Reflecting Media
This project deals with the "2nd reality" of the media (Simulacrum), whith its constantly increasing significance in competition with the "1st reality".
These paintings/objects look different to cameras, and hence to the media. (media-art with paint on canvas)
Technique:
Using the same materials that are used in traffic-signs, a different image (inside the image) is visible to cameras.
shown at :
Art Athina 2007
"Hommage to Magritte - Ceci n'est pas une artwork", 2007
"Hommage to Baudrillard - Reality/Show", 2007
"Hommage to McLuhan - A Lesson to Learn"
Visitors could point a video-camera with video-light (like those of TV-teams) at the pieces on the wall and see in a monitor the altered image that the media get. Naturally they also had the opportunity to see this by taking a picture with their own camera and flash.
Looking through a camera (lighting the images with the flash or video-light), structures become dominantly visible in the images which were invisible or latent before. Further works are in the pipeline, "reflecting media" is an ongoing project.
Based on the technique described above, various issues around the complex relationship society/individual/media are dealt with. The interdependence of terrorism and media, lessons artists have to learn about stardom vs. virtual non-existence, the difference between direct sensual reception and media-conveyed experience,...
Is the impact that art has through its representation in the media more important, because it reaches more people? Does art have to take into account the way its conveyed through the media. Is it necessary for art to be media-compatible in order to attract real-life audiences in a second step? In an economy of public attention, is there only stars and nobodies without a "middle-class" inbetween? Will the promised 15 minutes for everyone ever be materialised or just the illusion of it? Does an artist need to create a "brand"? And does he have to comply to his own "corporate identity" in order to build a brand? ....