Media Art Research Articles

The COVID-19 pandemic art of Anna Szpakowska-Kujawska: from pastels to spatial compositions

In this article, Karolina Tomczak is concerned with the latest and as yet unstudied works of renowned Wrocław artist Anna Szpakowska-Kujawska (born in 1931) created during the pandemic. These works include a series of pastels Kwadraty zaokienne (Squares outside the Window, or “pandemic squares”) from 2020 and spatial objects made of polystyrene foam and cardboard executed in the years 2021–2022. Tomczak gives an analytical interpretation of the modernist element in Szpakowska-Kujawska’s artistic record of her experience of the plague as it developed from painting at the point of realistic departure to unconventional sculpture. Tomczak shows that the reworking of difficult realities in the artistic medium finally takes place in spatial objects that are transgressively modern in that they reinterpret the model of avant-garde sculpture, selected postmodern artistic solutions and Szpakowska-Kujawska’s original art. At the same time, Tomczak sees Szpakowska-Kujawska’s works as expressive objects and personal psychograms encoding reality in the subjective iconography of a special period, which stylistically determines the coexistence of individualized biomorphism and simplified figuration, abstract universalization and symbolic representation. Being an example of creative adaptation to the contemporary threat, the works are affirmations of artistic activity in everyday conditions, as well as a continuation of Szpakowska-Kujawska’s distinct version of occasionally transgressive modernism. In her methodologically concretized approach, Tomczak uses stylistic analysis and compositional interpretation, as well as contextual and partly psychoanalytic method.

Cultural Aesthetics of Human Body: A Contemporary Interpretation through Traditional Chinese Ink Artistry

In contemporary artistic discourse, Dissociative Identity Disorder has emerged as a significant focus of cultural exploration. While the human body serves as a cultural vessel for expressing mental states through artistic mediums, traditional Chinese ink painting—despite its rich cultural heritage—has historically limited visual representation of the human form, creating a gap in artistic dialogue about mental health. This artistic research employs studio practice methodology to bridge traditional Chinese artistic elements with contemporary visual expression of the human body, specifically examining Dissociative Identity Disorder through a cultural lens. The findings demonstrate that through cultural innovation while preserving the essence of Chinese ink painting traditions, the human form can be effectively rendered to portray the psychological manifestations of Dissociative Identity Disorder. This artistic exploration not only expands the cultural vocabulary of Chinese ink painting but also creates a new artistic paradigm for its evolution in contemporary cultural discourse.

The Evolution of Performance Art: From Dada to Today

Performance art has evolved significantly over the past century, beginning with its origins in the Dada movement, which challenged traditional art forms and societal norms. This paper examines the dynamic trajectory of performance art, highlighting its major movements, influential artists, and thematic concerns, such as body politics, identity, and audience interaction. It examines the profound impact of technological advancements, including digital media and virtual reality, on the definition and accessibility of performance art. The paper also addresses the sociopolitical dimensions of the medium, its role in activism, and its engagement with contemporary issues like gender, race, and environmentalism. By analyzing its past and present, this study provides insights into the future potential of performance art as a medium that continuously redefines art, audience, and societal discourse. Keywords: Performance Art, Dada, Digital Media in Art, Audience Participation, Body Politics, Virtual Reality Art, Activism in Art

Restoration and reactivation approaches in computer music and time-based media art

Abstract This paper presents the work carried out by the Centro di Sonologia Computazionale (CSC) of the University of Padua, regarding the reactivation and preservation of time-based media artworks, including computer music, live electronics, performances, and multimedia art installations. During the last few years, the CSC has been developing a specific approach for archiving, documenting, and reactivating time-based media artworks, which led to the definition of the Multilevel Dynamic Preservation (MDP) model. Through in-depth analysis, various approaches are examined in the reactivation of several case studies, including digitisation, restoration, migration, and virtualisation of the artworks. The selected case studies involve various forms of art expression, such as video art, computer music, expanded cinema, and interactive performance. This contribution offers a comprehensive overview of the challenges encountered in the process of reactivating and preserving multimedia art, investigating the possible solutions offered by new technologies in preserving, digitising and virtualizing some of its forms, such as multimedia installations, expanded cinema, and video art performances.

A Review the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Media Content Creation for SDGs Development

Introduction: The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed digital media content creation, particularly with the rise of AI-Generated Content (AIGC). This systematic review investigates AIGC's role in enhancing content production efficiency, improving content quality, and addressing ethical considerations. AIGC applications—spanning micro-video production, digital storytelling, journalism, and new media art—highlight its profound impact on content workflows, distribution, and audience engagement. Objective: The objective of this study is to explore how AIGC influences the efficiency, quality, and ethical standards of digital media content creation, with the aim of fostering responsible and sustainable integration of AIGC in the media industry. Theoretical Framework: This research is grounded in theories of human-machine interaction, ethical decision-making, and technological adoption models, which provide a solid foundation for examining the dynamics of AIGC in the context of Web 3.0 advancements. Method: The methodology employed for this review involved a systematic analysis of scholarly articles, case studies, and industry reports on AIGC. The data were synthesized to evaluate its transformative potential, ethical challenges, and alignment with sustainable development goals (SDGs). Results and Discussion: The findings reveal that AIGC significantly enhances efficiency and scalability in content production while raising ethical concerns such as professional displacement and algorithmic biases. These results are contextualized within the theoretical framework, emphasizing the need for ethical safeguards and inclusive practices. Challenges, including transparency in AI use and equitable access to AIGC technologies, are also discussed. Research Implications: This study offers both theoretical and practical implications by proposing strategies for responsible AIGC adoption, contributing to the sustainable development of the digital media industry. Implications include its potential to democratize content creation, foster inclusivity, and support SDGs such as Quality Education (SDG 4), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), and Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9). Originality/Value: This study provides a novel contribution to the literature by integrating SDG-oriented perspectives into the discussion of AIGC's impact. Its findings underline the critical balance between leveraging technological advancements and mitigating their societal and ethical challenges.

Arts education matters, what are we waiting for? Perceptions of initial teacher education students in Australia

ABSTRACT The Arts are known to foster creativity, empathy, self-efficacy, social awareness, and critical thinking skills. Engagement in and through the Arts contributes to building social cohesion while supporting wellbeing. This research takes place in Australia were the Arts (Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music, and Visual Arts) play an important role in society, and across school curriculum. This paper forms part of a wider study (name to be inserted). We explore student perceptions in relation to ‘Why Arts Education is important in primary schools?’. Students undertaking initial teacher education (ITE) primary programmes participated (September–December 2023, n = 120) by completing an online survey. Qualtrics Stats IQ were used to statistically analyse quantitative data, and Reflexive Thematic Analysis was employed for qualitative data analysis. Given the sample size, generalisations cannot be made to all Australian universities. The two themes (valuing Arts Education, and opportunities and implications) highlight student perceptions of Arts Education. Whilst recommendations are offered, further investigation into the benefits of teaching the Arts across all areas of the curriculum is needed. If Arts Education matters, then why are we waiting to include it in all schools and ITE programmes?

Us and Them

This paper delves into the personal teaching journey of the author, focusing on the challenges and transformations encountered while teaching courses in Media Arts. It aims to explore strategies to facilitate active student participation and promote transformative learning experiences, particularly within a diverse classroom environment. Drawing from the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire, particularly his emphasis on dialogic education and the role of students as active participants in the learning process, this study is grounded in constructivist and social constructivist theories. It also incorporates concepts from performance studies, including Augusto Boal's "Theater of the Oppressed," to inform teaching methods that encourage critical engagement and creative expression. The author's teaching approach is examined through a qualitative lens, utilizing reflective analysis and classroom observations to document experiences and outcomes. Interviews with students and thematic analysis of classroom activities provide insight into the effectiveness of strategies aimed at fostering openness, inclusivity, and critical thinking. Through innovative teaching methods, such as project-based assessments and creative exercises, students were empowered to explore diverse perspectives and engage in meaningful dialogue. These approaches facilitated deeper learning and challenged students to confront biases and societal norms, ultimately leading to transformative growth and increased empathy.

TAPPING THE "UNTAPPED RESOURCE": HOW TWENTIETH-CENTURY INDUSTRIAL PRIORITIES HAVE SHAPED CONTEMPORARY NEW MEDIA ART PRACTICES

Contemporary artists using emerging technologies in their work are often positioned as innovators, mavericks, and diagnosticians, who work “outside” of the tech industry and thus bring sorely needed perspective to its developments. However, viewing new media artists as fully independent actors, devoid of any connection to industrial and corporate aims, serves to eclipse the long-standing and substantial ties that the field has to the protocols and priorities of the mainstream technology industry. These, in fact, have existed for as long as artists have attempted to integrate computation, electronics, networking, or other high-tech components into their work—both when these tools are owned and operated by corporations, but also in more diffuse, ideological ways. This contribution, which draws from my larger dissertation work, traces the evolution of the cultural imaginary surrounding new media artists, defined in my research as practitioners who expand, reinvent, or misuse technological expression. By explicitly placing archives from three twentieth century “art and technology” initiatives against interviews with new media artists and cultural workers I conducted in the present day, I emphasize the foundational connections that new media artists have to industrial practices—and argue that this relationship can be traced back to the first attempts to place artists into collaborations with industry. As a result, industrial mandates have, to a large degree, shaped the popular conception of the new media art field, guiding both the practicalities of working with digital systems as well as notions of what artists “should” be doing with their work.

COPYRIGHT PROTECTION FOR NON-FUNGIBLE TOKENS AS DIGITAL ARTWORKS

The current technological developments have provided convenience for society in accessing the internet, which can be utilized in various fields, one of which is the economy. In economic activities through digital media, the term "digital economy" is used. Digital economic activities cannot be separated from copyright objects that are traded as goods. Considering that examining copyright issues ultimately leads to the concept of law itself, especially regarding efforts to protect the results of two-dimensional art in the form of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), it is important to address this matter. The buying and selling of NFT art in digital media brings fresh opportunities for artists. However, it also creates problems for some parties in protecting their creations from harmful actions. Therefore, this research aims to understand the legal protection for creators of two-dimensional digital artworks, to facilitate economic activities, and to identify the appropriate legal actions for creators in the event of copyright infringement in digital media. In this research, the author employs a normative research method, focusing on literature and secondary data through a juridical-normative approach that is descriptive and analytical in nature. The study reviews and analyzes regulations related to the core issues at hand. The findings of this research clearly show that, in fact, Indonesian Law Number 28 of 2014 on Copyright and Law Number 19 of 2016 on Amendments to Law Number 11 of 2008 on Electronic Information and Transactions do not comprehensively regulate two-dimensional digital artworks. To address emerging issues, creators can take legal action in the form of filing a compensation lawsuit in commercial courts, submitting criminal reports, or filing a report to the Directorate General of Intellectual Property to request the removal of content and/or access rights if copyright infringement is suspected in digital media.

Sonorous assemblages. Speculating a metallurgical aesthetic of airport media art

ABSTRACT As airport terminals continue to expand, the level of noise steadily increases, and yet when we think of an airport lounge, we tend to recall an image rather than a sound. Simultaneously, modern airport terminal design incorporates sound media artworks that appear to be adding to the existing cacophonic soundscape. Understanding that sound plays a formative—albeit often nonconscious—role in the shaping of our sense perception of (airport) space, in this article—resorting to Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s radical empiricism—I speculate an immanent and metallurgical approach towards airport sound art, which puts forth aesthetic experience as essentially entangled with airport space and the sensorium. Engaging with two of an American artist, Christopher Janney’s airport sound and visual installations, the article posits sonorous assemblages to explore a sonic aesthetic of airport experience. In probing the boundaries of routinized perception, it thus forays into an extraperceptual dimension of spatial aesthetics.

The Effect of Occupational Art Therapy on Depression, Anxiety and Stress in the Elderly in Nursing Homes: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Background: Elderly individuals residing in care facilities possess the potential for low physical activity, frequent illness, a hostile environment, and a lack of self-confidence, causing older people to become anxious, stressed, and even depressed. Unfortunately, no intervention can overcome this problem. Occupational art therapy involves using artistic mediums as a form of treatment and creative processes to help express oneself, improve individual physical and coping skills, manage stress, and strengthen self-confidence. Methods: This research aims to explain the effect of occupational art therapy on depression, stress, and anxiety in older adults in nursing homes. This research uses a quasi-experimental pre and post-test design. The total sample used was 60 respondents, who were divided into intervention and control groups using a sampling technique, namely purposive sampling. Data were collected using the short version of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (21 items). Descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, and Paired and Unpaired T-tests were applied for data analysis. Results: The findings of the research indicated that occupational arts therapy could reduce depression scores with an average difference of 8.63, namely an anxiety score of 5.54 and a stress score of 3.59. Data analysis showed that occupational art therapy significantly reduced anxiety, depression, and stress scores (p-value 0.000). Conclusion: Occupational art therapy can be used as a complementary therapy in nursing homes to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress in older people. The findings of this study are expected to help improve services in nursing homes, especially for reducing depression, anxiety, and stress in older people.

Crises and Reforms of the Body

The use of the body – whether it referred to representations of the leader through media or artistic image, sculpture, photography, or specific choreographed manifestations – is a recognizable tool for building and nurturing the personality cult of Josip Broz Tito and communicating with the People. The crisis of the socialist society and the ideological shift was therefore accompanied by sudden changes, neglect, even literal cutting and melting of the monumental heritage, removal, and destruction of Tito's representations, and the forced oblivion of collective performances that once celebrated Yugoslavia and its leader. In this paper, the Museum of Yugoslavia in Belgrade and its surroundings will serve as the point of departure for further reflection on the creation of a personality cult, as well as its subsequent deconstruction and recontextualization followed by the notion of the body's bond to this space. Starting from the appearance of the literal and the symbolical body of the leader, as well as the collective body in the context of the 25th of May performance and commemoration happening in the same area, we will follow how these bodies transform over time at the same place through the medium of contemporary art and curatorial practice.

Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, The Auditory Setting: Environmental Sounds in Film and Media Arts

Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, <i>The Auditory Setting: Environmental Sounds in Film and Media Arts</i>

Feminist media makers in the San Francisco Bay area

ABSTRACT This article documents two long-standing media projects in the San Francisco Bay area. ‘Voices of the Native Nations’, a community radio program, and the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project (QWOCMAP), training program and film festival, both were based in feminist and decolonial social movements and arose during key media historic moments. I argue that media-in-transition goes beyond a simple consideration of technological changes, and instead includes the complex processes by which emerging groups of social actors claim a specific medium or media assemblage within the space constituted by residual and dominant political and media formations. Media-in-transition includes two different time periods – a group’s emergence within a specific media historic moment or conjuncture of changing movements, residual and dominant political and media ecologies, and media technologies; and the always-in-process ways that these contending groups constitute new subjectivities, media practices and social relations. I conclude by reviewing the legacies of these two projects for contemporary feminist media.

Artful learning: early childhood pre-service teachers and art integration

ABSTRACT Early childhood education pre-service teachers (ECE PSTs) often feel unprepared and uneasy about incorporating the arts into their future classrooms. This lack of confidence may limit children’s creative and artistic development. We designed and implemented a collaborative art integration course assignment called the Artful Learning Project to address this issue. This project involved 60 ECE PSTs enrolled in an early childhood curriculum methods course at a comprehensive university in the Northeast. Our findings revealed that while ECE PSTs require further support in integrating art, they demonstrated an emerging understanding of art integration practices after the project. The findings suggest that teacher preparation programs should focus on scaffolding integration concepts, providing instruction about art media, teaching PSTs to use various materials, and demonstrating how to scaffold discussion around works of art. The study underscores the potential of ECE PSTs to integrate art with structured support and training effectively.

The Role of Experiential Learning in Science Education through Arts

Experiential learning offers a dynamic, hands-on approach to science education, aligning well with constructivist theories and emphasizing active student engagement. This paper examines how integrating the arts into science education enhances experiential learning, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and long-term knowledge retention. By engaging students through diverse artistic mediums—such as visual arts, performance, and music—educators can enhance student motivation and facilitate deeper connections with scientific concepts. This study examines strategies and case studies demonstrating effective arts integration within science curricula, discusses barriers to experiential learning, and highlights best practices that enable a creative and interdisciplinary approach to science education. Ultimately, this research suggests that the arts play a pivotal role in making science accessible and engaging, encouraging students to apply scientific principles creatively and think critically in real-world scenarios. Keywords: Experiential learning, science education, arts integration, constructivism, creativity, interdisciplinary.

Remo Bianco, plastic and the trauma of the post-war Italian artist

This article examines how Italian artist Remo Bianco (1922–88) used plastic to manage the traumatic transition from Fascism to the post-war period. It contends that the post-war optimism and enthusiasm associated with plastic that is evident in the art of Bianco’s compatriots (Alberto Burri, Carla Accardi, Piero Gilardi and Gino Marotta) masks a dark undercurrent of the past, one expunged from later narratives of Italian art, but which can be found in Bianco’s works. Beginning by examining plastic as material, signifier and artistic medium, the article analyses plastic’s development and adoption by artists in Italy from Fascism to the post-war period. Unlike his contemporaries, such as Piero Manzoni and Yves Klein, who created sculptural works that engaged with the live human body, or Christo, who packaged objects for their contents to be guessed, Bianco used plastic to wrap and encase objects and humans so as to anxiously yet methodically sort, organize, seal off and safeguard people and things. While Bianco’s use of plastic refers to broader repressed cultural anxieties, his art also expressed personal concerns associated with his troubled sexuality, from disturbed relationships with women to his closeted homosexuality, which he blamed on his rigid upbringing under Fascism. As this article demonstrates, this interweaving of art, history and autobiography fuelled Bianco’s idiosyncratic use of plastic, resulting in a sense of detachment overshadowed by the avant-garde art of his time.

When Image Processing Becomes Image Creation: Gregory Zinman in Conversation with LoVid

Abstract The multidisciplinary artist duo LoVid have been making art that combines analog and digital media, as well as handmade and code-based methods, for nearly a quarter century. Topics discussed in this interview include image processing, generative art, Web3, and sociality in contemporary media art.

(Nip)ulations: The Nipulator Electronic Bra and the Embodiment of the Image Processing Tool

Abstract The Nipulator electronic bra is a custom-built wearable device that uses two potentiometers, a hacked DJ Hero microcontroller, and Cycling ’74 software to (nip)ulate the author’s voice and image in real time. The bra functions as an instrument for live video and sound processing as well as a feminist art object. This essay discusses how the author’s work with rare and historically significant image and sound processing tools like the Sandin Image Processor, Jones Frame Buffer, and Paik-Abe Raster Manipulation Unit influenced the creation of The Nipulator, as well as her experimental media art practice. Other artistic and personal influences are also considered, and a thorough description of the bra’s design, technical evolution, and durability challenges is provided.

Raster Manipulations

Abstract Nam June Paik’s artistic experiments, especially the distortion of the electronic image with magnets, from which he started, provide the author a defining example and reference point for his audiovisual work. The possible combinations of analog and digital techniques open up new doors for contemporary media artists. In this artistic statement the author describes some of his own experimental works of art in the hopes of stimulating a discourse on experimentation and innovation.