Vannevar Bush
It is really interesting how Vannevar Bush was describing the use of technology and science to develop and recover knowledge for research and human development. It is kind of fun when he starts talking about the progress of different technologies, which we know pretty well right now. For example, when he refers to “the camera of the future,” he was describing the small digital camera we have right now. The ability to take 100 pictures, speed the process and not have problems with the resolution are some characteristics of the digital photo. It is unbelievable how he is describing the use of different media like photography, fax, computer, compression of information or content and voice recognition. All these technologies function in a computer currently or are in the process of development. He talks about the use of different media by a scientist to research and document the process. I thought this idea of multimedia was created in the last years . He describes the computers as a way to process information and to have access to it. He describes systems in which you are able to calculate different information and introduce or obtain new data using different electronic devises like scanners. He describes the hard disk, or memories we use now to save data. He describes the functions of a search engine. This is funny because we are talking about an article written in the 40’s.
One of the participating artists in the show "The Art of Participation", presented at the San Francisco MOMA, was Valie Export. She presented a video about a performance realized in 1969 with the title “Tap and Touch Cinema." In this “feminist” performance, the artist uses a metal light box attached to her chest, and in the front of the box was a door, through which you could put your hands and touch her breasts. The principal idea of this performance was to protest against the film industry as something dominated by people in power and used to support “bourgeois ideology.” The artist was trying to recreate the movie theatre, in which the breast of the women, in this case the artist’s body, became the screen. When I saw the video the first time and not knowing who the artist was, I thought it was the work of a male artist, this for the way, in my opinion, they were using the feminine body as an sexual object. When I saw the name of the artist, a really well-known feminist artist I was more confused. I think I need to consider the time this video was created?...Valei Export is a really important conceptual artist. Since the beginning of her career she has been exploring and using different media like performance, photography, installation, film, and lately, digital photography and video.Valei Export Has been using the body, more specifically the female body to criticize and question different political and social issues.
Felix Gonzalez Torres
American, born Cuba (Guáimaro, Cuba, 1957 - 1996, Miami, Florida)
Another important artist participating in the show "The Art of Participation", presented at the San Francisco MOMA, was Felix Gonzalez Torres. He participated with an installation with the title "Untitled" created in 1994. His work was really emotional and completely connected with his own life. Gonzalez Torres created this series of pieces, containing images related to his private life, and the idea (a beautiful concept) was for the viewer to be able to take pieces of the work and disperse them. The idea was to invite the public to interact with the artist. Gonzalez Torres declared, “I need the public to complete the work. I ask the public to help me, to take responsibility, to become part of my work, to join in."
Felix Gonzalez Torres "Untitled" 1992/1993 print | offset print on paper (endless copies)
