Location as Space/Space as Location: The Notion of Perspective from Postmodern to Digital Art

Location as Space/Space as Location: The Notion of Perspective from Postmodern to Digital Art

Within the last decades, much attention has been paid to the capacity of digital technologies to push the boundaries of material and conceptual processes, and their rapid expansion has clearly affected social, cultural and artistic practices in significant ways. This said, it was only some fifty years ago that political, sociocultural and artistic practices were also to undergo important transformations that are today often forgotten or neglected. In line with the panel’s theme of re‑membering, re‑trieving and re‑creating lost spatial and cultural histories, this paper proposes to consider the reflexive nature of location/space as a starting point for tracing parallels between the aesthetic concerns and expressions of digital art and those of Postmodern dance, video, theatre and performance. It notably argues that despite radical changes in creative tools, processes and modes ushered in with digital representation, the equally important ruptures of Postmodern art and performance before it, can, in hindsight, be said to have more in common with digital art than meets the eye. Specifically examining how space and location are articulated as modes of subjectivity, identity and culture in both periods, the paper highlights the central role of perspective as a key factor of artistic innovation and expression.