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In technological networks one distinguishes the following dimensions
for example:<br>
- topology: star, ring, mesh<br>
- scale: local, wide, global, virtual/overlay<br>
- connection: wired, wireless, RF, IR<br>
plus other factors such as security or speed. <br>
<br>
These "tags" do - at least to some degree - apply to most digital
art, but are not synonymous with "the net" (aka Internet) as they
are much more abstract. While technical in nature, they may also be
transferable to non-digital artifacts and art allowing some of the
technical analysis to be transposed out if its common use. For
example the "star network" has - technically speaking - some
advantageous properties (good performance, node isolation,
simplicity) as well as disadvantages (hub dependence, size
limitation, expensive network). I believe that it would be quite
interesting to apply such concepts outside its normal engineering
space to gain insights into the networked artistic processes and
might help add to your work on a "definition".<br>
<br>
--Andreas<br>
<br>
On 12/15/10 10:18 PM, Heidi May wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:DCA53519-7EF4-471B-A54F-8C314A2403E1@ecuad.ca"
type="cite"><b>What is network and/ or networked art?</b>
<div>The main question is quite simple, but as you will see I have
been <br>
delving into philosophy and art history to get to a better <br>
understanding of the meaning of "network" in art: <b><br>
</b><br>
For the past several months I have been thinking deeply about
this. I <br>
spent the summer working on comprehensive exam papers for my
current <br>
PhD program, in which I defined for myself a definition of
networked <br>
art that I felt was perhaps a challenge to the mainstream notion
of <br>
“network”. Without getting too much into the literature I based
this <br>
on (ie. Jean-Luc Nancy), I argued that by using the word
network, the <br>
Internet itself is predominant over any other associations we
might <br>
have (see Sack, 2007 on “network aesthetics”) and that if artist
<br>
educators focus more on what emerges within the relations and <br>
processes of a network, such as with Internet art, then we can
perhaps <br>
gain new understandings of network culture that reflect more the
<br>
sociocultural aspects as opposed to just the technological
aspects. I <br>
refer to Fluxus practices, most specifically mail art, and the
ideas <br>
explored by George Maciunas and Robert Filliou, connecting this
to <br>
later relational art and participatory art practices. My
interests <br>
pertain to aspects of what I am calling “relational learning,”
thus I <br>
see these networked forms of art to be significant...yet not
just in <br>
terms of individuals collaborating, but most importantly on the
<br>
emergent knowledge that occurs in these processes.<br>
<br>
Within my recent writing, I suggest that we need to expand our <br>
understanding of networked art in order to obtain new
understandings <br>
of network culture. I have been defining “networked art” as the
<br>
following:<br>
<br>
“...practices not based on art objects, nor digital instruments,
but <br>
on the relationships and processes that occur between
individuals <br>
(Bazzichelli, 2008; Kimbell, 2006; Saper, 2001)....Networked
art, <br>
sometimes described as participation art (Frieling, Pellico,
& <br>
Zimbardo, 2008), consists of multiple connections made through <br>
generative processes, often, but not always, incorporating
digital <br>
technology. In many cases, the production and dissemination
processes <br>
become the artwork itself.”<br>
<br>
“....New understandings of network culture may require us to <br>
understand that technology enables social and economic
activities, as <br>
opposed to something that determines society (Castells, 2001).
This <br>
research will examine how art addresses aspects of network
culture, in <br>
terms of it being a sociocultural shift that is not limited to
digital <br>
technology (Varnelis, 2008)...By employing a broader
understanding of <br>
the notion of network within analysis of networked art, this
research <br>
aims to provide deeper understandings of network culture...”<br>
<br>
<br>
But after sitting with these ideas for awhile now and being
confronted <br>
with needing to write a research proposal, I’m in the doubting
phase <br>
that I think all graduate students go through. Is it really
possible <br>
to use the term “networked art” in the way I would like to
without it <br>
immediately conjuring up digital practices alone? (even though I
<br>
acknowledge this in my argument) Am I just confusing things by
saying <br>
that I am indeed interested in Internet art practices but only
aspects
<div>I have defined above, and particularly in cases of artists
who <br>
are interdisciplinary vs. strictly “digital”? Do people think
about <br>
the differences between “network art” and networked art” the
same way <br>
they might have distinguished between “net art” and “net.art”?
In my <br>
writing, I opted to go with “networked” over “network” because
there <br>
is more emphasis on being within a process (verb. vs. noun),
but now <br>
I’m starting to regret that, thinking that “networked” might
clearly <br>
imply dependence on an electronic system whereas a “network”
might <br>
allow for more human connection. (For those who are
familiar....I am a <br>
bit torn between Craig Saper’s (2001) use of the term
“networked art” <br>
and Tom Corby’s (2006) use of the term “network art”)<br>
<br>
To make matters somewhat worse, I've been told by someone I
respect in <br>
this area that the notion of "network" is not heavily
dependent on <br>
"internet," considering the long history of network
associations <br>
before the internet. But this is someone who is quite
knowledgeable of <br>
network notions in academia and English literature, and I
question if <br>
those outside of academia feel the same way today. Speaking as
an <br>
artist who teaching art at universities and college, I feel
that <br>
"networked art" is immediately associated with digital and new
media.<br>
<br>
Thoughts? Opinions?<br>
<br>
thanks,<br>
<br>
Heidi May</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
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<div>..................</div>
<div>HEIDI MAY</div>
<div><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://heidimay.ca">http://heidimay.ca</a></div>
<div><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://postself.wordpress.com">http://postself.wordpress.com</a></div>
<div><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://heidimay.wordpress.com">http://heidimay.wordpress.com</a></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Instructor, Emily Carr University of
Art + Design. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.ecuad.ca/people/profile/14163">http://www.ecuad.ca/people/profile/14163</a></div>
<div>PhD student, University of British
Columbia. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://edcp.educ.ubc.ca/">http://edcp.educ.ubc.ca/</a></div>
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