Digital Media: Destructive Acts
Since
the beginning of art, artists have been finding new ways to be creative. This
could be experimenting with new colors, different materials, or making art out
of something never done before. Artists are always looking for new outlets to
express their ideas. With the invention of the computer, very few thought
creativity could come from it. The early computers were used for solving
complex problems or for military activities. As the technology and computers
improved, new programs were developed. Soon a tool once used for solving math
problems was being used for creativity. Artists soon began to use computers to
construct new works of art. This new age of anything and everything digital
infiltrated every part of our lives. People that were once unable to make art
by drawing could now create art on a computer using programs such as Photoshop.
Some artists embraced these new tools, while others preferred to keep the nostalgia
of doing things the old fashioned way. No matter what tools are used, digital media is art and shows
creativity from its artist.
Bill
Viola and Jean-Paul Perrotte are both digital artists that produce works of
video and sound. Even with the similarities, each artist has a different way of
doing things. Bill Viola uses older techniques when producing his works. Analog
editing machines, tape video cameras, and reel-to-reel tape sound recorders are
used instead of modern hard drive capturing devices. Jean-Paul Perrotte is the
opposite. He utilizes modern technology to its fullest potential. In his works,
modern digital audio workstation programs such as Logic and Final Cut Pro are
used. Whenever he has a camera, it certainly has a digital memory device in it.
Even with their differing opinions of tools used to create art, both produce
high quality digital art. Sometimes even on the same topic. That topic is sadly
about destructive disasters.
Bill
Viola was born in New York in 1951. His birthplace would play a major part in
the creation of one of his video pieces. As a child, he had a fascination with
television. During high school, he was a member of the TV Squad. Viola attended
Syracuse University where he was a member of the Experimental Studios of the
College of Visual and Performing Arts. In 1973, he graduated with a Bachelor in
Fine Arts in Experimental Studios. His first job after his undergrad was as a
video technician at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. He then
spent time in Europe and was involved in a number of projects. Viola was
invited to be artist-in-residence at the WNET Channel 13 Television Laboratory
in New York from 1976-1980 where he created a series of works, many of which
were premiered on television. Like
artist Jean-Paul Perrotte, he was also involved in experimental music/art. Viola
performed with avant-garde composer David Tudor as a member of his Rainforest
ensemble from 1973-1980. The group was later called Composers Inside
Electronics. He was also involved with modern rock group Nine Inch Nails
composing a three-song video suite for their world tour in 2000.
Disaster
that one of Bill Viola piece is related to is one that no one will ever forget.
On September 11, 2001, the city of New York suffered the most tragic terrorist
attack on U.S. soil. In 2002 a video work entitled Observance was premiered. The work is thought by many to be in
response to the September 11 attacks. Him being a native of New York, many
believe this to be true. An attempt was made by me to contact Bill Viola to
obtain more information for this report. No response was received. After more
research, Observance is actually
apart of a larger series of works. It is not a stand-alone piece. Observance is the third piece apart of a
series of The Passions. The Passions was made for exhibition in
Los Angeles, London and Munich. Observance
is based upon Albrecht Dürer's pair of altar wings, 'Four Apostles', 1526
(Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek, Munich.) The painting is
a spiritual evocation of shared grief. With this explained, the idea that the
piece is a base off grief felt by the people of New York was formed.
Observance is made up of eighteen
performers spanning all ages, genders, and race. The actors were arranged in a
narrow row. Viola would asked them to step forward to look at, “something
they'd rather not see...to say goodbye to someone who'd left them”(Viola). During
casting Viola red a poem by Rumi: “The human shape is a ghost made of
distraction and pain, Sometimes pure light, sometimes cruel, Trying wildly to open, This image held
tightly within itself.” The piece is presented in a single screen with a
composition of even greater depth. In the compressed view because of a long lens
and narrowly confined by the ends of the screen. This mix presented a richer
picture of continuous movement and change. Across eight takes, each of one
hundred seconds, Viola encouraged the actors to stay within the frame. As each
person moves to the front they pause, overcome with emotion. They look
downwards, out of the frame. Sometimes a figure glances out at the viewer, as
if to seek a shared response, others are more solitary. Some touch or exchange
glances, offering physical or emotional support. There is no jostling, but they
appear to be driven by an urgent desire to be at the front. That the figures
are trapped in this cycle of grief serves to make the experience all the more
heart-rending.
Keeping
with Viola style of not using any digital technology, only analog editing
machines and 35mm film was used for
Observance. The film is slowed give a more haunting feeling of grief. Even
when the piece is shown at an exhibit, it is shown on film projected on a flat
screen. By showing the piece on like this, expressions of the performers are
felt. Unlike the works of Jean-Paul Perrotte, none of Viola works can be seen
online. There are no excerpt of any of his works on his website. There is some
recording of Observance made illegally
and posted on YouTube. Viola prefers to keep his works in analog form. As said
in What New Media Is Not, “The digitization inevitably involves the loss of
information”(Manovich). This is
also the option of Viola. He what’s is works to be shown in the way he wants. Observance, is meant to be shown on a
large flat screen, not on a small computer. Even with the lack of digital
technology used by Viola, the works created by him warrant awards he has received.
Jean-Paul
Perrotte was born in Washington D.C. in 1964. His path to art and digital media
was not a conventional one. It came as a result of his love for another form of
art, music. As a musician, he
played guitar. At an early age, he became interested in music technology and
recording while playing a variety of music. He went on to study Jazz
Composition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. After receiving his
undergrad, he went on to study Composition at the University
of Iowa in Iowa City, IA, where he was a member of the University of
Iowa Electronic Music Studios. Under the direction of Dr. Fritts,
Perrotte began to compose electronic soundscapes and
video pieces. His pieces used a variety of digital media technology. During his
studies there, Perrotte composed River On A
Snowy Afternoon for video and electroacoustic music in 2007.
River
On A Snowy Afternoon was inspired by the views overlooking the Iowa River
from the Arts Campus at the University of Iowa. During an
interview, Perrotte explained the inspiration for the piece. “While
studying for quals in studio 3, sometimes the walls would feel like they were
closing in on me. I needed to get out of there, so I would grab my coat and
walk down the back stairs. Once out the door, a rush of cold air would hit me
and I would see the Iowa River.” The piece is made up of electroacoustic music and
video of the Iowa River. The audio portion of the piece is made up of sounds
created using the digital audio workstation program Logic. There is a constant
low drone sound that is used as the base of the piece. A leading melody sound
adds to the growth of the piece. The chord progressions of the drone sound keep
the motion of the piece moving forward. Drone sounds, if not used properly, can
hold the piece motionless. Sounds in the higher range add a mysterious feeling
to the melody. The video portion of the piece is made up of still images from
around the Iowa River and video taken of the movement of water. The still
images are interlaced with the water movement. The pace of images changing is
slow. This is to portray the calming effect that Perrotte felt when escaping
his studies there. The components of the piece are all very simple, but when
put together, create a calming feeling of a winter day. River On A Snowy Afternoon was performed at the 2011 Society for
Electroacoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) National Conference at the University
of Miami, FL.
The
disaster that this piece is related to is not nearly as destructive as the September
11 attacks, but devastated the University of Iowa Arts
Campus and Iowa City. In June of 2008, six months after completing the piece, River On A Snowy Afternoon, the Iowa
River flooded. The natural disaster was declared a national emergency by then
President George W. Bush. The flood caused major damage to the Arts Campus. The
Voxman Music Building where Perrotte studied had its first floor entirely under
water. Because of the damage, summer classes were cancelled. The communities around the University of Iowa were also heavily devastated. The University of
Iowa and the surrounding communities were able to rebuild and reopen for
fall semester.
Both
Bill Viola and Jean-Paul Perrotte use very different techniques to create
digital media. Both men show a high level of expertise and knowledge in their
field of study. I have had the pleasure of studying with Jean-Paul Perrotte at
the University of Nevada, Reno. I have taken the skills he has given me and
applied it to my own works. I hope to one day see works of Bill Viola in person
or possibly meet him. Both pieces discussed have a relation with two of the
biggest disasters during the 2000-decade. One was made as a response to a disaster,
and the other one has a relation by pure coincidence. No matter how and what
techniques you use to create your art, make it the best you can. This is certainly
what these two men have done.
Video Links
Works Cited
Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. Cambridge, MA:
MIT, 2002. Print.
"Observance: Bill Viola." Observance, Bill Viola. Walker Art Gallery,
n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/billviola/observance.aspx>.
Perrotte, Jean-Paul. "Jean-Paul Perrotte
Biography." Jean-Paul Perrotte Biography.
Web.
26 Apr. 2013. <http://jeanpaulperrotte.com/Bio.htm>.
Perrotte, , Jean-Paul , Jean-Paul. "Perrotte,
Jean-Paul." Jean-Paul Perrotte Curriculum Vitae.Web.
26 Apr. 2013. <http://jeanpaulperrotte.com/JP CV.html>.
River On A Snowy Afternoon (Excerpt). Jean-Paul Perrotte,
n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://jeanpaulperrotte.com/Video/Internet%20version%20of%20River%20.mov>.
Pradarelli, Stephen. Voxman Music Building Flooded. 2008.
Photograph. Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa Now.
Web. 26 Apr. 2013.
<http://now.uiowa.edu/2012/10/homeland-security-reaffirms-federal-funding-flooded-art-buildings>.
Schoon, Tim. Voxman Music Building Flooded. 2008.
Photograph. Iowa City, Iowa. Iowa Digital
Library. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/flood/id/231/rec/10>.
Viola, Bill. "Bill Viola Official Website."
Welcome to the Official BILL VIOLA Website. N.p., n.d.
Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://www.billviola.com/>
Viola, Bill. "Bibliography." Bibliography. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://www.billviola.com/bibliogr.htm>.
Viola, Bill. "Bibliography." Bibliography. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://www.billviola.com/bibliogr.htm>.
Viola, Bill. "Interviews and Writings." Interviews
and Writings. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. <http://www.billviola.com/interviews.htm>.
"Observance:
Bill Viola." Observance, Bill Viola. Walker Art Gallery, n.d. Web. 26 Apr.
2013. <http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/billviola/observance.aspx>.
