Final Video

Artist Statement:

I am intrigued and confused by the concept of memory. Often this occurs when I randomly remember, with great detail, obscure events from my life. I begin to wonder if the events actually occurred the way that my mind tells me, or perhaps I am creating memories based on what I think happened.

This work investigates how the brain processes and combines received information. It also explores synthetic or false memories, which occur when there is a failure with the memory recall system of the brain. When failure occurs, memories are formed by reconstructing fragments of information that actually happened and then filling in the missing pieces with estimates. This creates an illusion of time continuity to form a complete memory.

Video tends to suggest a more accurate and detailed record of events. Therefore the combination of photographic and video elements creates a tension between actual memories and synthetic memories. Through the use of many photographs and the appearance of video, the imagery combines the process of encoding and storing visual information of an experience with the process of retrieving that information.

The Financial Advantages of Anti-Copyright

Since I am still a student and I haven't really sold my work yet, copyright infringement hasn't been too big of a concern. Sure, I don't want other people to steal my work, but I know that the ideas behind my work come from various sources and perceptions. And since I didn't purchase the right to these ideas, it's basically fair for anyone to use them as they please. I would be pretty upset if I walked into a gallery and saw work that looked exactly like mine, but in all actuality I don't believe that I could do anything about it. Who knows if someone else thought of it first and started working on it before me? The article discusses the notion that art and ideas are hindered with the privatization of culture. But the great thing about art is that new works can be created in response to the privatization of culture. Artists can respond to anything with their work, whether they are subtly commenting on it, or going deeper conceptually.

So where do we draw the line with copyrights? I don't intend to copyright my work anytime soon, but I surely don't want anyone copying it directly. I feel torn between the idea of copyright and anti-copyright. This isn't only a concern for artists but for all people who believe that they deserve credit for their hard work. I guess that the type of credit that should be given depends on the situation. I can't say that I have directly copied other art, but subconsciously parts of those ideas could have easily influenced the way that I create my art.

What's so new about new media art?

Susan Elizabeth Ryan closes her article about new media art with a quote from Jacques Derrida that says "One never sees a new art, one thinks one sees it, but a 'new art,' as people say a little loosely, may be recognized by the fact that it is not recognized." So what's new about writing about new media art? This article speculates on the terms new media art/multimedia art/variable media art. I found the article interesting when Ryan discussed the origins of multimedia art, but I was disappointed with all of the discussion on the appropriate terms for art. I'm not at all interested in classifying types of art and labeling it. I guess art historians thrive on the classification of style and periods of art, but that's because they get paid to write and discuss it. Often, these people are classifying art but not creating it.

I guess I was expecting more because of the title of the essay. I thought that I would either be reading a sarcastic piece on the fact that nothing is new anymore, or an information-packed article on the artists creating art. However, it focused more on questioning the classification of art rather than analyzing new media art.

Rae's Presentation

One of the websites that Rae talked about was the Digital Art Mueseum. It's great to see a resource that shows a timeline of digital art from the early stages. It is interesting to see how artists have been exploring the capabilities of computers for making art. The progression in 30 years is incredible and it's hard to think of what will be possible in another 30 years. I can't predict if technological advances will continue steadily or if it will flatline at a certain point and we will become fascinated with going back to more traditional techniques. Despite the interesting qualities of the Digital Art Museum, I have a couple of problems with the website. I know it's not complete yet, but already it's pretty slow and it isn't organized very well. If they work on it a little more, I think it could be a very useful website for digital artists.


Another website that Rae showed us was The Museum of Computer Art. This content of this website seems to be scattered as well and not so user-friendly, but it has a lot of content on artists. They break artists into many categories that I haven't even heard of before, so it's definitely intriguing. I found an artist named Thomas Bijon who does Transmuted Photography. It looks similar to what I do with fragmentation, except he cuts up photos digitally and rearranges them to form what he calls a transmuted painting. Since I'm not a member of MOCA I can only look at a few pieces from each artist, but it is a starting point for checking out some art.


Sadie Benning is an artist that Rae was very enthusiastic about. He showed us a couple of video clips of her work. I couldn't believe that she started making art at the age of 15 with a toy video camera. Her work is very personal and it is incredible to see video art from the viewpoint of a 15 year old. I'm not sure if she was aware that she was making art at the time, but it's very invasive of her world. It actually reminded me of Rae's work a little. Not the technique or style, but the invitation into personal space. It's hard to imagine letting the public into that private of a space but I definitely respect that level of trust that they give their viewers.