This week we read Chapter 7 of “Protocol” by Alexander Galloway, “Internet Art.” I love how the term Net.Art came about with the story how artist Vuk Cosic received an anonymous email. The only readable thing in the email was Net.Art due to incompatible software. It’s hard to believe how fast the internet has grown in such a relatively short period of time. For those of us that remember dial-up and those early AOL days, the sound of the modem calling will always be synonymous with the internet and it is so evocative that hearing it always brings me right back to the 1990s.
That sound, like other net.art, is of its time because of where the internet was in its life. As the internet has evolved so has the art that it inspires. My favorite pieces discussed are the the ebay auctions – 16 year old boy for sale! Ha!
For myself and my work, I think the internet is akin to poetry. You can be symbolic and straightforward at the same time. Users can proceed at their own pace and in the comfort of their own space. They can spend time on a single line of code or image or text and draw their own conclusions. I think I see it as a way to combine image and poetry together and I would like to explore ways that image can draw one to text and vice versa.
I’ve become more interested in VR and AR. I recently attended a workshop on AFrame and Web VR that showed me that you don’t necessarily need a headset to bring someone into a 3D world. It’s a different experience than a headset and you can build a world with that in mind.
Alina Learns to Code 