“Digital design is like painting, except the paint never dries…”
– Neville Brody
Last weekend I had the amazing opportunity to visit NXT Museum in Amsterdam, a first of its kind concept museum dedicated entirely to digital media art. What I walked away with was a broadening of my artistic horizons like I’ve never experienced before.
Digital Art is a very fluid genre in itself, but broadly speaking it is the use of digital technologies in the creation and presentation process of art. As expected, this opens endless opportunities that often transcend the boundaries we are confined to by our anatomy and makeup. From light fixtures, to data visualization, to computer generated algorithm art, there are many ways in which this umbrella genre can provide a hack into human sensory experiences like no other. Whereas traditional arts like painting, drawing and sculpting – despite how impactful and important – are constrained by human physical capability, digital art hands the symbolic paint brush to the machine, equips it with data and algorithms and guides it to produce work beyond comprehension. This is what I was very lucky to see last weekend.
The collection during my visit to NXT Museum was rightfully named “Shifting Proximities”, intending to focus on changing human experiences and interactions in the face of new age social, technological and digital developments. Not only did I find this relevant to developments in the art world, but I could also draw crucial comparisons with real life and changes in how art is perceived in the era of pandemics. What struck me as most exciting about this collection was the synonymity of digital art with the sciences. NXT Museum was a beautiful amalgamation of both the laws of physics as well as their defiance and manipulation. Science with a little bit of imagination. It was a collection that challenged many taboos, such as the legitimizing of science through the arts (or vice versa), as well as whether or not digital art can be perceived as traditional art at all. In definition, what is traditional art even meant to mean? It is safe to say I walked away from this mind boggling collection with more questions than I had answers. Of all the fascinating installations that were on show on that night, two works of art particularely caught my interest, as I could not help but draw similarities to aspects of data visualization I study in the Digital Humanities minor at Leiden University. These are the two works of art I’d like to present to you.
The first installation was “Econtinuum”, an ingenious piece of work by ecological artist Thijs Biersteker in partnership with Italian botanist and plant neurobiology pioneer Stefano Mancuso. The installation was a visual reconstruction and digital representation of bio-communication between the roots of two trees, thus highlighting the symbiotic relationship flora engages in without us ever paying conscious thought to it. The installation is entirely data and statistics driven, which makes it all the more interesting. Sensors in the room collect a slew of data ranging from air moisture to light exposure, while lights in the installation depict electro transmissions that theoretically occur between the roots of two plants. Together, this forms a stunning partnership between art and the sciences to bring forth a beautiful installation that highlights how plants take care of each other, warn each other of threats and most importantly, demonstrate strength through cooperation. To be seated in a dark room, gazing at this alluring light show was something else. The installation had an accompanying data screen that showed the changes in the conditions both roots were exposed to in real time, and how they worked to balance each other out. The effect of science presented through the lens of art, or art given a meaning through the equipment of science is something that enhanced my perspective.
“In a giant star’s final moments, atoms compress to a point where density becomes infinite, time stretches to a stop and the gravitational field is so strong that not even light can escape: a black hole. But the force that creates this dark shadow also spews out a supernova explosion of matter that can eventually coalesce to form planets, plants and people. In Distortions in Spacetime, visitors will see themselves reflected in this matter and will begin to understand the cosmic connection between black holes, dying stars and our very existence.”
– NXT Museum, Collection: Distortions in Spacetime
The second installation that had me in awe was “Distortions in Spacetime”, by the ever creative London based experimental collective Marshmallow Laser Feast or MLF for short. In this particular piece of work, MLF focused on digitally recreating a simulation of one of humanities most incomprehensible and questioned phenomena, the black hole. The installation was set up in an isolated room covered entirely – floor to ceiling – in mirrors, except for the largest wall in which the projection created by MFL was played. The endless reflection created by the mirrors can only best be described as an incredibly disorientating, yet ethereal experience. With this wonderful piece of work, brought to life by the intersection of art, science and technology – I was given the chance to have a sensory experience beyond human comprehension of what it must visually be like to enter a black hole. Considering the centuries of study and speculation that has gone into this cosmic phenomenon, I could not help but find myself extremely lucky to have witnessed such a visually comprehensible and detailed work of art that is entirely rooted in science, physics and astronomy. To call it moving would be an understatement.
What I think both works of art had in common that struck a cord in me, was how they changed my perception of what constitutes art. In essence, art is not art if it can be easily defined, and that is something we often forget. The purpose of art differs from one individual to another, there is not one consistent definition for it. For some, art is expected to awaken feelings, while for others it is more meant to evoke deep thought, but one reality that remains constant, is that there is no singular overarching definition that can encompass the wonders of art. Installations like the aforementioned “Econtinuum”, or simulations like “Distortions in Spacetime” reaffirmed to me the borderless and fluid nature of art.
This becomes even more true with Digital Art, where achievements beyond human capability could be reached by employing the tools we have evolved far enough to create, who’s to say such works are not as impactful as the Mona Lisa once was?
Sources:
- The Future Of Art: Why Digital Art Is Better Than Physical Art (Andrew Steinwold)
- NXT Museum Official Website (NXT Museum)
This is very cool! I’m not very big into modern art myself, although I have always found the concept of digital art very fascinating, with this course helping me discover even more of it. I really like the piece “Distortions in Spacetime”, it looks very grand and fitting with the story it’s trying to tell. I agree that digital art might become a big part of our art history in the near future, especially considering how accessible it could be with how quickly information can be found nowadays. This is my first time hearing of the Nxt museum, but now that I’ve seen what’s on display, it’s very tempting to check out once they reopen.
Very intersting read Akif! I’d love to check out the Nxt one day myself, but yeah I have to say I agree. I think the potential of digital art is quite literally unlimited, in the same way that ‘the digital’ is. I’ve always been of the belief that you can turn anything into art, so it makes sense for the digital to fall into that. Digital art is also already around us in many, more mainstream, ways such as CGI-heavy movies and video games. Even just the average person, such as myself, who simply draws as a hobby can use a digital art program and tablet.
The artists you showed off really take things beyond the realm of what we currently think of when it comes to digital art, and I think that’s quite commendable. Econtinuum mixing data/statistics with art, two subjects that are often seen as complete opposites, is really cool and I hope we’ll see more crossover of the sort in the future!
NXT looks really cool! I wish I could’ve visited before this lockdown but it looks like it has a lot of potentialities. I studied Interaction Design for a while at art school – and these were basically the kind of projects we were aiming for. However, as was (and still is) such a new discipline, it was difficult to actually see these kinds of projects in person. What I personally really enjoyed about making art like this was its interactivity – whether it be passive or active. Traditional arts like painting are already framed by the artist in a certain way – you’re only supposed to look at the front of the painting, preferably directly rather than at an angle. With the kind of artworks at NXT, the visitors also become part of the performance.
I do wonder if we should draw a distinction between these more interactive pieces and “digital art” i.e. using a drawing tablet to draw on a computer. There’s a problem with digital art in that it is somewhat valueless due to the fact there is no “original” – which I do not a concern for the pieces at NXT, because even if they are fully based upon the digital, there is more value to the piece of art than just the visual. Anyways, I hope to check out NXT when it reopens 🙂
I have to admit that firstly I was a bit skeptical, ‘art made with computers? that doesn’t sound to great’. However I am now ashamed I thought that! Your blog has added the NXT museum on my bucket list. The possibilities are literally limitless and I am excited to start exploring this type of art. Just as you, they have changed my perception of what constitutes art as well ! Thank you