Panel Statement
Panel: Emotion Studies in a Contemporary Art Debate
Where do emotions reside? Are they the sole property of the body or do they resonate in the interstitial spaces between the material world and ephemeral realms; in invisible but palpable electronic spaces, in virtuality, in spiritual and ancestral realms in indigenous cultures? As research develops in Affective Computing, creating computing devices that embody emotions, – recognizing, expressing, and simulating emotions in their interaction with users. In the field of Emotion Design can we instigate spontaneous emotions? Is there an electronic mimesis that can empathize with the user? Inspired by the power of ritual and ceremony in indigenous cultures, in my artwork I juxtapose objects with video projection. The object maintains a powerful reference with a cultural and social meaning, while multiple video projections intervene. These video/multimedia installations transform the emotion embedded in the digital video, the ephemeral stream of electrons into the mimesis of the body, into spaces of memory and imagination. Contemporary research shows that the engagement of emotions is essential for analytical and creative practice. Historically, Marshall McLuhan advocated for kinesthetics in the activation of our sensory perception, calling for the integration of the senses. Moholy Nagy, in his book Vision in Motion, says that we need to add emotional literacy to the development of our intellectual literacy, which includes an education of our sense, giving people the ability to articulate feelings and emotions through a means of expression. As a multidimensional processing, transforming and communication environment, can the computed experience stimulate interactive kinesthetic emotional experiences.
- Prof. Joan Truckenbrod is a digital artist who has exhibited her artwork internationally in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Chicago and Sydney, Australia. Recently her “Video Sculpture” was exhibited in a one-person show at Rockford Art Museum. This artwork tangles the cultural meaning of objects with the narrative energy of video projection. Her artwork was featured in the September 2007 issue of Sculpture Magazine in an article by Chicago art critic Polly Ullrich. Ms Ullrich also wrote as essay for a book published by Telos titled Portfolio Collection: Joan Truckenbrod. Ms. Truckenbrod has a long history of working with digital media beginning, early in the history of computer electronic art, creating drawings and digital paintings.
Full text (PDF) p. 2434-2438