CLOUDS by Jennifer + Kevin McCoy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLOUDS

Wall-mounted kinetic video sculpture 2005




About the artist

Jennifer and Kevin McCoy

Born 1968, Sacramento and 1967, Seattle
Live and work in Brooklyn, USA


Newyork-based married couple who make art together


explore personal experience:

- new technology

- interactive media, film, performance and installation

- cinema, science fiction or television narrative, creating sculptural objects, net art, robotic movies or live performance



About the artwork



2005, Wall-mounted kinetic video sculpture

"One from a series of miniature works inspired by Alfred Stieglitz’s Equivalent Series(1922-35), a photographic study of clouds as pure pattern. In each work, a cloud formation is fashioned from cotton wool and other materials and affixed to a cylinder. The cylinder is mounted to a motor, which rotates it slowly. A live video camera captures this image which gives the appearance of clouds moving across the sky. "
introduction from their official website




Artwork contain:

  1. live camera

  2. rolling part with clouds and setting

3. monitor 

A set of artwork

with different elements and different appearance of clouds

such as trees, space of galaxy and airport. 

My views

I can imagine the clouds move slowly in the monitor when the center part rotated. The camera like a continued live film record that show the movement of clouds in different environments or situations. Clouds set off different elements, such as human, trees and a whole setting of airport. In the same time, clouds are the main subject matter in this artwork which is kinetic. People always attract by moving object. Thus, audience can spend time to look at cloud movement which we ignore mostly. 


Furthermore, it leads us think more on it. When we pay attention on what we never focus on, a lot of new question will be raised. Audience can spend time to ask and think. It is what art can communicate between human. Artist transmitted message thought artwork and audience can get the message from representation of artwork.


Moreover, clouds act as a moving background to create contract between the character in front ground. It likes freezing the moment of memory.


In addition, it may slightly call up our memory about those situation like airport. It make me feel harmonious and peaceful due to the similar experience. When I have time to look at clouds, it means I am free and I have time. 




Compare to Digital Cinema and reflection of Clouds

It is a kind of live movie. Audience can look directly on the making of film. People can experience how the object and clouds are filmed directly. The experience is different from sitting in cinema. Audience did not see how the movie filmed and most movie edited before shown. As a result, audience can watch an original filming in this artwork which also provoke our thinking about the filming and presentation of film record.


In addition, no editing which created a continuous visual film can let audience mainly focus on the objects and clouds. Audience can easily get the idea by looking at the clouds because there are no fancy things, such as romantic music.


Furthermore, audience can focus on the small monitor rather than a fancy big screen. It also can make audience concentrated on what the artist want to express. 


Compare to Early Cinema and analysis

Before digital cinema existed in human history, it is difficult to recorded everything and transmitted message to different area or time. Even the camera invented, people still find difficult to share idea via imaging due to high cost of film. Thus, idea or message cannot easily expose to public.

After the early cinema existed in community, there are  a lot of limitation in transmitting ideas. The only people who can go to early cinema are rich but no poor. Making of a film spent a lot that cause low speed of transferring of ideas. In addition, audience can only have black and white vision with some piano music. Compare to today's 3D Hollywood  movie, audience can enjoy both graceful effect of great vision impact and fantastic music or sound effect. Some movie can also add animation to show more ideas. It gives artist larger range of creation and allows imagination.

From an other point of views, audience can easily watch movie in cinema and television for entertainment. By studying "Clouds", this situation see more clear and provoke thinking. Clouds not only insert a digital camera but also a live monitor. Everything seems very easy and reasonable, even the film making directly and immediately in front of audience. It is common in today's life and people live with them naturally.  No one will ask question about this phenomenon even they do not understand how did it work. 

With improvement of internet in recent century, people even can enjoy movie and video on internet which do not need to go out anymore. Technology combined together to  make a convenience life for human. Obviously, it brings us a lots positive improvement. Nevertheless, it also created some problems. When I look at "Clouds", I will never ask how didd it work before I study it deeply. For me, this is a surprise result that bring from the digital artwork.

Compare to other artwork

Similarity
When I saw this artwork from their own website, I suddenly remember the super mario clouds by Cory Arcangel. This two artwork have similar feature and propose.
Firstly, the clouds are main subject matter of the artwork. Audiences focus on clouds when they look at the artwork. Clouds are common but we never focus on. In this two artwork, audiences can spend time to look at something we do not focus before.
In addition, it provokes thinking from above situation. When audience really look at clouds in this two artwork, they may ask question about it and realize that they ignore such beautiful things in the world.

Difference
By comparing with super mario clouds, the artwork done by Jennifer and Kevin is easier to understand and more suitable to raise public awareness. Because this set of artwork cover a larger variety than  Cory Arcangel's one . Audience from different situation, no matter rich or poor, can understand in at least one or two set up of artwork. The model environment are built in  a way which easily know and recognize, such as natural environment.
But people who never play super mario may not understand Cory Arcangel's one. In the other words, "Clouds" is  more general and "super mario clouds" is more specific.

"Jennifer and Kevin McCoy’s kinetic video sculpture, clouds 4-ufo, presents a group of onlookers watch a UFO hang motionless in the sky while faint desert clouds drift by. Tiny sculptural figures point excitedly at the object, as a video image of the scene is displayed on a small screen. The tender filmic result evokes some of our most basic human concerns about our universe and its boundaries, and exploring new frontiers or discovering new life forms. As with many of McCoys’ works, this sculpture explores how our thoughts, experiences and memories have been shaped by our consumption of cultural genres. "

http://edlingallery.com/exhibition_pr/releve 

Relevé June 20 - August 15, 2008

"That's gone. The McCoy's are still making sculptures that turn themselves into films via little cameras, and the films are fine -- especially the one that deals with the artists' fantasy lives. The problem is the sculptures themselves are far less interesting because they're more compact. You can't really see what part of the sculpture is generating the film. This means you're only getting half the magic. Without the engagement of the objects, there isn't enough to carry both or either. With luck, this is only a temporary glitch. "

"Directed Dreaming," Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, Mar. 4-Apr. 8, 2006, at Postmasters, 459 W. 19th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011

Reference:

http://www.voltashow.com/index.php?id=1197
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNyu3xNH_1c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxPP2pLDmCE 
http://www.artcat.com/exhibits/1976
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mccoyspace/sets/72057594049866950/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mccoyspace/collections/72157600017044756/
http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/saltz/saltz3-27-06.asp
http://www.mccoyspace.com/
"Directed Dreaming," Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, Mar. 4-Apr. 8, 2006, at Postmasters, 459 W. 19th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011

http://edlingallery.com/exhibition_pr/releve
Relevé
June 20 - August 15, 2008

1. Dada and New Media art both described as "reactions". What did they react to?


"Dada was in part a reaction to the industrialization of warfare and the mechanical reproduction of texts and images, New Media art can be seen as a response to the information technology revolution and the digitization of cultural forms." (P.8)



2. What are some similarities of new media art to Dada, Pop, Video Art?



"focused more on ideas than on objects"


"as an accessible artistic tool that enabled them to explore the changing relationship between technology and culture"


3. When was Net Art first included in a major exhibition: Document X Kassel, Germany

"From1994 until 1997"(p.9)


4. Is new media art focused in one country. Why or why not?


It is not focused in one country.

"Because of its close connection to the Internet, however, New Media art was from its inception a worldwide movement."(p.10)

Shredder

 

http://www.potatoland.org/shredder/

It is a website which change html code in different web site which you typed and show it in a different appearance.

In our discussion, we figure out its formal instructions and concept. People need to type in a real web address and connect to internet. Then, we can see a new arrangement in the web site thought connecting internet. It is a net art concept because it is necessary to connect with internet in order to take the sources' materals . Without the internet, it cannot rearrange the html code and show the whole ideas. It have no fix appearance and it changes depend on different factors. Therefore, it is not an art object but a concept of art.

Obviously, shredder is mainly attempting and showing different variety of web page. It shown the idea of chance and random rearrangement of web site. For example, the news updated in the same web site will also change the new arrangement of the new web generated.

Finally, it borrows other web site code to generate an new web site. Shredder borrwing those image, such as jpg or gif file, text, code and links. The original web page is the source of the art concept.

The ethics of digital games

According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing video games for individuals and societies?

In the film, it proposed a lot of ideas on the positive side of playing video games. First of all, it is an education tool for teens. No matter for curing psychological problem, convince people for specific purpose (join Army) or learning to express themselves via screen, it is an attractive multi-task and practical class for teenagers.It is a creative development to provoke teens or children to learn. It totally influences young generation. They can ease the pressure in the virtual world. On the other hands, they may get lose in the game world. Some game players isolated from their family.

According the film, is there any evidence that digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world? Do you agree?

The experiment shown in the film concluded that it is just a game. Although teens feel aggressive when  you see it in first person mode, they won't do it because you only feel it. It is harmless. I believed that I won't kill someone because I love playing CS. I only enjoy to killing people due to the role I play in the game but not myself.

Should governments have the rights to ban a certain game or place age restrictions on it? Why ?

I believed some kind of games have their value to be an art. And its value cannot replace by other media. In addition, some games still have their educational function obviously.

Interview

My classmates agree that games can make sense of accomplishment and satisfactory due to completed mission. And they consider if the game  can help us to think more than the game. Most of them believed that the game did nothing on encouraging any kind of behavior.