Nam June Paik and futurists
In the Paik chapter "Cybernated Art" and "Art by Satellite," we read, "Through the connectivity of a 'cybernated society,'.... data flows through the wired network and across our screens. As the artwork incorporates the unending flow and restless nature of information itself, transcending geographic boundaries, it brings about a 'synthesis' of all cultures across borders." The Internet and the emerging technologies of the net are providing incredible opportunities to transcend geopolitical and cultural boundaries and create collaborative works like no time in our past. Music, art, literature AND social dialog can be created, edited, shared, and distributed to even some of the most remote places on our planet now, not just through television and computers, but something as tiny as our cell phones! No longer is history the story of the powerful and literate, we can all share our perspectives of culture through a number of media.
Paik's use of televisions and technology in his art brings new meaning to McLuhan's line, "Media is the message." As McLuhan (1969) explained technology does not occur only on the conscious level, rather “All media, from the phonetic alphabet to the computer, are extensions of man that cause deep and lasting changes in him and transform his environment.” He further explained the effects of “hot” and “cold” media, where a cool medium, such as television, involves the viewer at a subconscious level as they are required to give meaning to the images they see. Paik's work certainly requires active thought and interpretation.
Paik's use of televisions and technology in his art brings new meaning to McLuhan's line, "Media is the message." As McLuhan (1969) explained technology does not occur only on the conscious level, rather “All media, from the phonetic alphabet to the computer, are extensions of man that cause deep and lasting changes in him and transform his environment.” He further explained the effects of “hot” and “cold” media, where a cool medium, such as television, involves the viewer at a subconscious level as they are required to give meaning to the images they see. Paik's work certainly requires active thought and interpretation.
I agree with you about the impact Paik and the other Fluxus artists have had on global culture and our understanding of art and history. Historians interpret documents and artifacts from bygone eras to write their history, and, until the last 50 years or so, the number of primary documents and artifacts available for such interpretation have primarily been published texts and other written works. The flow of electronic information and the variety of media should make writing the history for our current age quite different.
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