The Development of Media Art - Dissertation Example

?The Development of Media Art Introduction: The field of media arts has evolved significantly over the years due to the advent of technology and the changes facilitated by the same. Timely inventions such as the invention of digital cameras, and web based art, too have led to rapid and significant transformations not only in the manner in which materials are used, but also in the manner in which it is presented and marketed to the global audience. This paper on ‘the development of media art’ traces the development and evolution of this art form, from the very beginning i.e. during the early nineteenth century to the present day, and observes the changes and its resultant impact on the art market. Historical Aspects: According to Benjamin (1986) "technology transforms the entire nature of art", and the same can be witnessed throughout the past centuries, where the art form gradually developed from paintings, to print, to videos and finally to digital arts in recent times. It is on account of these changes, that the field of media art today; has transformed significantly, to include diverse practices used by the artists eventually translating into a wider audience and markets. The history and evolution of media arts is described in four key phases i.e. the era of films during the early 20th century; the invention of video and its impact on arts during the early nineteenth century; the beginning of the media arts movement during the late nineteenth century; finally culminating into the current trend - that of invention and development of digital media triggered by the technological revolution during the late nineteenth century. Films during the early nineteenth century could mainly be categorized into two distinct categories i.e. those which catered to the commercial aspects and followed the narrative style and those which were experimental or 'short films'. The innovation in the field of media arts during this era was mainly with regard to the use of sounds, and other artistic techniques such as use of special effects such as slow motions, or close-ups as well as the ability to edit the films. These techniques were mainly followed for both narrative as well as experimental films. According to Renan (1967) most of the films developed during this period were 'experimental' in nature, which explored subjects and themes which were highly controversial. This eventually gave rise to the documentary film making, which was dominant during this era. The next phase i.e. during the 1960s was marked by the advent of video, within the arena of media arts, which was further fuelled by the invention of television and broadcasting technologies (Vogel, 1998). However since these inventions were relatively new, the cost of producing and implementing such technologies was relatively higher and hence it restricted the open and liberal use of this form of media by the artists (Rush, 2001; Hanhardt, 2000). However, the scenario changed drastically over the years, and the art form gradually expanded to include a wider variety of media arts (Furlong, 1983; D'Agostino, 1985). These new developments brought about a new and fresh wave of changes in the field of media arts leading to the influx of new artists who excelled in the art form, and ultimately changed the existing and conventional media practices adopted by artists during those times. The subsequent years i.e. the years between 1960 and 1970 saw another significant wave of change, which culminated into the launch of the Media Arts Movement, whereby the pioneers of the industry realized the need for change in the manner in which the current media was functioning especially with regard to the projection of issues concerning third world countries, and strived to bring about relevant and effective changes. This was the era which was dominated by an ideology whereby media was perceived and practiced as a predominantly artistic form rather than acknowledging its commercial aspect, which was largely ignored. Eventually towards the end of this decade, the prices of the film equipment began to decline steadily, thus inviting more and more artists to adopt these forms, and this trend brought about a sea change in the manner in which media art was pursued and saw the beginning of narrative films, which grew significantly in number on topics which were diverse and too bold for its time (McCarthy, and Ondaatje, 2002). The advent of digital technology within the arts industry, during the 1980s and 1990s revolutionized the media arts in a significant manner. The use of internet brought about tremendous change in the media practices (Manovich, 2001) and the whole new form of interactive media processing was developed thus giving way to a novel interactive and web art, as entirely new disciplines within this field. Current state of media art: The media arts have continued to evolve over the years and has come a long way from the conventional 'documentary' forms and slowly graduated towards more novel and commercially viable narratives, over the years. A significant rise in the number of independent films produced annually has been observed during the recent decades, and the transformation has a streak of commercialization of media arts. Today there is a healthy mix of various art forms, ranging from the conventional documentary and experimental works, to the recent political and bold personal themes. The new technological developments have brought about significant reforms within this industry, which has practically blurred the distinctions which existed during the earlier era, and has now transformed into a more liberal art form, which incorporates the best of both worlds i.e. the traditional film making techniques and the incorporation of digital techniques. According to Manovich (2001) the computer and internet have together enabled the creation of some of today's significant art forms, which he described as "multimedia documents ..something that combines and mixes the different media of text, photography, video, graphics, sound" and has led to the creation of a novel art form which he further described as something that has set a completely new "communication standard" (Pp. 3). Furthermore, the digital technology has enabled the artists to experiment with web art and invent novel ways of using these modern technologically enabled tools and equipments which can in turn be imbibed with the conventional narrative forms, thus creating a completely new and experimental format. Performance in global art market: The advent of internet within media arts and its easy assimilation within the domain has expanded the reach of the artists and has led to the development of a wider platform which is truly international, i.e. which has enabled the artists and their consumers to communicate easily and effectively. It has facilitated the artists with a wider network and more channels of distribution, thus transforming the field into more market oriented form. Finally, it has enabled the proliferation of new and emerging artists into the mainstream, from across the globe, thus widening the availability of wide and varied forms of media art. Technological aspects which are affected by artistry production environment: The rapid developments in the field of technology have played a major role in the significant transformations observed within the field of media arts. For instance, the novel ways with which technology has enabled distribution of arts to the end users, have opened up new avenues for local and international producers, and encouraged the development of niche markets. It has empowered the artists too, by giving them a bigger and wider platform to showcase their art directly to their end users / consumers, and at the same time collaborate with their partners and associates, not only locally but also at an international level. The overall size of the art market has widened substantially due to the sheer reach of technology, thus enabling the marketing and distribution of arts and artifacts on a larger scale, which transcends beyond geographical boundaries. It has also benefitted both the artists as well as the consumers with regard to the pricing and costs, and has led to the development of a better and more efficient business model. There is a strong and direct relationship between art and technology. Thus any development in technology has a direct impact within the field of arts. Although researchers and historians have categorically declined to accept the growing significance of technology in influencing the social, political or economic landscape of nations, particularly in the modern era (Marvin, 1988; Landes, 1998); the art historians have successfully established the role and impact of the same on arts (Lovejoy, 1992). The above claim can be substantiated with the fact that various new art forms have emerged owing to and following, technological developments, which explains the complex and inter-dependent relationship between arts and technology and the role played by technology in creating new art forms and practices. According to Furlong (1983) the two are highly inter-dependent, since art has influenced technology in more ways than one. The invention of photography, followed by the invention of camera during the early nineteenth century, followed subsequently by a series of other significant technological developments such as the invention of films, motion picture cameras culminating into the development of video art; the invention of television, and more recently the invention of the internet which in turn has facilitated the development of a whole new art form - that of web-based art backed by innovative technological tools such as computers. With the growing popularity and acceptance of technology within the arts and the simultaneous social changes which fuelled the green movement, the aspect of sustainability was deeply ingrained in almost all sectors and market types, and art was no exception. The materials used by the artists underwent significant changes over the years from the traditional materials such as Oil paints used during the 15th century to the acrylic paints used during the late 20th century and the use of web-based art forms during the 21st century (Wehr (2011). Technology has drastically transformed not only the art forms, but also the markets in a significant way, by making it more accessible to a wider audience. For instance, the development of films and videos and the overall evolution of the broadcasting media has made art accessible to a wider audience across nations, which was initially restricted to a select group of local audience. The technological advancements have single handedly broken the geographic barriers and fuelled the demand, production and distribution of art across nations (McCarthy et al., 2002). How media art is rising in terms of sales demand, exhibition, distribution, diversification, etc. Owing to the significant changes brought about by the advent of technology and technological innovations, an equal and simultaneous change in the types of products, styles, artists and audiences have been observed whereby the technological developments are skillfully embedded within art, thus changing the entire organizational structure of media arts in the process. This has broadened the scope of media arts, as well as the markets, and the previously restricted industry has now transcended beyond boundaries, defying all artistic, physical and geographic barriers. The artists today have greater access to world markets, owing to technological advancements and hence greater opportunities and wider platform to display their works of art to an audience which is larger than ever before (Manovich, 2001). Today, due to internet and other web-based technologies, an artist in the U.K can cater to the demands of consumers based in Germany or Japan. Similarly the establishment of media arts centers across the globe has facilitated a healthy exchange of information and ideas across countries, thus enabling further research for upcoming artists. Conclusion: The emergence and assimilation of new technology within the domain of media arts has helped the field to flourish over the years. As discussed above, the past couple of decades have seen a significant transformation within this field, where artists have evolved from simple photography to hi-tech videos and graphic forms, thus creating a new and never-seen-before art form (Monovich 2001). Digital technology has opened up new avenues for the artists as well as sought newer markets, along with other genres such as web based and interactive art forms (Landi, 1997). The fact that media arts has come a long way from its humble beginnings, to a more sophisticated art form, is evident from the diverse backgrounds of the artists in the current times, as well as the means and methods used by them; the growing interaction between artists and the consumers on a global level and the collaboration and commercialization of media arts (Lunefeld, 2000). References: D'Agostino, P., (1985). Transmission: theory and practice for a new television aesthetics, New York: Tanam Press, Pp. 87-102 Furlong, L., (1983). Notes toward a history of image-processed video, After Image, Vol. 11 Pp. 12-16 Hanhardt, J. G., (2000). The Worlds of Nam Jne Paik, New York: Guggenheim Museum Publications, Pp. 62-81 Landes, D. S., (1998). The wealth and poverty of nations, New York: W. W. Norton & Company Publications, Pp. 540 - 544 Landi, A., (1997). Material developments, ART news Vol., 96, Pp. 64-70 Lovejoy, M., (1992). Postmodern Currents: Art and artists in the age of electronic media, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Pp. 235-243 Lunefeld, P., (2000). The digital dialectic: new essays on new media, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, Pp. 6-22 Manovich, L., (2001). The language of new media, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, Pp. 62-93 Marvin, C., (1988). When old technologies were new: Thinking about electric communication in the late nineteenth century, New York: Oxford University Press, Pp. 9-43 McCarthy, K. F., Ondaatje, E. H., (2002). From celluloid to cyberspace: the media arts and the changing arts world, Rand Corporation Publication, Pp. 26 - 30 Renan, S., (1967). An introduction to the American Underground Film, New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc, Pp. 157-164 Rush, M., (2001). New media in late 20th century art, London: Thames & Hudson Ltd., Pp. 210-212 Vogel, H. L., (1998). Entertainment industry economics: A guide for financial analysis, 4th edition, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, Pp. 3-28 Wehr, K., (2011). Green Culture: An A - Z guide, SAGE Publication, Pp. 33-35 Read More