[ISEA95] Panel: Henry See — Panel Statement

Panel Statement

Panel: Digital Tools

Artists in the field of media arts are caught between two powerful forces: the market pulls us forward ever faster, more powerful, more complex hardware and software, at such a speed that we have no time to master the old tools before new tools become available; the existing field of visual art pulls us backwards, promoting categories of criticism and judgement which are anchored in other traditions. The first force carries with it the notion that the limits and constraints of tools are limits and constraints on creation – hence the search for tools that will “do it all.” It rewards those who “push the envelope”, which establishes a hierarchy where those who have access to the newest and most expensive equipment are on top. The second force rewards those whose media art most closely fulfills the assumptions of traditional art.

  • Henry See (USA) is Vice-President of ISEA95. He has produced several hypermedia pieces and interactive installations, including The Gould Profile (1989), A Memory Project (1991), honorary distinction at Ars Electronica, B*rbies Virtual Playhouse, (1993) and I see you/Je te vois (1994), on display during ISEA95. He recently designed a CD-ROM of photos for use in the Inuit school system in Nunavik (Northern Quebec). He is currently a visiting researcher at the Centre for Information Technology Innovation (Montreal). On the whole, he is discouraged by the cliches ripe in the field of media art, be they visual or theoretical. His proposal at FISEA in 1993 for a moratorium on the use of Photoshop was largely ignored. He suspects this year’s call for a moratorium on any citing of the works of Baudrillard will meet the same fate.