Aesthetics

—the philosophy and critical reflection on art (read more)

• On the substance of a performance:
  • Mediation—when technology intervenes in communications between humans, usually through visual screens or aural “screens” (e.g., loudspeakers) (read more); Example: Troika Ranch, Surfacing (go to 3:00) and Goldberg, et al, Telegarden
  • Ontology—the philosophy of something being “real,” or the way in which it exists (read more); Example: Scott Kildall and Victoria Scott, No Matter
  • Aura (after Walter Benjamin)—the sense of specialness felt in regard to an original or precious object, as opposed to something that has been copied (read more); Example: Tom Johnson, Failing (0:00 and 5:42) and Joachim Koester, Pit Music
  • Ephemeral—fleeting, passing in the moment and uncapturable (read more); Example: Camille Utterback and Romy Achituv, Text Rain
• On the elements of a performance:
  • Stage presence—the ability to engage an audience from the stage (read more); Examples—three performances using a Monome: (1) a demo of the product; (2) Edison; (3) Deadalus
  • Mise en scène—the way in which all design elements actively contribute to the aesthetic impact of the performance (read more); Example: Nine Inch Nails, “Hurt” Album version and Live version (skim beginning and then 3:52)
  • Semiotics—the way in which things contain/express meaning, e.g., associations from nature (clouds mean rain), conventional associations (red means stop), resemblance (drooping lines mean sadness or weakness), or a representative portion of something larger (Washington means the US government) (read more with examples)
  • Synaesthesia—a psychological condition in which senses are inextricably linked, a phenomenon which is inspiring in art (read more); Example: Terri Timely, Synaesthesia
  • Intermedia—art that inextricably links multiple modes of expression or experience (read more); Example: TERMINALBEACH, Heart Chamber Orchestra (through 3:00)
  • Counterpoint—the interactions among elements in a work that establishes a balance between coordination and independence (read more and more); Example, J. S. Bach Fugue in D Minor

Technology-Native Performance Techniques that Exploit these Concepts

• Appropriation—creating art using “readymade” or “found” materials or from other works of art. Examples: John Oswald’s activist Plunderphonics (recordings are hidden on his site)/Martin Arnold’s films/Christian Marclay’s live turntablism (3:10–4:00)
• Live sampling—a performance practice starting without any pre-made/pre-recorded materials, only tools that capture material live in during the performance and transform them into new material that makes up the performance. Example: Shankcraft (TAMU)
• Feedback—creating visual, sonic, or other material by connecting a system’s output to its own input, allowing complex, unpredictable material to emerge. Example: Rodrigo Guinski’s live cinema (TAMU)
• Circuit bending—creative rewiring of commercial electronic devices to achieve sounds and images beyond what was intended by the manufacturer (read more); Example: Greater Sirens, BEND: A Circuit Bending Documentary
• Glitch (in visual art and music)—creating art primarily from (or mimicking) technological artifacts usually considered to be flaws, mistakes, or garbage. Examples: Merzbow, Glitch Art documentary
• Generative (or algorithmic) art—creating art by setting a (usually simple) system into motion without knowing the what the outcome will be. It’s often a computer program, but it needn’t be. Examples: Ferin Martino (TAMU), Philip Galanter (TAMU), Mozart’s minuet dice game (he wasn’t alone)
• Live coding—a performance practice in which a computer is programmed on stage in the moment of performance (read more); Example: Glitch Lich—TEDx talk and performing at TAMU
• Another performance to consider: Loud Objects. This performance practice isn’t widely adopted enough to have a label worth learning, but it’s somewhat a combination of circuit bending, live coding, and generative art, and it could also be made to incorporate appropriation, feedback, and glitch if the artists desired.