Title : "CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) & Nam June Paik¡±
Abstract
This essay discusses the ways in which Nam June Paik developed his 'new art' by using a CRT(cathode ray tube). I describe the history of the development of CRT technology, the characteristics of image signal processing and display methods, focusing on the artwork 'Electronic Abstractions'(1952) by Benjamin F. Laposky which used an oscilloscope in the early ' 50s. I study Nam June Paik's "Exposition of Music-Electronic Television"(1963), which was the first to display television sets in an art gallery. I also discuss how Paik's television sets were manipulated. Paik diverted 13 TV sets in different ways by breaking the CRT's deflection yoke, preventing the vertical and horizontal sync signal circuits for raster scan, or interfering with external sound signals, and so on. This behavior can be described as a 'hacking of established technology¡¯ and was influenced by his teacher John Cage's 'prepared piano'. This 'hacking on CRT' was the origin of several representative works, such as ¡®Participating TV¡¯, ¡®TV magnet¡¯, ¡®TV clock¡¯, ¡®TV cello,¡¯ etc. Furthermore, Paik realized that the images received through the tuner were always floating within an indeterminate space-time continuum and wanted to introduce this quality into his work. This contrasts with Karl Otto Gotz, who developed the same kind of effect but wanted to fix the image, as if within a picture frame, or Ben Laposky, who photographed the oscilloscope image. I discuss the most well-known work in this category, Paik's ¡®Moon is the oldest TV¡¯ (1965).
Title : "A study on Early Korean Media Art: Based on Experimental Art and the Influence of Nam June Paik¡±
Abstract
This study explores the early currents of new media and electronic technology in Korean art, focusing on the point when Korean media art was launched by the experimentation of avant-garde and conceptual artists navigating the language of contemporary art in the late 1960s. By the early 1990s, Korean media arts were being discussed as a major art discourse. We examine how this came about, looking at the emergence of media artists and the associated exhibition discourse. The discussion concentrates on how Nam June Paik¡¯s artistic works have brought about a change of perception in avant-garde art and media art, and how Paik¡¯s work affected the work of successive Korean artists. To start with, the emergence of the term ¡°electronic art¡± following Paik¡¯s ¡°Electronic Art¡± of 1965 and the content of variational works and exhibition discourse of later artists through ¡°Global Groove¡± in 1973, are analyzed. We also examine the context in which video art has been brought to the public¡¯s attention through the 1984 satellite project ¡°Good Morning Mr. Orwell.¡± Through this, we consider the technological and aesthetic backgrounds of works of pioneering artists in the late 20th century against circumstances such as geopolitical conditions, socio-cultural backgrounds, and rapid economic growth. The overall purpose of this study is to understand the emergence of new aesthetics of 20th century Korean artists through the perspective of new media and technology.
Title: " Indeterminacy: Nam June Paik¡¯s Experiments with Electronic Television¡±
Abstract
This paper revisits Nam June Paik¡¯s early experiment shown at his first solo exhibition Exposition of Music-Electronic Television held in 1963 in Wuppertal, Germany as an archive, which is not fixed in history, but still viable to our understanding of the indeterminacy in contemporary experiences. It intends to evoke a future-oriented model of memory by investigating the historical, aesthetic, and socio-cultural context. His early work addresses his critical questions posed on the conventional boundaries between music, sound, electronics, space, and time. Exposition of Music-Electronic Television manifested Paik¡¯s radical experiment in art, which was an invasive effort to intervene what was centralized and established. His radical experiment made a breakthrough in both the aesthetic and the political rebels. This paper looks into the conceptual and practical paths, in which Paik developed his interests in indeterminacy against the backdrop of the cultural and historical context of postwar West Germany.
Title: "Science-Technology-Art, Explore Attempts at convergence in Korea: Toward Post Nam June Paik¡±
Abstract
A reciprocal-invasive prediction that art inspires technology and technology will determine artistic ideas may be dismissed as a natural factor from the present point of view that wields a great influence in contemporary art. However, if you look beyond the party line (about the convergence of the two genres) and look at the concrete art forms of reality, it is hard to hide the humble side of the talk of the era of art and technology and even science. There are more cases of marvels at the technology itself than there is when it is presented with something that is fused with it. Moreover, in the case of convergence with scientific fields that go beyond technology into the most fundamental areas of mankind, there are some cases where the boundaries are vague and are not understood within the categories of arts. Nevertheless, why does the topic of convergence between art and science (technology) appear to repeat itself in a different way over time? Also, why is this distinction still recognized as a valid boundary, even at a time when the concept and category of art are changing differently from the past? Already, we understand more than a certain level of their correlation because of the convergence of keywords such as the recent Fourth-Industrial Revolution, even if we do not dwell on the origins of each word ('Scire', 'Techne' and 'Ars'). Thus, under these circumstances, it may be a more effective way to look at the (convergent) attempts to date and find something that has been missed. Especially in Korea, where the attempts themselves have not continued, such a trend has not emerged as a leading artistic move, despite the presence of pioneers in video art /media art like Nam June Paik. Therefore, we will look at Korea's convergence attempts so far and predict the flow of Korean media art based on the convergence science-technology with art since Nam June Paik.
Title: "Art for Cybernated Life, Art beyond the Boundaries¡±
Abstract
In this paper, I trace and imagine the meaning of open circuits and open mind, which Nam June Paik left, by reconstructing his written and spoken words. At the end of Paik¡¯s article, ¡°Cybernated Art,¡± is this short sentence: ¡°We are in open circuits.¡± In the same article, he also states, ¡°Cybernated art is very important, but art for cybernated life is more important, and the latter need not by cybernated.¡± Thus, in order to understand his ¡°open¡± concept (his concept of ¡°openess¡±), we need to keep the track of the true meaning of ¡±art for cybernated life.¡± In the same vein, I want to trace his notion of humanization of technology and art, which he mentioned. Although we often hear about humanized technology, it is puzzling to hear of humanized art. What does it mean for art to be humanized? Can we find the meaning of humanized art in relation to ¡±art for cybernated life¡±? To answer these questions, I want to explore the diverse perspectives of open systems, which are crossing and being mixed. Nam June Paik lived a life in the diaspora, used multiple languages, and accepted multiple cultures. As a Fluxus artist, he collaborated with many others and crossed the boundaries of diverse art genres. Paik was well-known as a voracious reader, and he called himself a researcher sometimes. His interests were widespread from history and philosophy to science, engineering, and electronics, and to the arts. He connected not only art and technology, but also the traditional and contemporary world. But it is more interesting to see how he sometimes incorporated errors and failures into the gap between the various connections to make metaphorical and poetic meanings. Through this exploration, this research seeks to understand humanized art and find a way to delve into his ¡°open circuits.¡±
The increasing convergence of art and technology in the 21st century presents both unprecedented opportunities and burgeoning challenges to the art world as well as urban communities. Opportunities include expansion of international markets and audience engagement, blurring boundaries between artistic genres and disciplines, growth of participatory and collaborative artistic practices and emergence of new cultural forms and identities. Challenges are obviously connected to the very nature of relationship between art and technology and the underlying institutional logics by which artistic and cultural practices are guided, mediated and disciplined. The rise of the ¡°creative industries¡± and the ¡°creative city¡± discourses driven by neoliberal governance has led to the endorsement of the significant role of art and artists in the process of urban regeneration. Artists and arts organisations are now seen to be ¡°urban agents par excellence¡± whose creativity could improve social cohesion and quality of life and develop imaginative and empowered citizens (Landry, 1996). However, regeneration and gentrification are often driven by a logic of ¡°Accumulation By Dispossession¡± (Harvey, 2008), exacerbating the precarious life of the urban poor, while at the same time rooting out the communal space of the artists and cultural activists. In this context of transformation, the special session will explore and debate the dynamics and consequences of the new creative milieu empowered by the convergence of art and technology. The session will focus on the following questions:
1. What is the changing role of artists and cultural programmers in the context of urban renewal, considering the intensifying effect of convergence?
2. In what ways and in what sense could artists and cultural programmers contribute to tackling social problems (social value) in the age of convergence?
3. To what extent and in what sense is it possible to create meaningful works of art (aesthetic value) with the increasing pressure of instrumentalism?
4. In what ways could the convergence of art and technology engender civic participation, emotional connectedness and solidarity among citizens?
5. In what ways could the convergence of art and technology enhance sustainability and resilience of cities?
Chairperson
Panelist
Introduction / Chairperson (5 min)
- Introducing the purpose, main theme and sub topics of the session
- Informing the time schedule and order of the session
Statement of Positions / All Panelists (30 min)
- Each panelists making short statement including self introduction, opinions and visions on the topics
- 3-5 minutes for one panelist
Panel Discussion / All Panelists (60 min)
- Free discussion about the topics and opinions of the panelists
Floor Discussion / All Panelists and Audience (20 min)
- Opening the floor for questions
Closing / Chairperson (5 min)
- Summarizing the discussion and making conclusions
Title : "New Media Reality and Arts - based on KOSMA Activities¡±
Abstract
The advent of new media has been a great catalyst for many artists, thus stimulating their creative drive. As part of the effort to keep pace with the evolution of media, artists have consistently attempted to present new artistic experiences by integrating existing disciplines into single artworks. It is clear that science and technology have reached an important position in relation to modern art, but without the artists' understanding of advanced science and engineering, this integration of art and technology would not have been possible. This study focuses on the activities of the Korean Society of Media and Arts (KOSMA), presenting theories and discourse on new technologies and media, and on how artistic interpretations and practices in this regard have panned out in Korea over the last decade.
KOSMA, founded in 1998, has been studying virtually all human activities that are fulfilled through a variety of media. This has allowed KOSMA actively to realize artistic creations and conduct research activities that reveal a variety of interests in media. KOSMA, having its roots in the Seoul Media Art Research Group, has endeavored to conduct multi-dimensional and integrated research projects under its motto ¡°the multi-disciplinary expansion of academics¡± since 2007. This research purpose of KOSMA provides the basis for multi-disciplinary and integrated inquiries. It also reflects the research purpose to create new synergistic effects.
KOSMA has provided meaningful forums with the keywords of many creative rendezvous instances involving recent technology and visual art as the main paradigm of research exploration. Through academic symposia and media art exhibitions, KOSMA has discussed a wide range of advanced concepts in art and technology within the context of it subject matter. Topics include montages, animation, digital rhetoric, meta-data, the 'digital brush', artists¡¯ communities, avatars, technological changes, media ecologies, open media, persona, inter-connectedness, art without man, media nostalgia, makers¡¯ communities, and artistic research. The ultimate purpose of these activities is to pursue the integration of 21st century research exchanges as aggressive actions reflecting today¡¯s media reality.
Title : "KOSMA¡¯s International Exchange¡±
Abstract
Since its foundation in 1998, the Korean Society of Media and Arts has served the art community as a platform for aggregation and collaboration by many artists. Based in the Seoul metropolitan area, the society strives to enhance multiculturalism and global interconnectedness throughout the continent, introducing new means of thinking and expression in the area of cross-cultural communication. Especially since 2014, we have focused on the Asian media art hub project ¡®Media Peninsula¡¯, international conferences, and exhibition exchange programs. The ideation related to the project and its process will be introduced to provide insight into its implementation. The importance of interaction with other organizations or governments will also be discussed, as will possible barriers and limitations. Furthermore, our future plans for international exchanges will be presented with more global extensions, and we will be open to new suggestions as well.
Title : "Conversations about the Social Influences of Media Evolution¡±
Abstract
This presentation is a briefing that looks back at the themes which KOSMA has focused on recently and scrutinizes from a broad perspective how shape was imparted to each theme through each researcher¡¯s characteristics and how an interdisciplinary network was activated by symposia. KOSMA has clarified the purpose of its establishment, i.e., to undertake comparative studies of theory and practice simultaneously. In order to deal with not only timely topics related to international and domestic scholarly trends but also to address specific changes occurring in the creative fields, it has been necessary to provide as many opportunities as possible to combine groups of theorists with groups of artists, designers, programmers and others. This is why KOSMA has held symposia with exhibitions with different groups of people thus far. It was significant to induce other members of society to gain more experience while recognizing their achievements and having conversations enthusiastically, connecting diverse bases of arguments and phenomena from reality. The contents presented at the symposia include a wide range of topics about not only national and entrepreneurial directives toward media but those related to small-group networks of grassroots activists. KOSMA has been adjusting radical assertions and maintained a balanced perspective because it can proceed with critical comparisons of diverse points of view. Its wide range of topics, such as gaps between theory and practice, problems with institutions, and the relationships between media and humans are synthesized and boiled down to matters affecting relationships in our society. KOSMA as a realm of fine social networks has reflected upon their responsibility to trigger meaningful interactions and to find better solutions to realize the intent of these interactions.
Title : "Public Application of Media Art¡±
Abstract
Due to the use of various forms of media and the development of IT technology, the artistic scope of media art is becoming increasingly diverse. Its integration with a wide range of IT technologies, including voice recognition, artificial intelligence, deep learning, big data, AR and VR, is sometimes described as technology-fusion art. Media art is also not limited to traditional exhibition spaces such as art museums or galleries, and there are more and more cases of the use of public places. Interactive media art and audience-participation works is increasing as well, in contrast to one-sided appreciation of the participatory style. In terms of its functions and roles, media art also plays a role in solving social problems. It links environmental issues to works of art, conveying a social message, and awakens awareness of the environment. It can be combined with public places such as large buildings in a city center and can serve as a new public-friendly element through its integration with various spaces, such as forests and parks.
Title : "Creative Coding Education through Arts Activities¡±
Abstract
Creative coding is a type of computer programming intended to create something expressive rather than functional. A common programming language is to type text and output the results back to text, while creative coding languages produce visual results through text input. If we do not consider efficiency alone, creative coding offers many different ways to produce aesthetically better results than just one common outcome.
The primary purpose of coding education through arts activities is related to the global spread of coding education. It can provide motivation and can stimulate the interest to learners through its prompt visual output. In addition, even without special training, learners can enjoy a sense of accomplishment and can experience the joy of creation by producing visual artifacts more rapidly than when they are drawn by hand.
The meaning of aesthetic education through artistic activities has been introduced by many pedagogical theories. Aesthetic sensitivity education can facilitate the psychological adaptation of those being educated when they participate in new educational activities.
To examine the relationship between coding education and computer-based art activities, I can refer to various practices related to the works of early artists who used computers in the 1960s and look at the types and characteristics of the programing languages developed for artists and designers. In addition, I will introduce several examples of curricula applied in education.
If we question why artists have been particularly interested in the mathematical and logical systems of computers and how they have attempted to create artworks, we can learn more about the significance of art-coding education and how it combines plastic art and computational thinking.
Title : "The Possibility of Digital Therapeutics in Media Arts¡±
Abstract
Various technologies, including robotics, gaming, VR, AR, chat-bots and mobile apps, are expected to collaborate with medical science and add to the effects of medical treatments. The concept of digital therapeutics crystalized when the Digital Therapeutics Alliance was created in 2017, with the goal of having a more direct effect, such as that by medicine, rather than digital therapeutics treatment simply as a type of aid. Reaching equality with regard to medicine means that it can be used as an independent treatment after responsible verification tasks, such as assessments of the efficacy and risk, for instance, just as new drugs are licensed by regulators to enhance the effectiveness of treatments, rather than continuing to produce and display technology and content. Various contents are being produced under the theme of healing in areas such as VR, AR, robotics and gaming. In addition, different treatments are being devised as media art, but it is now necessary to discuss medical verifications of these treatments when used in practice and to enter into discussions centering on the forms to use. It is now time to talk about what it means to recognize media arts as a therapeutic entity.
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