äda'web: An experimental hypergallery
By Jeff Mellen
What is the future of art? Will we still be content to stare
at two-dimensional, static works by the masters, or will we want to
participate, and immerse ourselves in the artist's work? Will
we want to read a book cover to cover, or explore it from different
angles and paths? Will we prefer subtle messages or hits with
a digital hammer?
One interpretation of the future of art, at least on the Internet,
can be found at the äda'web archive (http://adaweb.walkerart.org)
, an experimental gallery where a variety of digital and traditional
artists have developed and displayed their works. The exhibits,
the majority of which were created between 1995 and 1998, explore
uses of animation, unorthodox web design, and nonlinear, hypertextual
presentation to convey messages of varying intensity. Most of
the projects have their own unique aesthetic. For example, Doug
Aitken's "Loaded 5x" incorporates subdued photography and
a pinwheeling, intersecting chronology to trace the thoughts of strangers
who pass by each other in the woods. Darcey Steinke's "blindspot"
is a more linear story that unravels the scattered thoughts of a young
mother as if you were unfolding origami. Julia Scher's abrasive
"Securityland" relies on quick subliminal messages and external
links to present a view of digital dystopia, while her more pop-art-esque
"Konsent Klinik" combines a variety of contrasting styles
to predict a forthcoming confict over personal privacy. Some
of the projects also promote interaction; for example, Jenny Holzer's
"Please Change Beliefs" asks what you believe in after an
assault of stark, "inflammatory" speech and rhetorical observations.
David Bartel's more personable "Assignments" invites users
to mate colors to sound.
While the projects in äda'web have different visual (and aural)
styles, there seems to be a common thread through most of the projects:
paranoia and disillusionment in an increasingly media-centric and
digital world. For example, Vivian Selbo's "Vertical Blanking
Interval" uses imagery from television commercials and an explanation
of NTSC and PAL television cycles, combined with external links, to
intimate that what entertains you is also out to get you. "Securityland"
is inherently paranoid, features include the "Left Side of the
Web" and "Right Side of the Web," along with a randomized
security-camera's eye view of the world called "Predictive Engineering."
While not directly dealing with the digital revolution, "blindspot"
still focuses on the paranoid-- a young mother doubting her own happiness,
feeling the presence of a watcher somewhere in her apartment.
Finally, one of the characters in "Loaded 5x" seems to be
trying to outrun something, moving backwards, against time.
The gallery is largely an early digital statement against an increasing
fear: that digital media and modern lifestyles threaten to separate
us from each other, from ourselves, from our beliefs, and from our
privacy. It might not have been a coincidence that I was listening
to Radiohead's OK Computer while browsing through äda'web.
The similarities between the album and äda'web are evident.
Disjointed and paranoid, with a blend of human voices and steadily
advancing electronic wizardry, the music and artwork are both creations
of the digital age that beg the question: is all this technology really
worth it?