New Media Art: the Impact on Art

New Media Art: the Impact on Art

December 26, 2014

“We are just learning how to live with computers, just beginning to integrate these machines effectively.”

~ Cynthia Selfe

Art has been said to mean a recognition, a revelation, and a realization of human experience. Art is a broad term that includes: cinema, painting, music, literature, and other forms of aesthetic activities. However; Art generally was a leisure activity for the upper-classes. As life evolved, many people started to show interest in Art, and many uses have emerged for Art. With technology and the age of globalization, new forms of Art are on the rise, as well as new methods of dealing with it are becoming more and more popular by the day. Hence, this paper will discuss the concept of (New Media) and cyber art galleries with examples of why they were found and how they function, in addition to what are their advantages and disadvantages.

In her article “Literary Aspects in New Media Art Works”, Narvika Bovcon quoted what New Media is defined as

The term "new media" was defined in 2001 by Lev Manovich in his The Language of New Media as a cultural artifact typically made and presented on the computer and characterized by five principles: 1) numerical representation of content, 2) modular structure of data and algorithms, 3) automation of processes, 4) variability of the object's existence, and 5) transcoding of cultural data and practices which are digitized and transferred to the computer, which, in turn, modifies the operations of society and concepts in media theory.

Therefore, the use of technology has interfered with how we create and perceive Art. It has paved the way for new methods to be tested.

Technology’s utmost goal is to make human life easier. With many functions that computers have been doing for humans, such as calculations, easier interaction via the World Wide Web, or even by making typing easier than copying by hand, we have discovered new areas in technology that support Art. Technology has allowed us to create Art even in non-traditional ways, using Adobe Suite programs for example. Howard Rheingold in his book Net Smart: How to Thrive Online comments on the usage of the Internet as a visual reality and cyberspace

It isn’t easy to think of a realm of human behavior that has not been influenced in some way by a form of mass collaboration. Although much of human culture— defined as everything we learn from and teach to one another— is transmitted through ancient institutions such as education and publishing, the techniques and social forms that made mass collaboration possible on the scale we see today have become available to billions of people in less than the span of a single human generation.

This is where artists and designers could use technology for their own advantage – see the book New Media in Art by Michael Rush for more information it “includes Ideas about time and duration have reinstated narrative in art, via film-making and video, the theatricality of happenings, performance and installation art, digitally manipulated photography and virtual reality”-. Dudly Cocke wrote in an article entitled “Coming through the Wire” noted that

Art production and presentation will be transformed as the public longs--and then demands--to participate and to connect as a community. There is, of course, a long, deep art-making and presenting tradition based on access, participation, and communing.

It is highly important to note that new terminologies have emerged. The term “Digital Humanities” was coined and is defined as

The phrase [digital humanities] has use-value to the degree that it can serve as an umbrella under which to group both people and projects seeking to reshape and reinvigorate contemporary arts and humanities practices and expand their boundaries.

These terms emerge due to the new discoveries and notions that must be referred to and coined. Hence, it is fair to say that technology has had its influence on language too, just like the notion “New Media Art”, “Digital Work” and “Alternate Academic” that are discussed in the Gold’s book Debates in the Digital Humanities. 

One of the examples of the role of technology in spreading visual art is Google’s Cultural Institute. In the “Frequently Asked Questions” section on its website, Google states that

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. The Cultural Institute is an effort to make important cultural material available and accessible to everyone and to digitally preserve it to educate and inspire future generations. We believe that the Cultural Institute can be an especially useful way to engage students, scholars, and teachers through innovative and interactive learning.

On the website, the types of contents found in the Cultural Institute are:

  • Paintings.
  • Drawings.
  • Sculptures.
  • Religious Artifacts.
  • Landmarks.
  • Historic Photographers.
  • Important Manuscripts.

In addition to “Expertly narrated videos, audio guides, viewing notes, detailed information, maps and more provide a range of content for visitors to enjoy.”

Google has partnered with numerous museums, archives, and art galleries to provide this experience. This experience from Google and its partners allow Art to be one click away from you. All you need is your computer, an internet connection, and a Gmail account to get started. You could log in and visit many art galleries; not only that you could preview the artifacts, but you could also walk around in the museum through a 3D experience. They also have a YouTube channel that has many videos which are informative documentaries on the artworks provided on the site with the ability to comment on the videos which makes the audience active members of the process of learning about Art through this technique. One could also collect their favorite piece in a section called “My Galleries”. In the book Digital Ethnography: Anthropology, Narrative, and New Media, Natalie M. Underberg and Elayne Zorn elaborated that

In our work, we have found that cultural experiences and ideas can be represented by digital media through digital culture projects. In this way, we seek to re-create cultures online by combining collaborative methodologies with digital technologies. These projects involve using our narrative and new media skills to design creative interactive story experiences that transform facts and figures into a creative expression.

This elaboration goes hand in hand with Google’s Cultural Institute mission, vision, and target.

Such a step is a breakthrough to Art and Design. Art could literary be at your home, the advantages include via two ways which are personifying the Art experience of the audience and easing personal portfolios for artists and designers. With this tool, the audience could access artworks without having to travel or pay entrance fees, all one needs is a computer, internet connection, and a Gmail account. This also allows designers and artists to have their works widely spread without having to rent a gallery and throwing events in order for people to visit their galleries. Databases are also kept for the intellectual rights of artists which eliminate the possibility of plagiarism when artists would showcase their work on social media websites where no record is kept “Preservation is commonly perceived to be the responsibility of large, well-resourced institutions such as national libraries and archives, state libraries, and some university libraries” according to Ross Harvey in his book: Preserving Digital Materials. This method of Art viewing allows more senses to be involved in the experience too, the artworks could be audiovisual involving seeing and hearing at the same time and organizes art in orderly databases and online archives. This makes the Google Art Project

Four problems face the notion of “New Media Art” and the problems vary or become more intense in certain parts of the world. The first problem is the experience: some claim that no matter how amazing the 3D experience is, it will not be as authentic as a real visit, this is why one should recognize the difference between the medium and the message: is the internet via a 3D experience transmits the message as if one was present physically, or as Marshall McLuhan suggests that “The medium is the message”?. J., Sage Elwell, in his book Crisis of Transcendence: A Theology and Art in Digital Culture discusses the issue saying

Digital compositing is the process of combining multiple digital elements to create the experience of a single unified space. Liminality describes the experience of being in-between spaces. The process of digital compositing involves three principal operations: selecting, layering, and synthesizing. The liminal experience likewise involves three elements: separation, marginalization, and reaggregation. 

The second problem is the internet connection, according to a Google video in 2013; the numbers revealed that for every person that has access to the internet, there are two that don’t. This equals two-thirds of the population on earth and if two-thirds of the population on earth is ‘connected’, the problem remains because Art is still not getting through to everyone, but looking at the bright side, it is getting through to more people than before this art project took place. The third problem is the scarcity of academic research especially the Arabic content, the Arab World suffers generally from lack of research and the problem is worsened when it comes to relatively new fields of study such as Design and Visual Communication. Not many books or articles tackle this issue in Arabic, or the books that do deal with it in other languages aren’t translated. There aren’t many types of research or publications on the issue; one could find some, but not many. The fourth issue is the lack of legislation related to the matter; for the Jordanian case specifically, there isn’t legislation or courts specialized in looking into issues of plagiarism, electronic crimes, or intellectual rights. The thoughts discussed above show that the issue is case-sensitive, some problems are shown in the world generally, some are present in the Middle East and some are a mere Jordanian issue, however, whether the issue is universal or local, solutions must be found.

Technology has been an integral part of our daily lives. Arts usually reflect the status of the era they were produced in, this is why Art was highly affected with technology and new methods of dealing with Art emerged such as New Media Art. One of the leading companies that have come up with a new method to promote Art is Google partnering with many museums to ease the visitation for people to live a 3D experience viewing the artworks in the partnering museums. This notion of technology and Art has its advantages and disadvantages. Whether one is pro or against the idea, Art remains one of the most aspects of human expression and it must be spread and practiced by all. And we shall find a system to deal with technology in the most beneficial and least harmful way possible to mankind and the human heritage for the upcoming generations.

Works on paper, such as drawings, pastels, watercolors, prints, and photographs are typically not permanently displayed for conservation reasons So was thinking of looking at the plate with preservation Was it to find a Google art project.

Complements real visits to a gallery. While there has been some skepticism that the Google Art Project seeks to replace real-time visits to art galleries, many have suggested that the virtual tours actually complement real-time visits. Research shows that people are more likely to enjoy their real-time visits to a museum after participating in a virtual tour.

This view was shared by Brian Kennedy, director of the Toledo Museum of Art, who believed that academics would still want to view artwork in three dimensions, even if the gigapixel images provided better clarity than viewing the artwork in the gallery. 

Similarly, Amit Sood—the Google project leader—said that "nothing beats the first-person experience

Over the past 18 months, Google has worked with 17 leading museums including The Freer Gallery of Art Smithsonian, The National Gallery, London, and Tate Britain, capturing over 1000 high-resolution images of famous works of art. These include one massive 7-gigapixel image from each participating gallery, offering a staggering level of detail.

The Google Art Project stirred up debate among scholars, museum personnel, art critics, and news writers. Since its initial launch, the Google Art Project has received fairly consistent positive feedback and a variety of criticisms. With the second generation platform, Google appears to have responded to some earlier criticisms.

As for the property rights of artists or the like The Google, team was sensitive to copyright issues of artworks, and partner museum staff were able to ask Google to blur out the images of certain works, which are still protected by copyrights. In a few cases, museums wanted to include artwork by modern and contemporary artists, many of whom still hold the copyright to their work.

For example, Tate Britain approached Chris Ofili to get his permission to capture and reproduce his works on the Art Project. Since the project expanded in April 2012, Google has faced a few intellectual property issues. Some of the works added to the online exhibitions are still protected by copyright, as the artist or his heirs holds the right to the image for 70 years. As a result, the Toledo Museum of Art asked Google to remove 21 artworks from the website, including works by Henri Matisse and other modern artists

        The digitalization of museums is a task that has combined efforts, budgets, and research from many museums, cultural associations, and governments around the world. For the last few years, there have been projects related to Information Society Technologies dealing with: preservation of cultural heritage, restoration, and learning resources.

           Google art project Save a lot of time and effort for students and teachers To move and go to the monuments and museums may need to be thousands of miles to reach them, But at the same time depriving them of fun and a sense of near panels of professional artists and touch panels

           The technology allows remote visitors, for example, school students from regional and remote Australia, to interact with a museum facilitator through a robot equipped with an Omni-directional camera. Each remote visitor is able to control their own view of the museum gallery

        Google art project uses such "Street View technology" that is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from positions along many streets in the world Street View imagery available are shown as blue lines on Google Maps. But in google art project They use the street view by:

  • move through the corridors of the museum
  • The movement of the Paintings to the other 
  • View imagery available are shown as blue lines on Google art project

users can zoom in on a particular artwork to view the picture in greater detail from the click of your mouse google art project Provided humans as 3d The visitor slide to the place where he wants to move him And to identify other visitors who are in the same place or museum From different continents and places 

Google art project android application :

Google Inc Published an Article about this application And his details, brief of the article it was: Google Art Project is a web application designed to help you explore museums from all over the world right from your browser, using a system similar to that of Google Maps Street View.

You can choose to browse freely through a museum or go directly to the artwork that you want to see.

There is a high level of detail captured in each piece that allows you to analyze even the smallest details.

The possibilities of Google Art Project are not limited to simply viewing. You can interact with the art as well, for example creating your own galleries with your favorite works.

After this article shock to people occurred And people interested in art, And people interested in art Where it was possible to carry the entire museum in their pockets.

Can visit the museum defines when bored or when going to sleep or even when waiting for the bus!

         Most art museums have only limited online collections, but a few museums, as well as some libraries and government agencies, have developed substantial online catalogs. Museums, libraries, and government agencies with substantial online collections of prints, photographs, and other works on paper.

  Google art project Taking this topic into important, Where the display The lives of artists, their work, the history of painting, painting details, And linked them to sites related to the subject And put video clips This was part of artistic painting.


 Works Cited

Bovcon, N. (2013). Literary Aspects in New Media Art Works. Clcweb: Comparative Literature & Culture: A Wwweb Journal, 15(7), 1-12. doi:10.7771/1481-4374.2391. 

Cocke, D. (2000). Coming Through the Wire. American Theatre, 17(3), 6.

Elwell, J. Sage. Crisis of Transcendence: A Theology and Art in Digital Culture. Blue Ridge Summit, PA, USA: Lexington Books, 2011. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 26 December 2014.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS. Retrieved November 26, 2014, from https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/about/

Gold, Matthew K., ed. Debates in the Digital Humanities. Minneapolis, MN, USA: University of Minnesota Press, 2012. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 26 December 2014.

Harvey, Ross. Preserving Digital Materials. Berlin, DEU: K. G. Saur, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 26 December 2014.

New Media in Art. Retrieved November 29, 2014, from https://www.thamesandhudson.com/New_Media_in_Art/9780500203781

Rheingold, Howard. Net Smart: How to Thrive Online. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 2012. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 26 December 2014.

Project Loon. 2013 June 13. Introducing Project Loon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m96tYpEk1Ao

Underberg, Natalie M., and Zorn, Elayne. Digital Ethnography : Anthropology, Narrative, and New Media. Austin, TX, USA: University of Texas Press, 2013. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 26 December 2014.

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