Clickable Art, or what does online participation mean?
Symposium:
Session Title:
- Curating and Archiving New Media Art
Presentation Title:
- Clickable Art, or what does online participation mean?
Presenter(s):
Venue(s):
Abstract:
When talking about representation and reproduction it is hard not to talk about authenticity. The term ‘authentic’ stems from Greek [authentikos], meaning ‘principal, genuine’. It carries a connotation of authoritative certification that an object is what it is claimed to be. In cultural heritage it is most often related to the ‘original’ state of a work. In this paper I will link authenticity to reproduction and representation: I will discuss different attitudes towards the need for the authentic and examine the changing meaning of authenticity and art in the last fifteen years, in which I will pay special attention to the influence of web2.0 strategies used by museums. Underlying questions that I will address: What does the Web 2.0 mean for art and authenticity? And, related, what does online participation mean? How do museums deal with user-generated content? Will this new content become part of documentation archives, and if so what are the challenges? How can museums deal with the different contexts and processes inherent in new these structures? What can be learned from existing internet practices and artists practices? These questions will be answered by looking closely at several works that deal with strategies that are now labeled as Web2.0 or social media tactics. At the same time it will explore the meaning of online participation, collaboration and networking. The examples I show are ‘historical’ artworks, like Nine by Graham Harwood (Mongrel) and Mouchette by Martine Neddam and more recent attempts that raise awareness, use or question ubiquitous social media, for example Naked on Pluto by Dave Griffiths, Aymeric Mansoux and Marloes de Valk, ALLYOURVIDEOAREBELONGTO.US by JODI and You Tube as a Subject by Constant Dullaart. The examples will be analysed from a technical as well as a conceptual point of view to highlight the various participatory possibilities. At the same time they raise awareness to the changing meaning of the “authentic” and address the implications for the future archives of museums.
