. True. But we all did
this to get to the 'real' thing. Present
in all of the sites is a higher purpose
than technology itself, technology as
something isolated from the rest of our
lives, technology as the omnipotent.
This is my reading. Thus, for me these
sites are among the best and most
thoughtful examples of art I have
encountered on the web. I am grateful
for having had the opportunity to be in
this project. I congratulate all you
weavers for a great show. And I
congratulate you the organizers for the
vision that brought the weavers together.
Perhaps this was what you had dreamed. Be well.
exisle
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