Media archaeology in art practice

Chris Cornish

doi:10.14236/ewic/eva2010.40

Abstract

The focus of this paper is the description and contextualisation of series of artworks that I have been developing since 2007, each of which I feel address concepts of what is termed 'media archaeology' – the ability to extract information, objects and environments from either virtual or historical sources and reproduce them in a real world space, in this case the art gallery.

Highlights

In 1996 Siegfried Zielinski (1996) defined media archaeology as a 'means to dig out secret paths in history, which might help us find our way into the future'
Umberto Eco (1990) in his book Travels in Hyperreality states that to define history it is crucial to forget and Baudrillard has often argued that medium can create or deny an event or place
Media archaeology in art practice Chris Cornish ahead nuts and bolts tied to cloth to test the route before proceeding

Summary

INTRODUCTION

In 1996 Siegfried Zielinski (1996) defined media archaeology as a 'means to dig out secret paths in history, which might help us find our way into the future'. OGLE is an open source software package developed by Eyebeam OpenLab in the US (Eyebeam, n.d.) that allows for the capture and re-use of 3D geometry data from 3D graphics applications such as computer games, Google Earth and second life It works much like the standard 'print screen' operation in Windows, yet functions while the user is engaged in a 3D environment. In creating the object in the real world, I was attempting to test and challenge its original purpose - the crater, once a random representation of violence and power becomes an inert object; the result of a reductive process of architectural design It becomes dislocated from its original representational mode, the illusionary and permeable space of the computer game is replaced by the hard white walls of the gallery; the object becomes heavy, stuck; it obtains a strange mass. Media archaeology in art practice Chris Cornish ahead nuts and bolts tied to cloth to test the route before proceeding

THE ZONE

SAMPLE AND HOLD

CONCLUSION