When approaching the idea of net artwork, one theme shines brightly: the idea of disconnection and connection through this new art form.
Walter Benjamin’s interpretation of the destruction of the aura has sparked the notion of a lack of authenticity in new mediums. There seems to be a heavy space that is implied by Benjamin’s interpretation of reproduction - a sort of barrier between the experience and the physical artefact. This barrier is what I would like to explore through my internet artwork. The idea of simulation is rampant when using the internet, this idea becoming more prevalent through the ability to recreate aspects of real life on a flat screen through new technological abilities such as computer vision. This space between simulation and real life is the kind of barrier that presents itself to be highlighted through internet artwork.
Danae (2019) emphasises the importance of internet culture and its impact on internet art. An aspect of internet culture that goes hand-in-hand with the idea of simulation is the disconnect between the idea of people on the internet and the people behind the screen using the internet. Bishop (2012, pp3) explores the idea of these online communities becoming gamified and therefore people see interaction through the internet as a solely simulated experience. This aspect of internet culture highlights this barrier that I speak of exploring. I think in regard to my own artwork, I would like to leverage the idea of a barrier between the thought of actions and the actual action.
Carrier (2020) explores the ideas of the careful crafting that early filmmakers approached cameras with and so I approach this idea of internet artwork. Internet artwork seems to differ from the idea of the film becoming an art form, mainly because of the rapid and constant transformation of the internet. I want to create artwork that makes use of recent technology that allows for greater levels of interaction by using teachable machines to display the disconnection between gamified space and action. I think that what has sat with me from lectures has been the idea of how do I differentiate the experience of viewing artwork on the internet and so leveraging these AI tools that are available through the browser allows for a unique experience. Usually, AI is used in a more ‘practical’ sense though this can be used to create artwork that expands past the use of a screen and keyboard to allow for a new intersection of physical performance and net artwork.