Ever given thought to how you could enhance the way a spectator experiences your artwork, whether it's by simply incorporating a specific type of background music or lighting, or really pushing the envelope by making use of the latest technological advances? As visual artists, in what ways can we appeal to our publics' other senses so that we can get our message across more effectively and even create life-altering experiences?
In today's guest blog post, CODAworx shares a compilation of three groundbreaking contemporary artists that are using the latest technology to create works of art in which the viewer isn't only a spectator, but very much a participant. These artists have succeeded at creating experiences that their public can truly submerge in and take part of, coming out the other end changed.
In past blog posts , I've shared how I believe that the purpose of art is to set forth ideas and awaken people. The artists presented below have proven capable of doing precisely that through the creation of projects that challenge their public in a variety of ways. Through their work, these artists have managed to plant seeds in their spectators' minds and make them think about their world differently.
CODAworx (Collaboration of Design and Art) is a global online community that facilitates the connection between artists and creative companies that make those ideas come to life. They are true advocates for all types of arts and are taking massive action to make the world a better place through them.
​Let's get to their article!
​Sensory perception of art relies on understanding through the body. Rather than simply viewing a piece, we experience it. Artists from a variety of disciplines are using sensory art to force us to perceive it in bold new ways. Below are three such artists whose work envelopes you, rather than being separate from you.
​Hailing from Amsterdam, Titia Ex is a multimedia conceptual artist known for her daring light play. Her work explores the relationship between light and place, examining how one manipulates and acts upon the other.
This relationship is exemplified beautifully in her 2008 installation, The Waiting. Ex floated 40 red LED lights in the tranquil waters of the Dutch island of Vlieland. The effect was akin to a the will-o'-the-wisps of European folklore, the lights silently blinking at random on the still pond.
The waters were imbued with the deep red light, the patternless blinks evoking a timelessness, an inability to see a tangible order to the light. As night fell, the lights became suspended in the darkness, not tethered to any place or object. Light and place, once joined, parted ways again.
Ex recently spoke at CODAsummit, an innovative conference exploring the intersection between art, place, and technology. The first annual CODAsummit was held at Santa Fe’s Center for Contemporary Arts by CODAworx, the beating heart of the commissioned art economy.
And while The Waiting helped secure Ex’s place on the bill, it was her 2014 piece, Dolmen Light that really stunned CODAsummit’s attendees. This time taking place in the Hondsrung Tunnel in the Dutch city of Emmen, this urban setting played host to a series of intricate dolmens made out of light.
Dolmen Light by Titia Ex from CODAworx on Vimeo.
Dolmens are megalithic structures laid by the prehistoric predecessors of Emmen’s current residents, forming part of the city’s rich cultural heritage. Ex transformed these megaliths into towering light structures, melding ancient history with utilitarian urban structures to create a literal tunnel of light.
Ex uses light to engage the viewer’s senses, toying with perception through the manipulation of light. It’s daring, striking and, as with all her work, utterly immersive.
Also at CODAsummit this year was Matthew Mohr, an Ohio-based artist and Associate Professor of Design at Columbus College. With a background spanning graphic design, silk screen printing, and even web design, Mohr is renowned for his bold pursuit of beauty through technology.
His thesis project, Spatial Narrative, comprised a series of moveable screens to explore a frozen, intangible moment in time. Viewers were encouraged to reach out and adjust the screens to explore a pre-recorded scene, all the while unable to interact with the subjects.
Spatial Narrative’s success relied on its viewers becoming participants in the piece, physically touching and moving the screens to experience it wholly. Just as our smartphones have become our conduit through which we connect with the world at large, so too did Mohr’s screens become a channel to experience his art.
The project was eventually picked up by Samsung for their flagship store in Manhattan’s Time Warner Building, displaying products and advice to customers. But it was his vast permanent installation As We Are that garnered him the most attention at this year’s CODAsummit.
"As We Are" by Matthew Mohr from CODAworx on Vimeo.
As We Are consists of a 14-foot high human head made 24 layers of intense LED screens. In its powered-down state, it looks more like a golem than a person. But hidden within its depths is a 3D photo booth in which visitors can have their photo taken. The image is then projected onto the head outside, a Moai monolith for the digital age.
With As We Are, traverses the relationship between the self and the representation of self through an immersive sensory experience. As with Spatial Narrative, Mohr forces the viewer to become a participant, engaging with the work to become part of it, ultimately creating a new piece of art in the process.
Where Ex and Mohr lend their talents to exploring light and the visual, Nick Ryan turns to the auditory for his art. Buoyed by his fascination with synaesthesia, Ryan creates multisensory work that blends both sound and vision.
A fine example of this is his piece Synaesthesia, commissioned by the musician Imogen Heap. Ryan worked with the London Contemporary Orchestra and the visual artist Davide Quayola to transform imagery into audio that is simultaneously seen and heard.
​Synaesthesia is a dramatic crescendo of visual and auditory texture, wholly enveloping the viewer (and listener) in a sensory experience for the eyes and ears. Music is, of course, art, and blending it with dynamic moving visuals makes for an exquisite piece of art that reaches beyond simple passive vision.
The three artists mentioned here all embrace sensory perception in their art. Light, sound, vision, touch — they all intersect in the artists’ works, with breathtaking results.
As a result, their art becomes more than just a passive piece to simply be observed. Each artist’s work immerses the viewer, transforming them from an observer into a participant. It’s bold and innovative and opens up brave new avenues for artists and art lovers alike.
I'd like to send out a huge thanks to CODAworx not only for reaching out and sharing this amazing article with us, but for being true advocates for the arts. I highly recommend you check out the amazing work they're doing to make the world a more imaginative and inspiring place!