Media Art Research Articles

Study on the application of media technology and media art

This study aims to clarify how augmented reality (AR) technology was used in the live broadcast of the opening game of the National Festival and how effective it was. The opening ceremony of the Mongolian national festival “Naadam” (2023) on the theme of “Unity alone Mongolia” which includes “Hymn of Eternal Unity”, “The Great Epic”, “Time of Great Mongolia’s Fate”, “Three Generations Nomad”, “Altan Teshvi’s Melody”, “Mongolia of the World”. It has six parts, and how the design and processing of AR visualization of the information displayed on the screen with the meaning of these have been enriched. This study will increase the interest of artists, researchers and designers in using a wider range of innovative AR applications to create digital art experiences. Медиа технологи, медиа урлагийн хэрэглээний судалгаа Хураангуй: Энэхүү судалгаа нь үндэсний их баяр наадмын нээлтийн тоглолтын шууд дамжуулалтад медиа технологийн төрөл болох баяжуулсан бодит байдлын (augmented reality- AR) технологийг хэрхэн ашигласан, ямар үр дүнтэй болсныг тодруулах зорилготой. “Эв нэгдлийн тусгаар Монгол” сэдэвт нээлтийн тоглолт (2023 он) нь “Эв мөнхийн дуулал”, “Их хөлгөн туульс”, “Их Монголын заяан цаг”, ”Гурван цагийн нүүдэл”, “Алтан тэвшийн хөг аялгуу”, “Дэлхийн Монгол” гэсэн зургаан хэсэгтэй бөгөөд эдгээрийн утга агуулгатай дэлгэцээр гаргах мэдээллийн AR дүрслэлийн дизайн, боловсруулалт хэрхэн уялдан баяжуулсныг тодрууллаа. Энэ нь уран бүтээлчид, судлаачид болон дизайнеруудыг дижитал урлагийн туршлагыг бий болгохын тулд илүү өргөн хүрээний шинэлэг AR программуудыг ашиглах сонирхлыг нэмэгдүүлэх ач холбогдолтой юм. Түлхүүр үгс: медиа дизайн, наадам, баяжуулсан бодит байдал (augmented reality- AR)

Rocky Legacies of Finnish Anti-Uranium Mining Social Movements

When international mining companies rushed to prospect for uranium in Finland in the early 2000s, localised anti-uranium mining social movements formed in different parts of the country. Among the activists was Finnish artist Pessi Manner whose rock carvings remain the social movements’ most enduring legacies. In this article, I discuss the history of uranium prospecting and anti-uranium activism in Finland, analyse Manner’s interventions as examples of atomic rock art, and argue that, in using rock as his art medium, Manner was able to elicit an affective connection between feeling bodies and a landscape in need of protection, a quality that also contributes to the capacity of his artworks for future communication.

Generative Models for the Psychology of Art and Aesthetics

This paper describes how computational generative models can describe aspects of the artistic process, and how these generative models can provide tools for formulating and testing psychological theories of art. The term “generative models” here refers to algorithms that can generate artistic imagery, video, text, or other artistic media, including techniques developed in both computer graphics and AI research. Generative models can both describe artistic processes and offer useful experimental tools. This paper first outlines different ways to understand the types of research in generative models. It then surveys several recent examples of using generative models to develop theories and to perform experiments. The paper then discusses misleading uses of the concept of “AI-generated art” in psychological studies, and the need for study of our relationship with new artistic technologies. Finally, the paper offers a few remarks on pursuing interdisciplinary research across psychology and computer graphics.

Conceptualism of Sculpture Films of the 1970s–1980s in the Experimental Field of “Expanded Cinema”

The aim of the article is to analyse conceptual foundations of sculpture films in the 1970s–1980s in the context of experiments with “cinema expansion”. Results. Sculpture films of the 1970s–1980s show signs of a tendency toward conceptualism inherent in postmodern art. In innovative experiments on the audiovisual art and sculpture synthesis, not only the updated artistic toolkit became basic, but the process of meaning creation with a mandatory appeal to the audience’s perception as well. All this was organically integrated into the general search of avant-garde directors, aimed at developing the technological and artistic possibilities of cinematography, which received a generalised name “expanded cinema” (G. Youngblood). W. Turnbull, A. Forbes, D. Ashton, R. Horn, V. Pye, G. Matta-Clark, L. Lijn, B. Flanagan, R. Smithson, G. Stevens, P. Dockley, D. Hall, D. Dye, E. McCall, L. Lye, J. Hilliard, T. Hill, and many others, can be considered the figures in this direction. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the conceptual foundations of sculpture films of the 1970s–1980s are systematically analysed in the context of avant-garde searches by masters in creating interdisciplinary arts, and in extended cinema as well. Conclusions. The analysis of projects significant for sculpture cinema in the 1970s–1980s reveals a few conceptual creative approaches: video documentation of the process of creating a sculpture, and presenting an audiovisual work as an independent art object; filming the transformation and destruction of sculpture works for the purpose of provocative statements on current topics; use of cinematographic equipment as a material for creating sculptures; expanded interpretation of the concept of “sculpture” as a form, the construction of which is not limited to solid materials or inanimate objects; fixation on film of kinetic sculptures, the contemplation of which is inseparable from the surrounding environment. A general conclusion is made that experiments with sculpture films contributed to the video art formation, and influenced the further development of media art.

Representations of Music and the Dance in Late Roman Art

Music and the dance are an important theme represented in various artistic media of the Late Roman and Early Byzantine periods, including mosaic pavements and decorative arts such as silver metalwork, woven textiles, and carved ivories. A popular aspect of this theme is imagery of the Dionysiac thiasos, with members of the wine god’s entourage making merry by dancing and sounding crotala or cymbal tongs, as we see in a fragmentary mosaic from the House of the Dionysiac Thiasos at Augusta Traiana – Beroe. A similar effect occurs in either an expanded or a somewhat reduced format in pavements from Argos and Madaba. Besides mosaics, this subject also appears on Late Antique silver plate made for display, such as objects in the Mildenhall Treasure from Roman Britain and related works. Coptic textiles used to ornament private houses as colorful wall hangings feature lively dancers and musicians, and these figures may or may not have a mythological identity. Other non-mythological representations of music and the dance appeared in domestic and public settings. An outstanding example is the well-preserved Mosaic of Female Musicians that decorated a house in Mariamin, Syria, and that assembles an impressive group of instrumentalists and a dancer. One observes a pipe organ (hydraulis) along with a cithara, an aulos, and an acetabulum, consisting of a series of metal bowls struck with a baton. Elsewhere there are depicted a pantomime performance with an organ accompaniment, visible in a mosaic from Noheda, Spain, as well as music-making and dancing in the context of the circus. The latter subject appears on a consular diptych, and on the base of the Obelisk of Theodosius in Constantinople. We finally note that the pipe organ was later adopted for use in the church liturgy, reflected in an illustration in the Utrecht Psalter of 9th-century date. If the latter work of art is a copy of a Late Antique manuscript, as some scholars believe, then the pipe organ’s adoption for Christian ceremonial practice should be dated earlier than originally thought.

공공미술로서의 데이터 아트의 활용 가능성 연구 : 추상성과 복잡성을 중심으로

This study explores data art as a form of public art, focusing on visual abstraction and complexity. In recent years, new media works such as installation art and media art have transformed public spaces and architecture, turning urban areas into places that offer new experiences and inspiration beyond mere transit or commercial uses. However, the utilization of data art as public art remains limited. Data art visually represents vast amounts of data, providing unique insights and conveying new meanings through various forms. For instance, data art that integrates real-time climate data can offer both important messages and aesthetic experiences. The analysis of the technical and artistic aspects of data art installed in public spaces reveal the following: Data art’s abstraction and complexity provide citizens with immersive and novel experiences, enabling mental rejuvenation. Data art, expressed in geometric abstraction or abstract expressionist styles, captivates viewers and offers a balanced complexity designed by the artist, delivering surprise and newness. Utilizing diverse raw data and visualized in real-time, data art is created as installation pieces using digital screens or LEDs. These artworks are installed in various public places such as building lobbies, bus stops, and parks, allowing more people to experience art in their daily lives. Therefore, as public art, data art, with its abstraction and complexity, can engage citizens emotionally and promote open-minded thinking.

A Study on the Poetic Expression of “The Gaze” in Media Arts: Focusing on the Works of unzi Kim

A Study on the Poetic Expression of “The Gaze” in Media Arts: Focusing on the Works of unzi Kim

Textile Collage as the Artistic Method to Comprehend Industrial Memory: the Analysis of the Project “Radiant City” by Elena Sharganova

The article is focused on the sociological analysis of the project “Radiant city” of Elena Sharganova, resident of the tenth season of Open Studios at the Center of Contemporary Art Winzavod (2023/24), that is devoted to the artist’s hometown — Nelidovo — and consists of a series of textile collages, made with mixed media techniques including photo printing, cyanotype, machine seam, hand embroidery. Sociological conceptualization of the project is made based on the interview with the artist, analysis of archive publications kindly provided by the artist, and researches on social memory and industrial cities. Based on the interpretation of collages as spaces of representation in terms of Henri Lefebvre that represent a zone of experience, in which images and symbols fill in physical space and knowledge about it, the article shows that the “Radiant city” is the artist’s reflections on Nelidovo’s unrealized development trajectories and destinies of small industrial cities in general. There are three key topics raised by the artist in this project: disappointment in communism and nostalgia for the past, the problem of small industrial cities’ development, interrelation of collective and individual memory. Elena Sharganova’s project significance is defined by experiments with art mediums and a research approach that brings together art and social issues.

실감형 미디어아트의 시각 의미 연구 - 디스트릭트(d’strict) 작품을 중심으로

The purpose of this study is to analyze the visual meaning of realistic media art. First, realistic media art, Roland Barthes' semiotics, and Bernd H. Schmitt's experiential marketing are the background of academic analysis. Second, after categorizing district works by category, the semiotic meaning of each work is analyzed, and five types of experiential marketing are analyzed. This study limited the scope of the study to the works that won the main prize at the ‘iF Design Awards in Germany from 2020 to 2024, and then conducted a case analysis in the commercial service sector and the art service sector. As a result of the study, it was found that both sectors are the same in that they take sensory marketing and emotional marketing, but there is a difference in that the commercial sector focuses on behavioral marketing and the art sector focuses on cognitive marketing. Finally, this study suggests a theoretical basis that can contribute to the development of realistic media art by combining the semantic function of the semiotic perspective with the experiential marketing strategy.

Book Review: Poetic Operations: Trans of Color Art in Digital Media

Book Review: Poetic Operations: Trans of Color Art in Digital Media

Концертная увертюра «Шунчаки ҳазил» Мустафо Бафоева в интертекстуальной проекции

The theory of intertext, having taken shape in philology, semiotics and cultural studies, was developed in musicology in the last third of the twentieth century. The approach of the prominent representative of musicology in Uzbekistan, Natalia Yanov-Yanovskaya (b. 1934), complements this theory with the concept of intertextual duality in Eastern compositional music, arising from the dialogue between monophonic and multi-voice language systems. The purpose of this article is to argue the thesis put forward by N. Yanov-Yanovskaya about the awareness of national musical culture of its own self-value in modern conditions of interaction between centripetal and centrifugal factors of its development and globalization challenges. To achieve it, semantic, semiotic, hermeneutic approaches are applied, and theoretical experience of studying the phenomenon of intertextuality in music, literature and media art is taken into account.The concert overture-rondo “Shunchaki Khazil” (Just a Joke) written by Uzbek composer Mustafo Bafoyev (b. 1946) is chosen as a representative object. For the first time it is considered in the aspect of revealing the program idea with the help of the involved intertextual means. As a result of the analysis, it was revealed that the content basis of this work was the display of Western, Eastern and national cultural scenarios in three episodes of the rondo. The refrain, which included an Uzbek proverb-intext, became an expression of the composer’s creative credo: while studying and perceiving foreign national experience, try not to lose your authentic “face”, just be yourself.The intertextual apparatus contains quotation, allusion, metaphor, amalgam, image, stylization, adaptation, parody, polystylism, pentatonics, mix of multi-voice texture and timbre coloring of national musical instruments, and program-conditioned rondo form. Demonstrating its fluent mastery and revealing the ideological intent of the overture, Mustafo Bafoyev positions the centripetal platform of his work as characteristics of the Uzbek school of composers at the current stage of development both in terms of stylistic renewal and national-soil discourse. This confirms the validity conclusion of Natalia Yanov-Yanovskaya’s about the growing awareness of the national musical culture self-value as a balance to the trends of globalization.

(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 hardware potentiometers (or knobs), a hacked DJ Hero microcontroller, and Cycling ’74 Max/MSP/Jitter software patches to (nip)ulate the author’s voice and/or image in real-time. The bra functions both as an instrument for live video and sound processing as well as feminist art object, and has been featured in several single-channel videos, and performances for an audience. 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 (aka “Wobbulator”), influenced the creation of The Nipulator, as well as her experimental media art practice more generally. Other artistic, feminist, and personal influences are also considered, and a thorough description of the bra’s design, technical evolution, and challenges with regards to durability is provided.

Enhancing Curatorial Competencies : A New Media Art Curator Incubation Model in Indonesia

This research aims to develop an incubation model to improve curator’s competencies on new media art curatorial practice. The incubation model contains a series of learning modules by which Indonesian young curators acquire theoretical knowledge and practical skills to develop and execute a new media art curatorial project. This research used a qualitative approach with a method of design-based research. The research process includes analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation. After analysing the mentees’ curatorial competencies, incubation model was designed based on four steps of curation: (1) Concept Development, (2) Artwork Selection, (3) Exhibition Design, and (4) Exhibition Communication. The research participants include 8 mentors, 9 mentees, and 3 facilitators for June mentorship, and 3 mentors, 2 curators, 4 artists, and 4 organizers for November exhibition. Data were collected through participatory observation, document studies, and personal reflection, which were interpreted through content analysis method. The result of the research is that implementing the four steps of curation in the new media art curator incubation model led to an improvement in 10 curatorial competencies for two mentees, and mostly 8 curatorial competencies for seven mentees. However, the limitation of this research is that ARCOLABS, the incubator, provided different levels of management to its mentees. Therefore, the research recommends that ARCOLABS should ensure fair treatment to all mentees to properly evaluate the improvement of curatorial competencies. For future research, the new media art curator incubation model should be redesigned and appropriately implemented to meet the required curatorial competencies.

Heidegger and Cavell on artistic medium in the post-medium condition

ABSTRACT The article proposes a theory of artistic medium through a conjoint reading of Martin Heidegger and Stanley Cavell. My thesis is that the concept of the medium such reading yields is a necessary dimension of the idea of art still operative in the contemporary “post-medium condition,” in which the material bases of works are no longer bound to conventional identification within the system of the arts. I show that Rosalind Krauss’s conception of “reinventing the medium” as the essential artistic task of this situation is adumbrated in a central tenet of Cavell’s philosophy of art: an artistic medium is created—rather than applied—in a successful artistic instance. I further show that this notion, consistently associated with the figure of circularity in Cavell’s text, is grounded in Heidegger’s understanding of the artwork as a world-disclosing event, paradoxically creating its own conditions. In the last two sections of the paper, I explore the significance of artistic medium for both philosophers as the bearer of the transcendental claim for “material meaning” against the prevailing Cartesian paradigm of modernity. Finally, I argue that Heidegger’s interpretation of the artwork’s material basis as “coming-forth-concealing,” furthered by Jean-Luc Nancy’s notion of “matter-as-difference,” makes the concept of the medium, so construed, universally applicable to the variety of arts in the post-medium condition, and grounds the ontological necessity of this multiplicity.

A Conceptual Framework in Curatorial Practices in New Media Art in the Malaysian Art Scene

In Malaysia, technological devices such as computers were introduced as one of the art mediums to be used in the 1980s. New media art in Malaysia is often equated with electronic art, digital art, video, and media art. Thus, the objective of this paper is to identify the curatorial practices in new media art practice by the curators in the Malaysian art scene. This paper aims to construct a conceptual framework of curatorial practices in the new media art. This conceptual framework aims to highlight the main attributes and factors in curating new media art in Malaysia’s art scene. The method used in this research is the Kawakita Jiro which extracts the keywords related to the curatorial practices through the literature reviews. The result shows that the curatorial practices in new media art disciplinary, application, concept, perception, production, integration, and awareness are the curatorial practices in new media in the Malaysian art scene, and the conceptual framework shows that the interrelation between each attribute of curatorial practices has contributed to facilitating the production of new media art.

The synergistic effect of artificial intelligence technology in the evolution of visual communication of new media art

This study aims to clarify the synergistic effect of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the evolution of visual communication of new media art, thereby exploring an AI layout design method based on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) in the practice of visual communication design. Firstly, this study designs an AI layout design model based on CNN, and trains and optimizes it with training data. Secondly, the automatic generation of layout design is realized by constantly adjusting the model parameters and network structure. Finally, various AI layout design algorithms are compared, and their effects and performances in layout design generation are analyzed. To verify the layout and composition matching model's performance, traditional layout design methods are selected for comparison (layout, comparison, harmonic composition, etc.). This study involved 20 design students as participants, evaluating them across three dimensions: overall comprehensive assessment, readability of text information, and rationality of visual path using a Likert 7-point scale. The results reveal that the proposed method's evaluation outcomes in these three aspects are 5.95, 5.68, and 5.74, respectively, higher than the traditional layout design methods. To sum up, the generative AI discussed here can automatically generate design elements and schemes through deep learning and big data analysis, thus providing a reference for the innovation of visual communication design.

Application of Virtual Reality Technology Based on Convolutional Neural Network in Digital Media Art Creation

On the basis of the convolutional neural network based on the absolute value layer, a convolutional neural network based on multi-level parallel is proposed. This model adds shortcut connections between different convolutional layers of the convolutional neural network. The shortcut connections allow the feature map output from the shallower convolutional layers in the network to be directly used as branch information, which is similar to the deep convolutional layer. The feature maps are combined to obtain a feature map with more comprehensive information. By using the features of the shallow convolutional layer and the deep convolutional layer at the same time, the embedded traces it learns are more accurate. The final experimental results prove that the multi-level parallel convolutional neural network has a significant improvement in detection performance compared with the rich model art creation analysis algorithm, even when confronting the HILL art creation algorithm with an embedding rate of 0.4bpp.

Exploring the Lives of Children Born of Conflict‐Related Sexual Violence Through Art

Although the realities of children born of conflict‐related sexual violence have gained increased attention, limited research has explored the issue from the perspectives of the children themselves. Drawing upon a sample of 79 children born of sexual violence in Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) captivity, and using arts‐based methods, this study explored the wartime and post‐conflict experiences directly from children born of conflict‐related sexual violence in northern Uganda. The study illustrates how the arts‐based methods of mask‐making, drawing, and life maps—developed in consultation with local researchers and youth born in LRA captivity—helped to capture the complex wartime and post‐war realities of this unique population of children and youth, as well as enabled young people to choose what to share and what to withhold during the research process. More easily distributed, accessed, and consumed than traditional academic publications, the medium of art can have a widespread, immediate, and powerful impact. The article concludes with the strengths, limitations, and ethical implications of arts‐based methods, as well as the importance of considering culture and context for future research.

Exploration of New Development of Cultural and Artistic Media Appreciation Forms in the Information Age

Exploration of New Development of Cultural and Artistic Media Appreciation Forms in the Information Age

Review of Research on New Media Art in China from 2003 to 2022 - A Bibliometric Analysis Based on CiteSpace

With the enrichment of digital technology, new media art has become a hot topic in the current art field. However, the academic field lacks a comprehensive discussion on the development trend of new media art in China. To gain a clearer understanding of the development process of Chinese New Media Art, this research adopts the method of bibliometrics combined with CiteSpace Knowledge Map visualization software. Using 550 articles from the CSSCI Database for visualization knowledge map presentation, data analysis is conducted on the number of annual publications, academic institutions and authors, and bursting keywords. This presents the development history, evolution of hotspots, and future trends of Chinese New Media Art. The research found that the number of annual publications of Chinese new media art can be divided into four stages: slow growth from 2003 to 2006, rapid growth from 2007 to 2010, slow increase from 2011 to 2017, and fluctuating development from 2017 to 2022. Secondly, there is a low density of cooperation between authors and academic institutions, and no clear academic groups have been formed, with academic institutions mainly located in economically developed first-tier cities. It is predicted that "Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Human-Computer Interaction" will become the future development directions of Chinese new media art research. It is hoped that this research can provide theoretical reference and data support for the future development of New Media Art in China.