My Direction: Tech-Art, not Art-Tech
HELPING HUMANITY DIGEST THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY
Tech-Art: Technology-driven art practice, diverging from the traditional art world, focusing on a wider scope of audiences. Speculate the use of technology beyond practical/demonstrational domain, assisting audiences to experience/immerse into the use of latest/old technologies.
Art-Tech: Technology as topping, basically artwork. Normally fails to extensively use technology/dive deeper into technology. Ultimately the boundaries will be blurred!
Media Art Industry
Future of Media Art: Should be something like Film Industry?
- Camera Emerged → Movie as Genre Invented → Film grown up as separate Industry
- Computing (3D/AV/AI/XR) Emerged → New Media Art as Genre → Media Art growing up as independent industry
Current landscape: Polarised Media Art Industry
- Too Deep: Nonsense, Dependent on Gov & Art World
- Too Surface Level: Childish, Dependent on Instagram
Going beyond Art-Government Complex:
- Towards Independent/Self-Sustainable/Self-Funding Industry
- BUT not something just like Teamlab/Dstrict
- Should imply deeper narrative and research/reasoning than surface level A/V
- Not bounded by market principle: Not fulfilling existing/foreseeable demand, but rather creating a demand/language of expression
How to define Tech-Art?
Not a strict wording... yet
SPECULATION: Using Latest Technology & Speculating its usage to present Immersive & Interactive Artistic Experience
MEDIUM: Does not employ technology for implementation's sake, but contains critical employment of technology as artistic medium
NARRATIVE: Ultimately delivering the artist's message/philosophy, more than just presenting aesthetical audio-visual output
Why Web as Medium:
- Different Language, More Interactive, More Semantical, More Accessible, More Flexible
- JS is the world's most widely used computational ecosystem
- Leveraging Latest Technologies & Findings Directly, not through third-party
- Easily expandable & Closer to practical use-cases
- New way of expressing/New language of experiencing
Case of CES 2025:
- No deep reasoning/applicatory use-cases on technology, still focuses on low-dimensional presentation of products rather than integrated experience
- CLEAR sign of market & needs from business perspective
- If artists/designers can innovate & rebuild these exhibitions, they will surely discover a new market of tech-art
- Not only CES, but there is a clear need for next iteration of Apple Store for latest techs
- XD Lab can design/produce much better contents/artworks than what big enterprises at CES are doing
EXPERIENCE ECONOMY
Communicating experience, rather than individual product
Designing the Experience is crucial:
Helping Humanity Digest the Latest Technologies!
**My Direction: Tech-Art, Not Art-Tech**
In today's rapidly advancing technological landscape, I find myself gravitating towards Tech-Art—a practice that is distinctly technology-driven and diverges from the traditional art world. This approach aims to reach a broader audience by speculating on the use of technology beyond practical demonstrations. It provides a platform for audiences to immerse themselves in experiences that explore both contemporary and traditional technologies. In contrast, Art-Tech often treats technology as an accessory to art, failing to fully engage or explore its possibilities. Ultimately, it's anticipated that the lines between these distinctions will blur as both practices evolve.
**Media Art Industry**
Envisioning the future of Media Art, it's intriguing to draw parallels with the film industry. Just as the advent of the camera led to the creation of films as a genre and a separate industry, so too have developments in computing (such as 3D, AV, AI, and XR) paved the way for New Media Art to emerge as its own distinct genre, with the potential to grow into an independent industry. The current landscape of the Media Art industry appears polarized, with works swaying from being overly complex and reliant on government and institutional support, to being overly superficial and dependent on platforms like Instagram.
To move beyond this "Art-Government Complex," there is a call for a shift towards an independent, self-sustainable industry. However, this should not replicate models like TeamLab or Dstrict, which skim the surface, but rather cultivate a deeper narrative backed by research and reason. Such an industry should not be constrained by market demands; instead of fulfilling existing needs, it should create new demands and languages of expression.
**Defining Tech-Art**
While a strict definition of Tech-Art is yet to be crystallized, it involves speculation—using the latest technologies to present immersive and interactive artistic experiences. A critical characteristic is its use of technology, not merely as a tool for implementation, but as an artistic medium in its own right. Ultimately, Tech-Art aims to convey the artist's message or philosophy, transcending mere aesthetic audio-visual presentations.
**Why Web as Medium**
The web offers an intriguing potential as a medium due to its unique language—being more interactive, semantical, and accessible. JavaScript (JS), in particular, is the world's most widely adopted computational ecosystem, allowing for the direct leveraging of the latest technologies and findings without the need for third-party intermediaries. This affords an expandable platform that is closer to practical use-cases, introducing a new mode of expression and offering a fresh language for experiencing art.
**Case of CES 2025**
In the context of CES 2025, there's a notable absence of substantive reasoning or applicatory use-cases for technology, with a sustained focus on low-dimensional presentations rather than integrated experiences. This highlights a clear market demand from a business perspective. If artists and designers can innovate and transform these exhibitions, they could uncover a new market for tech-art. This need extends beyond CES; the evolution of spaces like the Apple Store for the latest techs is evident. With initiatives like XD Lab, there's potential to design and produce far superior content and artwork than currently showcased by major corporations at events like CES.
**Experience Economy**
Ultimately, the focus shifts towards communicating experiences rather than individual products. Designing these experiences becomes crucial in helping humanity digest the latest technological advancements. By crafting such experiences, the potential for Tech-Art to offer meaningful insights and connections through technology is both vast and untapped.
나의 방향: 아트 테크가 아닌 테크 아트
최신 기술을 소화하는 인류를 돕기
테크 아트: 기술 중심의 예술 실천으로, 전통적인 예술계에서 벗어나 더 넓은 범위의 관객을 대상으로 합니다. 기술의 사용을 실용적/시연적인 영역을 넘어 탐구하며, 관객들이 최신 또는 오래된 기술을 경험하고 몰입하게 돕습니다.
아트 테크: 기술을 첨가물처럼 사용하는 예술 작품. 기술을 깊이 있게 활용하거나 기술에 깊이 있는 접근을 잘하지 못합니다. 결국 경계는 모호해질 것입니다!
미디어 아트 산업
미래의 미디어 아트: 영화 산업처럼 될 수 있을까요?
- 카메라 등장 → 영화 장르 발명 → 영화가 독립된 산업으로 성장
- 컴퓨팅(3D/AV/AI/XR) 등장 → 새로운 미디어 아트 장르 → 미디어 아트가 독립 산업으로 성장
현재의 풍경: 양극화된 미디어 아트 산업
- 너무 심오함: 이해되지 않음, 정부와 예술계에 의존
- 너무 피상적: 유치함, 인스타그램에 의존
아트-정부 복합체를 넘어:
- 독립적/자급자족/자금조달 가능한 산업으로
- 하지만 Teamlab/Dstrict와 같은 것이 아닌
- 표면적인 A/V 이상으로 깊은 서사와 연구/이유를 내포해야 함
- 시장 원칙에 얽매이지 않는: 기존 또는 예측 가능한 수요를 충족하는 대신 표현의 수요/언어 창출
테크 아트를 정의하는 방법?
엄격한 어휘는 아직...
투기: 최신 기술을 사용하여 몰입적이고 상호작용적인 예술적 경험을 제공하는 사용법 추구
매체: 구현을 목적으로 기술을 사용하지 않고, 예술적 매체로서 비판적 사용 내포
서사: 궁극적으로 예술가의 메시지/철학 전달, 단순한 미적 시청각 출력 이상 제공
왜 웹을 매체로 선택하는가:
- 다른 언어, 더 상호작용적, 더 의미론적, 접근성 좋고 유연함
- JS는 세계에서 가장 널리 사용되는 컴퓨팅 생태계
- 최신 기술과 발견을 직접 활용, 제3자을 통해서가 아닌
- 쉽게 확장 가능하고 실제 사용 사례에 더 가까움
- 표현의 새로운 방식/경험의 새로운 언어
CES 2025의 사례:
- 기술의 깊은 이유나 응용 사례 부족, 제품의 저차원적 발표 중심
- 시장과 비즈니스 관점에서의 명확한 필요성
- 예술가/디자이너가 이러한 전시회를 혁신하고 재구축한다면 새로운 테크 아트 시장을 발견할 것입니다
- CES뿐만 아니라, 최신 기술을 위한 다음 단계의 애플 스토어 명확히 필요
- XD Lab은 CES 대기업들이 하고 있는 것보다 더 나은 콘텐츠/작품을 설계/제작 가능
경험 경제
개별 제품보다 경험을 소통
경험의 설계는 중요:
최신 기술을 소화하는 인류를 돕기!
Tech-Art
Web Art
Interactive Art
Digital Experience
New Media
MDWA
Experience Design
Technology
Innovation
Interactive Media
Text written by Jeanyoon Choi
Ⓒ Jeanyoon Choi, 2024