ARTBASE (2)
BIO
Jason Van Anden is a new media activist, artist, inventor and robot maker. His creations are exhibited internationally, receiving recognition in the art, science, technology and gaming communities. More about Jason and his work can be found at his website www.smileproject.com.
Re: Biennale Internazionale dell'arte Contemporanea?
Yesterday, I received an email inviting me to participate in the "Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea" to be held in Florence, Italy in December of 2005. They(?) "selected" me based entirely upon my website. It appears to be a total scam; from the web I have gathered that you pay around $2,000 to be included, you have to use their shipping company, etc... Then again, who is to say what is a scam and what is not in the entirely subjective world of art? Maybe it's the world's biggest rent-a-show? What's the difference?
There were only a couple of postings on Rhizome, most notably the one below from a couple of years ago... I am interested to find out who else was selected, and if anyone has any feedback.
Jason Van Anden
www.smileproject.com
Heather James wrote:
>
> has anyone ever heard of this exhibition? a friend of mine asks:
>
> "I received an invitation today to participate in the Biennale
> Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea to be held in Florence at the
> end of
> 2003, on the basis of paintings on my website. I had not heard of
> this
> Exhibition before, and as it is expensive to register, I would be
> grateful
> if you can tell me : Is it a recognized reputable Organization ? "
>
> any insight into Biennale Internazionale dell'arte Contemporanea
> appreciated!
>
> ~h
>
There were only a couple of postings on Rhizome, most notably the one below from a couple of years ago... I am interested to find out who else was selected, and if anyone has any feedback.
Jason Van Anden
www.smileproject.com
Heather James wrote:
>
> has anyone ever heard of this exhibition? a friend of mine asks:
>
> "I received an invitation today to participate in the Biennale
> Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea to be held in Florence at the
> end of
> 2003, on the basis of paintings on my website. I had not heard of
> this
> Exhibition before, and as it is expensive to register, I would be
> grateful
> if you can tell me : Is it a recognized reputable Organization ? "
>
> any insight into Biennale Internazionale dell'arte Contemporanea
> appreciated!
>
> ~h
>
Re: Have you ever dreamed in code?
Lewis,
Awesome questions. For the record, I did not mean to switch titles on you -- it was my first Superuser post, and I did not realize this would happen.
Lewis LaCook wrote:
> 1.) What programming languages do you use?
Visual Basic for business, Python for pleasure.
> 2.) Why did you choose the language(s) that you use,
> and how did you learn it/them?
Visual Basic because it was like BASIC, which I learned as a kid, late 70's. I discovered in the early 90's that the better I got with VB, the more money I could make, and that sure beat welding or bar tending to pay the rent in NYC.
Python because after investing more than 10 years becoming a VB expert, Microsoft changed the language so radically with .Net, that I was compelled to see what else was out there (The logic was: if I have to learn something new, why not something else?). This turned out to be a good thing. Python is not subject to change at the whim of Microsoft, is cross platform, well documented, well supported...
> 3.) Were you university-trained in programming or
> self-taught? What advantages and disadvantages do you
> see in this method of learning?
I am self taught.
Advantages: I have enjoyed the satisfaction of learning on my own - it makes me feel smart, people I meet seem impressed, and it has not yet hindered me coding for a living.
Disadvantages: Having the credential does reassure your potential client/employer. Knowing the jargon may make you feel more secure in talking the talk with other programmers. This is for business though.
For art's sake, taking a class has the advantage of ramping you up on what's out there, making it less likely you will devote (waste) years reinventing the wheel (the voice of experience).
> 4.) How concerned are you with a language's political
> implications, i.e. with whether the language is open
> source or not? Why?
I did not give this much thought until discovering Python. Microsoft does do a really good job supporting their products, but their motivation is to make money, they are a business after all. In contrast, the continued development of Python is for love, the language is capable of evolution in a decentralized way, the community marshal's it's development, I see this all as positive. I could go into a lot more detail, but I want to finish the survey.
> 5.) Does your choice of programming lamguage effect
> the way you approach a problem you wish to solve with
> that language?
Certainly. I know that Python will allow me to make my app available to Linux and Mac users too.
> 6.) Did you come to New Media Art from Computer
> Science or from the Arts? Discuss the transition.
I learned programming as a kid, and used it to make money here and there as a teenager, but was not a computer geek per say like a lot of my friends. I got my BFA in sculpture, with a minor in print making. I mostly used computers for writing papers in college.
My first job out of college was doing graphic design for a local newspaper. They were just starting to use computers for layout, and I was hired because of my limited experience with computers, combined with the fact that I had an art degree, and that I had published a daily comic strip in the college paper. On the job, I became intriuged by the print making possibilities of the computer, while also discovering how my BASIC skills could automate the newspaper's paste up process. These two realizations led me to pursue coding for both art and a livelihood.
> 7.) What does programming add or subtract from an art
> object? Is the artist-programmer giving up control of
> the object by coding it, or introducing more control?
I work with both real objects and code objects in my work. I have always been interested in the difference between deliberate choices and chance in artwork - the computer facilitates this really well.
> 8.) Does each programming language imply an ontology?
I don't think so. I think that the vocabulary one develops in the course of creating their bag of tricks does, though. I do write in more languages than VB and Python, and I find that my style has become a codex that transcends languages. Languages themselves are more of a simple groundwork.
> 9.) Have you ever dreamed in code?
Yes. It is not as romantic as it may sound, and has happened numerous times. This has happened when I have worked to produce the impossible under very intense deadlines, or when I went to sleep tired but terrified that I would forget a train of thought. Sometimes this is good, and led to waking up in the middle of the night to jot down a solution to a problem. More often though, it is very bad. I have woken up tired, as if I have worked all night.
> 10.) Can one code art objects that produce catharsis
> in the user?
I believe that I can. This is this ultimately the goal, no?
Jason Van Anden
www.smileproject.com
Awesome questions. For the record, I did not mean to switch titles on you -- it was my first Superuser post, and I did not realize this would happen.
Lewis LaCook wrote:
> 1.) What programming languages do you use?
Visual Basic for business, Python for pleasure.
> 2.) Why did you choose the language(s) that you use,
> and how did you learn it/them?
Visual Basic because it was like BASIC, which I learned as a kid, late 70's. I discovered in the early 90's that the better I got with VB, the more money I could make, and that sure beat welding or bar tending to pay the rent in NYC.
Python because after investing more than 10 years becoming a VB expert, Microsoft changed the language so radically with .Net, that I was compelled to see what else was out there (The logic was: if I have to learn something new, why not something else?). This turned out to be a good thing. Python is not subject to change at the whim of Microsoft, is cross platform, well documented, well supported...
> 3.) Were you university-trained in programming or
> self-taught? What advantages and disadvantages do you
> see in this method of learning?
I am self taught.
Advantages: I have enjoyed the satisfaction of learning on my own - it makes me feel smart, people I meet seem impressed, and it has not yet hindered me coding for a living.
Disadvantages: Having the credential does reassure your potential client/employer. Knowing the jargon may make you feel more secure in talking the talk with other programmers. This is for business though.
For art's sake, taking a class has the advantage of ramping you up on what's out there, making it less likely you will devote (waste) years reinventing the wheel (the voice of experience).
> 4.) How concerned are you with a language's political
> implications, i.e. with whether the language is open
> source or not? Why?
I did not give this much thought until discovering Python. Microsoft does do a really good job supporting their products, but their motivation is to make money, they are a business after all. In contrast, the continued development of Python is for love, the language is capable of evolution in a decentralized way, the community marshal's it's development, I see this all as positive. I could go into a lot more detail, but I want to finish the survey.
> 5.) Does your choice of programming lamguage effect
> the way you approach a problem you wish to solve with
> that language?
Certainly. I know that Python will allow me to make my app available to Linux and Mac users too.
> 6.) Did you come to New Media Art from Computer
> Science or from the Arts? Discuss the transition.
I learned programming as a kid, and used it to make money here and there as a teenager, but was not a computer geek per say like a lot of my friends. I got my BFA in sculpture, with a minor in print making. I mostly used computers for writing papers in college.
My first job out of college was doing graphic design for a local newspaper. They were just starting to use computers for layout, and I was hired because of my limited experience with computers, combined with the fact that I had an art degree, and that I had published a daily comic strip in the college paper. On the job, I became intriuged by the print making possibilities of the computer, while also discovering how my BASIC skills could automate the newspaper's paste up process. These two realizations led me to pursue coding for both art and a livelihood.
> 7.) What does programming add or subtract from an art
> object? Is the artist-programmer giving up control of
> the object by coding it, or introducing more control?
I work with both real objects and code objects in my work. I have always been interested in the difference between deliberate choices and chance in artwork - the computer facilitates this really well.
> 8.) Does each programming language imply an ontology?
I don't think so. I think that the vocabulary one develops in the course of creating their bag of tricks does, though. I do write in more languages than VB and Python, and I find that my style has become a codex that transcends languages. Languages themselves are more of a simple groundwork.
> 9.) Have you ever dreamed in code?
Yes. It is not as romantic as it may sound, and has happened numerous times. This has happened when I have worked to produce the impossible under very intense deadlines, or when I went to sleep tired but terrified that I would forget a train of thought. Sometimes this is good, and led to waking up in the middle of the night to jot down a solution to a problem. More often though, it is very bad. I have woken up tired, as if I have worked all night.
> 10.) Can one code art objects that produce catharsis
> in the user?
I believe that I can. This is this ultimately the goal, no?
Jason Van Anden
www.smileproject.com
Re: Blog vs Board (re: Blogging Survey)
First off, in regards to an earlier post of Francis': I am not talking about a blog such as the example of your brother's travel-blog. I think of that as a website that is built using blog technology out of convenience to the user - and to the benefit of his very specific audience. Clearly, this is incredibly empowering, cool.
Francis Hwang> Today there are millions of blogs, most of which have a handful of readers.
Francis Hwang> Doesn't that change the dynamic somewhat?
If your point about the dynamics of millions of blogs vs a few television stations is meant to point out that that a free flow of decentralized information is important for freedom, I am with you*.
With all of that in mind...
More and more television channels have begotten more and more televisions, to the point that the average American home has close to 2.5** television sets. The specificity of television content has made it so that many who watch television, watch exactly what they want (or else whatever else is on), albeit by themselves, alone. The title of the book "Bowling Alone" refers to an observation of author Robert D. Putnam, that we are not bowling less, but bowling alone. The book clearly documents how as more people have isolated themselves by taking comfort in television, member based activities have radically atrophied, from town meetings to bowling clubs.
Rhizome is the internet equivalent of a member based organization. I see the action of a few key participants leaving to create their own blogs as potentially disruptive as if active members in a real group stopped coming to stay home and watch television. I had expressed concern that this may have already started to occur in the first post. Upon reflecting on it more, I am convinced.
t.whid> The blog/TV analogy doesn't cut it for me.
Does that clear it up?
I am really glad to have gotten more feedback. I felt a little weird exhuming this topic for fear of seeming way uncool ... so thanks!
Jason Van Anden
www.smileproject.com
* Realistically, I will still gravitate towards established sources that have responsibilities such as fact checking, etc... no matter their agenda. I have been reading newspapers since I was a kid. I still think the professionals do a good job, for the most part.
** http://www.tvb.org/rcentral/mediatrendstrack/tvbasics/07_RoomLocation.asp
Francis Hwang> Today there are millions of blogs, most of which have a handful of readers.
Francis Hwang> Doesn't that change the dynamic somewhat?
If your point about the dynamics of millions of blogs vs a few television stations is meant to point out that that a free flow of decentralized information is important for freedom, I am with you*.
With all of that in mind...
More and more television channels have begotten more and more televisions, to the point that the average American home has close to 2.5** television sets. The specificity of television content has made it so that many who watch television, watch exactly what they want (or else whatever else is on), albeit by themselves, alone. The title of the book "Bowling Alone" refers to an observation of author Robert D. Putnam, that we are not bowling less, but bowling alone. The book clearly documents how as more people have isolated themselves by taking comfort in television, member based activities have radically atrophied, from town meetings to bowling clubs.
Rhizome is the internet equivalent of a member based organization. I see the action of a few key participants leaving to create their own blogs as potentially disruptive as if active members in a real group stopped coming to stay home and watch television. I had expressed concern that this may have already started to occur in the first post. Upon reflecting on it more, I am convinced.
t.whid> The blog/TV analogy doesn't cut it for me.
Does that clear it up?
I am really glad to have gotten more feedback. I felt a little weird exhuming this topic for fear of seeming way uncool ... so thanks!
Jason Van Anden
www.smileproject.com
* Realistically, I will still gravitate towards established sources that have responsibilities such as fact checking, etc... no matter their agenda. I have been reading newspapers since I was a kid. I still think the professionals do a good job, for the most part.
** http://www.tvb.org/rcentral/mediatrendstrack/tvbasics/07_RoomLocation.asp
Re: Blog vs Board (re: Blogging Survey)
While I was away on vacation, I had the pleasure of reading "I, Robot", "Protocol" and "Bowling Alone". I chose the latter books because I thought they were relavant to this discussion, the first one because I never had. I did a lot of driving, and so there was a lot of time to let the ingredients stew. I wanted to cast some thoughts out there, off the cuff, to see if anyone would bite. I found these three books relevant for the points I have been trying to make about my concerns about the impact of blogging on a community board such as this.
For everyone else who has not read it, "I, Robot" by Issac Asimov is a collection of fables, that use robots and three rules (protocols) that guide them, as the basis for reflection on human behavior.
In "Protocol", Alex Galloway describes how the rules that run electronic technology (TCP/IP, HTTP, ...), establishes control over it's without a more traditional, centralized power structure.
In "Bowling Alone", Robert D. Putnam analyses why Americans particpate less and less in group activities. The author pins most of the blame on the adoption of electronic media (especially TV) into our lives. He does not suggest that TV is the root of all evil, but points out how this medium has replaced other ways in which we had spent free time before it (attending clubs, town meetings, playing cards), and how these activities tended to involve face to face/community oriented relations with feedback. He suggests that Americans need to make a concerted effort to invest more in "Social Captial" in order to improve their quality of life.
OK, so where does this intersect and relate for the sake of this discussion? The three rules of robotics from "I, Robot" are established in order for them to interoperate with humans. Like the technologies we really use described in "Protocol", the fables bring to light how the machines we create control and compromise our behavior, forcing us to establish a protocol to match it. "Bowling Alone" illustrates the long term effects that can evolve by blindly evolving a societal protocol (behavior) in order to co-exist with a technology's protocol.
Blog is to TV as Board is to Town Meeting.
My concern is if everybody blogs (or the most active members blog instead), it is a compromise that deteriorates the Social Capital of community. Looking at this discussion as an RFC, I am advocating for a "Social Protocol" of sorts, to persuade more members to focus their time contributing here when they can, as opposed to "Blogging Alone".
Jason Van Anden
www.smileproject.com
For everyone else who has not read it, "I, Robot" by Issac Asimov is a collection of fables, that use robots and three rules (protocols) that guide them, as the basis for reflection on human behavior.
In "Protocol", Alex Galloway describes how the rules that run electronic technology (TCP/IP, HTTP, ...), establishes control over it's without a more traditional, centralized power structure.
In "Bowling Alone", Robert D. Putnam analyses why Americans particpate less and less in group activities. The author pins most of the blame on the adoption of electronic media (especially TV) into our lives. He does not suggest that TV is the root of all evil, but points out how this medium has replaced other ways in which we had spent free time before it (attending clubs, town meetings, playing cards), and how these activities tended to involve face to face/community oriented relations with feedback. He suggests that Americans need to make a concerted effort to invest more in "Social Captial" in order to improve their quality of life.
OK, so where does this intersect and relate for the sake of this discussion? The three rules of robotics from "I, Robot" are established in order for them to interoperate with humans. Like the technologies we really use described in "Protocol", the fables bring to light how the machines we create control and compromise our behavior, forcing us to establish a protocol to match it. "Bowling Alone" illustrates the long term effects that can evolve by blindly evolving a societal protocol (behavior) in order to co-exist with a technology's protocol.
Blog is to TV as Board is to Town Meeting.
My concern is if everybody blogs (or the most active members blog instead), it is a compromise that deteriorates the Social Capital of community. Looking at this discussion as an RFC, I am advocating for a "Social Protocol" of sorts, to persuade more members to focus their time contributing here when they can, as opposed to "Blogging Alone".
Jason Van Anden
www.smileproject.com
Re: Virus Thread Question
Hi Steve,
Your grumble was not where I got confused. It was #13+: "The bikini can be a garment inflected with a certain amount of feminist concern: who is wearing it?..." by Ana Buigues - the poster of the articles that I wanted to respond to.
While I was away, I had the pleasure of reading "Protocol" by Alex Galloway (really enjoyed it, more in a later post, unaffected by jet lag). On my first pass, I understood Alex's view of hackers as the misunderstood artists of the virtual world, nobily pushing the boundaries of their universe (protocol), thereby exposing possibilities overlooked by most, in the pursuit of some sort of truth. I find this a wonderfully heroic ideal. It brings the romantic ideals of the Dada movement to mind. In this light, I consider virus writer in the name of Hacker as repugnant as an artist actually shooting into a crowd at random, in the name of Dada.
Jason Van Anden
www.smileproject.com
Steve Kudlak wrote:
>My basic grumble was I thought
> the common image of a virus programmer trotted out about the
> sort of twisted lonely hyper adolescent or emotionally malformed
> young male is kind of shopworn boilerplate that tech writers
> use rather than thinking with an inquisitive and open mind.
Your grumble was not where I got confused. It was #13+: "The bikini can be a garment inflected with a certain amount of feminist concern: who is wearing it?..." by Ana Buigues - the poster of the articles that I wanted to respond to.
While I was away, I had the pleasure of reading "Protocol" by Alex Galloway (really enjoyed it, more in a later post, unaffected by jet lag). On my first pass, I understood Alex's view of hackers as the misunderstood artists of the virtual world, nobily pushing the boundaries of their universe (protocol), thereby exposing possibilities overlooked by most, in the pursuit of some sort of truth. I find this a wonderfully heroic ideal. It brings the romantic ideals of the Dada movement to mind. In this light, I consider virus writer in the name of Hacker as repugnant as an artist actually shooting into a crowd at random, in the name of Dada.
Jason Van Anden
www.smileproject.com
Steve Kudlak wrote:
>My basic grumble was I thought
> the common image of a virus programmer trotted out about the
> sort of twisted lonely hyper adolescent or emotionally malformed
> young male is kind of shopworn boilerplate that tech writers
> use rather than thinking with an inquisitive and open mind.