I would not have discovered so many interesting art stuff if I did not come to Macaulay and take Art Seminar in Queens College. I feel thankful to this program because it exposes me to so many amazing art and brings me the great experiences that I could never have imagined; it also motivates me to discover art news in the Internet.
I find a interesting news about the huge pinball game which is projected onto the facade of a building. During the Festival of Lights 2011 in Lyons, France, “Carol Martin and Thibaut Berbezier, who form the experimental art collective CT light, made the installation, called “Urban Flipper” which create the projection. It utilizes every single element of the exterior of the the building of Celestins Theater and presents these elements as the obstacles of the pinball game. It allows the onlookers the opportunity to play the most spectacular pinball game in the world. That is really stunning; I wish I could have been there and play it or at least witness it.
When I saw the video for the first time, I was astonished; I was thinking that how could this be possible. But, Martin and Berbezier just made it; their imagination is incredible. This is a great combination of art of light and game. The art of light seems like is developing and progressing rapidly. A couple of months before, I read the news about the Ground Zero Ceremony during which the the twin towers were “rebuilt” in the form of two straight blue light, which also amazed me. Usually, we only see light as an element accompanied to the performance on the stage, but now we see more and more light performance which is displayed independently. The magic of light, I believe, will continue to entrance us.
Just recall what I have written before about the art of firework, I feel that, today, multifarious arts are swarming throughout the world. Art is not restricted to paintings, sculpture, music, dance anymore; it has developed into new dimensions and it is absorbing more elements that will bring us more novel experiences.
Light performance is one of many great examples of how technology does not hinder art, but it stimulates it. Modern art is about innovation and artists, and now in our age along with the help of engineers and architects, are constantly searching for different mediums and different ways of expressing their visions. I agree with Jiemin when he says that art is no longer restricted to the classical mediums such as paint, sculpture, etc.
Usually light performance art serves a more entertaining purpose than a symbolic one, but I believe that “Urban Flipper” speaks more to its audience than just as a game projection. “Urban Flipper” is technologically amazing and definitely space efficient because the artist has utilized an already existing medium that serves an entirely different function and transformed it into an art. As technology becomes more and more apart of our everyday lives, it stimulates us also to use the world around us in different ways. Many claim that technology makes us lazy, but “Urban Flipper” shows us that our progression and advancement is indeed…advancement.
With the availability and power of technology, New York City was able to speak to those affected by 9/11 on a large scale than ever before. The engineers of this idea were able to take all of the ceremonies, requiems, and art tributes that we’ve experienced at the beginning of the semester such as the tribute held at the Riverside Church and combine them into a huge piece of art. On such a huge scale, the blue lights possessed its own presence and reached out to a grand audience that would not have been possible without our technology.
This video was awesome! Using light as a medium for art is so unexpectedly jaw-dropping and entertaining. This is clear proof, as Anna said, of the incredible strides art has taken with the help of technology. Historically, light was the indispensable tool artists used to draw attention to aspects of their paintings, create an overall mood, or to portray more realistic subjects with the use of shadows and highlights. During the Middle Ages, artist depicted saints and religious figures with rings of light halos around their faces to show they were holy. How far we’ve truly come from illuminated Madonnas to giant pinball games!
This reminds me of another presentation of experiential art I enjoyed in Israel last year. I was walking with a few friends late at night when we turned a corner and stumbled right into an interactive exhibit. The artist had set up a projector facing the side of a nine-story residential building and had wired cameras around the corner we were standing on, projecting a birds-eye view of the people walking below. Simultaneously, a large complex yellow grid was projected onto the wall. Based on the different movements we made with our bodies, the pattern on the side of the building would shift. Using just light, cameras, and a projector, he created an innovative and interactive form of art, similar to the one you described.
I think what is so unique about exhibits like this is the interface between the art and its audience. If the purpose of art is to engage its viewers and directly affect them, then pieces like these are certainly fulfilling their job.
Students at Stern/ Yeshiva University plan to attempt something similar on the first night of the Jewish holiday Chanuka.
Berkley Hall is a 30+ floor structure located on 34th between Park and Madison, and is one of the Stern girls’ dormitory buildings. Some students sat down and mapped out all the windows on the façade, calculating which apartments should keep their lights on to create a 30 story Menorah.
This Tuesday night, from 7:00 to 7:30 PM, they are going to create their own elevation artwork, one that gains significance from the collaboration of collegiate artists, and the commemoration of the defeat of the Greeks.
In Judaism, the Greeks represent ideological invasion and influence. This piece is a response to all the brightly lit midtown Manhattan ads that seem to impose materialism at every turn.