Multi–Media is the Message
by Ross Rice
Dia: Beacon, Riggio Galleries Fifth Anniversary
Interconnectedness and disconnect. Integration and disintegration. Artists who explore these dichotomies can often require working in more than one medium to get anywhere. This month, we are fortunate to have two large–scale exhibits nearby, in Beacon and Hudson, that embrace the potential of multi–media combinations to fully render the artist’s vision and intention.
In both installations, access to new media technology plays an important, liberating role, but the challenge is still (as it always has been) to make the medium effective at transmitting, well… something worth receiving. Featured artist (of Hudson’s Plugged In) Fernando Orellana presents it well: “Every second, like an ever–expanding information ocean, humans transmit trillions upon trillions of messages, via their bodies, cellular phones, computers, fax machines, radios, televisions, etc., to other humans. For the most part, these transmissions communicate little, becoming just more energy lost into entropy.”
“It is the quality and impact of an interpreted transmission that becomes essential for it to stay afloat on humanity’s invisible information universe. Within these few buoyant transmissions we recognize something to be art.”
A pianist strides across the stage to the waiting piano. The audience claps, pianist bows, audience hushes, pianist sits at piano, as if preparing to perform. Audience really hushes in anticipation. Pianist doesn’t move. Audience murmurs. Pianist still doesn’t move. Audience giggles nervously, some laugh outright. Nothing from pianist. This goes on for four minutes and thirty–three seconds, then pianist stands up, bows, and exits the stage. Audience somewhat bemused, even flummoxed. CONTINUE... |
