Event: Itsuo Sakane Special Guest Lecture
Place: University of Art and Design Helsinki, Lume’s Sampo Sali
Date: 12/1/2007

1. Introduction

Since 1956-7, worked as a journalist in art and technology

Worked as curator of Art & Technology exhibitions since 1970s

Educator in media arts fields since 1990s (IAMAS)

Retired from IAMAS in 2003

Interest: evolution of creativity of human kind

2. History of Art and Science connections

Examples new media projects:
•    “Father’s Desk” by minim++ (Hiroshima City Museum, 2003)
•    “Kobito” by students of Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ars Electronica 06
•    “I/O Brush” by students of Tangible-bit Group, MIT

Origin of art and science:
Jacob Bronowski – book “Insight”
•    Arrowhead – origin of science
•    Cave painting – origin of art
•    Both connected to desire of survival

Both science of art were created from the desire for survival

Even in the medieval age – scientific invention of the Perspective drawing influenced the way of viewing the world, and painting.

Co-relationship between:
“Modern art and modern science”, book by Paul Vits, MIT.

Especially from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century, the art world was strongly influenced by science and technology.

•    Futurism
•    Constructivism
•    Dadaism
•    Bauhaus
•    etc

In the end of the 19th century, relationship between art and science started to be difficult to co-exist.. Scientists were getting more power and recognition from society; artists were getting more and more personal in their work.

C.P. Snow (1959) – “The Two Cultures” book (wrote about this discrimination)

Technology breakthrough of WW II led to a shift of the target of scientific research to human life, rather than just economic growth and armament.

Around this time – “Art and technology” movement in several parts of the world (from 50s/60s) – examples:
•    EAT (Expertiments in Art and Technology), NY
•    CAVS (Center for Advanced Visual Studies) and, MIT
•    Zero, Germany
•    GRAV (Group de Recherche d’Art Visuel), France
•    Gutai Group, Japan
•    Jikken-Kobi, Japan

50s/60s – many categories:
•    Kinetic art
•    Optical art
•    Lighting Art
•    Phenomena Art
•    Environmental Art
•    Cosmic Art
•    Sound Art
•    Mathematical Art
•    Media Art
•    Digital Art
•    Interactive Art
•    Net Art
•    Mobile Art

Key factors for this movement (in only half a century):
•    Influential key persons
•    Innovative technology
•    International cultural exchange (in the post-war)
•    Chain-reaction among artists, engineers, scientists
•    Following these events, the attitude between artist and scientist changed

Key persons:
•    Frank Malina (founder of JPL, NASA; visual artist; founded ISAST – International Society for Art, Science and Technology; published ISAST’s “Leonardo Magazine”)
•    Nicolas Schöffer (pioneer in cybernetic art; Works with the invironment; sound sculptures)
•    Tingely (contributed to EAT; visited Billy Klüver at Bell Labs and asked his colaboration)
•    Takis (Vassilakis)
•    Yaacov Agam (Kinetic Art)
•    Alexander Calder (assisted by Paul Matisse)
•    Wen-Ying Tsai (mechanical sculpture; Fuji TV 83 – “Science-Artists in the world”)
•    Thomas Wilfred and his Lumia, Clavilux (influenced many artists working with light)
•    Victor Vasarely
•    Bridget Riley
•    Denise Rene (opened her gallery in 45, Paris)
•    Jasia Reichardt (first computer art show, London, “Cybernetic Serendipity”, ICA, London, 1968)

Science field:
•    Martin Gardner – wrote in Scientific American
•    Stanley Cyrill Smith (necessity is the mother of invention… but also aesthetic pursuits)
•    David Bohm (physicist, science shuld be turned to the audience like art)
•    Frank Oppenheimer (new type of science museum – Exploratorium in San Francisco)

60s – these movements were accelerated by new visual media like TV, theories of MacLuhan; Galleries; Museums; international Expos.

3. Personal events

•    1960 World design conference (WoDeCo, Tokyo, Japan) – Gropius, Eames, Bruno Murani, Isamu Noguchi, etc, from US and Europe; Kenzo Tange, Isamu Kenmochi, Sori Yanagi, Riki Watanabe, Arata Isozaki, Kenji Ekuan, etc; from Japan.
•    67 Yki Nummi, Finnish lamp designer
•    66 Chalenge for the Human Environment in the World (Europe/USSR)
o    Nursery school, Murmansk, north USSR (ultraviolet light, lack of daylight)
o    Dikes in Holland (Delta Project)
•    Education using computer aided instruction USA (1967) – Bretonwood Primary School in California; Irvin Campus of University of California
•    1967 Montreal Expo
o    Czechoslovakia Pavilion (slides)
o    Flood of multi-screens
o    Cominco Pavillion
o    Background: Charles Eames – multiscreen work (American pavilion in Soviet Union)
•    1969, one year before Expo 70 in Ozaka: Electromagica 69 in Tokyo (Sony building)
o    Nicholas Schöffer (Lux 8 )
o    Stephen von Huene
o    Heinz Mack
o    Martial Raysse
o    Lars Fredrickson
o    Katsuhiro Yamaguchi,
o    Takamichi Itoh
o    Shiro Takahashi
o    CTB Group
o    Etc
•    Also in 1969: Crosstalk Intermedia Tokyo
o    John Cage
o    Gordon Mumma
o    Stan VerDerBeek
o    Alvin Lucier
o    Taro Okamoto
o    Shunzo Tekemitsu
o    Kuniharu Akiyama
o    Etc.
•    Expo 70 in Ozaka, “Highlight in the history of Art and Science” (main theme – “Harmony between technology and human being”)
o    EAT group / United States pavilion
o    EAT – Pepsi pavillion

Midst of Expo 70 – Moved to Harvard University (1970-1971, Nieman Fellow)

In the US, met several artists and scientists:
•    George Kepes MIT
•    Opened CAVS in MIT, 1967
•    “The New Landscape” (Book) – science expanded our world view by creating tools to expand our senses (microscope, telescope, etc)
•    Organized exhibition, Museum of Fine Art, Boston, about natural phenomena
o    Newton Harrison, “Weeds”
o    Otto Piene, “Balloons”
o    Hans Haake, “Circulation”
o    From patterns on the water to the growing pattern of molds
•    1967 Architecture Machine Group, started by Nicholas Negroponte
•    He presented his work “Seek” in the Software exhibition at Jewish museum, 1970
•    Charles and Ray Eames
o    Were invited for a “Norton Lecure” at Harvard, 1970
o    Power of Ten (inspired by Kees Boeke – “Cosmic View” book)
•    While in th US, made a visit in1971 to attend the ICOGRADA conference in Vienna, July 1971
o    Met John Hallas, film artist
o    Met Margaret Benyon, first pioneering artist in holography.
•    Also met Escher in Holand (Escher’s father, civil engineer, had stayed in Japan, for making dikes)
•    1971 – visited University of Utah – Ivan Sutherland; Head Mounted Display early model

4. Writings and other activities

1975 – started writing 2 different columns, about:
•    “Museum of Fun Stories”, play culture
•    “Trip between Arts and Sciences”

Why play culture?
•    In Japan, play or fun things were considered negative after WW2
•    From around 1970s the spirit of creative fun recovered in Japan
o    Johan Huizinga – “Homo Ludens” book
o    Roger Caillois – “Les jeux et les homes” book

(Several examples of “Museum of Fun Stories” highlighted pieces were shown)

Works and Artists and Scientists focused in “Trip between Arts and Sciences”:
•    Goetheanum, holography movement
•    Exploratorium, Frank Oppenheimer
•    Nem June Paik, Fuxus
•    Bruno Munari
•    Max Eastley
•    Weng Ying Tsai
•    David Tudor
•    Max Neuhaus
•    Roger Penrose
•    Richard Gregory
•    François Basche
•    Joe Davis
•    Charles Ross,
•    Kenneth Knowlton
•    Stephen Benton
•    Walter De Maria
•    James Turrel
•    etc

Subjects focused in the Art and Science column (later became books):
•    Mechanical engineering –>  Kinetic Art
o    Alexander Calder
o    Weng-Ying Tsai
•    Perception psychology -> Optical Art
o    Brigit Riley
o    François Morellet
•    Physics, chemistry, hydrodynamics -> phenomena art (eventually some of these artists were showcased in Sakane organized exhibition Phenomenart, 1989)
o    “Cymatics” by Hans Jenny (liquids)
o    “Sine Wave” by Susan Derges
o    “Resonance Chamber” by James Ossi (soap membranes)
o    “Energy Gate” by Bill Parker (electro-magnetic)
o    “Kalliroscope” by Paul Matisse
•    Astronomy, cosmic science -> cosmic art
o    Kepler / music and astronomy – “Harmoniced Mundi”, 1619
o    “Harmony of the World” by Willy Ruff and John Rogers (after Kepler)
o    “Star Axis” by Charles Ross
o    “Roden Crator” project by James Turrel
o    “Compass of Love”, “Pendulum Painting”, “Cosmic Ray” by Tom Shannon
o    “Appearance and Disappearance” (cosmic rays) by Takuro Osaka
o    “Tom Na H-Iu” (cosmic rays), Mariko Mori
o    “Sky Art” by CAVS (81, 82, 83, 86, 2002), Ars Electronica 82 (including Charlotte Moorman’s work)
•    Mathematic Arts
o    Escher – “Relativity”
o    Kenneth Snelson – “Needle Tower”
o    Heraman Furgason – Topological Sculptures
o    Roger Penrose – collaborated with Escher
o    Douglas Hofstadter – “Gödel, Escher, Bach – an Eternal Golden Braid” (book), about sharing concept among mathematician, artist and musician (1980)
o    “Endless Octave” from Cybernetic Serendipity exhibition (1968) – sounds based on Roger Shephard’s theory
•    Sound Art and its expansion
o    Murray Shaffer (Vancouver) – World Soundscape, Vancouver Soundscape
o    David Tudor – Rainforest (sounds from used objects; Bill Viola was one of the members)
o    Alvin Lucier – Music on a Long Thin Wire (resonant sound from everything, namely aurora borealis phenomena, brain waves)
o    Max Eastley – sounds from wind or water
o    Max Neuhaus – inaudible sound in space
o    Paul Matisse – (ex: long lasting bell sounds)
•    Kendall Band (Metro station, Boston)
•    Memorial to Japanese Americans
o    Peter Richard – sounds based on the tides
o    Liz Philips – “Wind Span” Sound Sculpture
o    Harry Bertoia – Sound Sculpture, “Sonambient&REG”
o    Nam June Paik  and the Fluxus movement
•    Paik and Beuys performance in Tokyo
•    Charlotte Moorman, “TV Bra”; 1981, CAVS, MIT performance
•    Video
o    After the introduction of the computer, the mainstream of the media art has been shifted into the digital media arts.
o    Bill Viola – The Raft (2004)

From the 60’s – emergence of the computer in arts
The pioneering artists using the early stage of the computer started their creation, and have been expanding their application from:
•    Computer Graphics
•    Computer Animation
•    Computer Music
•    Interactive Art
•    Net Art
•    And beyond
Leading to events such as SIGGRAPH, Ars Electronica

From the 80s and 90s, the interactive media art has been more active in the field of digital media art.

Why has Interactive Art been more popular since 80s, 90s?
Because of the research on the man-machine interface became active since the 70s at various institutions, such as the MIT or many universities in the world, targeting the more human-oriented application of the digital technology.
Many artsists were also interested in this interactive media, and started using it.

Pioneers of the use of computer in arts:
•    Myron Krueger
o    “Artificial Reality” (1983, book)
o    Started his early work in 1969
o    “Video Place” (interaction with object projected on the screen, 1989)
•    Ed Tannenbaum
o    “Recollection”, 1984 (people can dance with their own colorful and animated images)

Organized exhibitions, namely connected to IAMAS, from 1989 to 2001
•    Invitation to Interactive Art, 1989
•    Interaction’95
•    Interaction’97
•    Interaction’99
•    Interaction’01
•    Interactive Art show, 2003

IAMAS was set up in 1996. The Biennale of Interaction started in association with it. The artist-in-residency was also created, targeting the collaborative education between the invited artists and students.

From Interaction’95, 13 works by 12 artists were shown at the exhibition and symposium.

Exhibited works at Invitation to Interactive Art, 1989
•    Jeffrey Shaw, “Alice’s Room”
•    David Rokeby, “Very Nervous System”
•    Vincent John Vincent, “Mandala”
•    Myron Krueger, “Video Place”
•    Paul DeMarinis, “Alien Voices”
•    Bill Parker, “Aura Panel”
•    Ed Tannanbaum, “3D Space Drawing”
•    Toshio Iwai, “Man-Machine TV No. 1-8”
•    Peter Vögel, “Responsibe Sound Sculpture”
•    David Durlach, “Dancing Trees”
•    Wen-Ying Tsai, cybernetic sculpture “The Sun”

Examples of projects showcased at these exhibitions:
•    “Very nervous system” by David Rokeby (KSP, 1989; Interaction, 1995)
•    “Hallucination” by Jim Campbell (Interaction, 1995), audience interacting with video characters
•    “Beyond Pages” by Masaki Fujihata (virtual page-flipping, interactive book)
•    “Liquid View” by Monica Fleishman and Straus
•    “Boundary Function” by Scott Snibbe
•    “Frammenti di Battaglia” by Studio Azzuro
•    “RPM” by Casey Reas (simple geometry creating complex shapes in time)
•    “Arc Tangent” by Camille Utterback
•    “Extruded windows” (Interactive Landscape) by Jay Lee and Bill Keays
•    “Bubbles” (playing with bubbles in a screen, with sound) by Wolfgang Muench and K. Furukawa

The media art world has been changing drastically, not only in style, but also in the meaning of art and even its role in society.

5. Characteristics of digital arts

On the characteristic change of the digital arts comparing to the traditional type of arts:
1.    Hybridity: by its power of connecting different genre, category, space and time, beyond the traditional type of culture.
2.    Change of life of art: no more eternal but evolving
3.    More interactivity and change of the position of the artist:
4.    Expansion of the function of the arts: more for the society
5.    Change of the definition of arts, and venues for art
6.    Change of the definition of the artist
7.    New role of art: as a tool for survival of humankind

1. Hybridity
bridging different genres, categories, or space and time

Connecting images and sounds
•    “Home and motion” by Toshiyuki Nagashima (manipulation of graphical forms generating sound)
•    “Messa di Voce” by Golan Levin and Zackary Lieberman (drawings made by voice)

Beyond the historical time – between past and today
•    “Koetsu’s Handscroll” by a IAMAS team (2000)
•    “Kidai Shoran” handscroll, reconstructed as CD-ROM by Joachim Sauter and Art-Com
•    “Hampi” in India, project of world heritage, by Sarah Kendardine and Jeffrey Shaw
•    “Angkor Watt”, world heritage
•    “Floa Petrinsularis” by Jean-Louis Boissier, interactive art based on Jean Jacques Rousseau’s “Confessions”.

2. Change of life of art
No more eternal but could be evolving by changing the interface, upgrading of the software or contents (or even the visitors’ participation)
The new media art could be the living thing and could be refreshed, not a frozen work like the classic art pieces in the museum.

•    Jeffrey Shaw
•    Alice’s Room (1989)
•    Virtual Museum (Art Frankfurt, 1991)
•    Daniel Rozin’s “Mirror Series” – trash, wood, circle, shiny balls

3. More interactivity and change of the position of the artist
Artist becomes “meta designer”, behind the scene of such interactive participation by the audiences.

4. Change of the function of the new arts: by its functional contribution to the society
Media art could have a functionality as a tool, based on its own character as a media, not only for the pure artistic expression.

By changing the contents or data, it could have a different function, and be a new type of product.
•    “Streetscape”, by Iori Nakai – new type of soundscape; map with sounds of the city
•    “Info-table reflection” – guidance and message board

5. Change of the definition of arts and its venues for presentation
The exhibition space has been changing rapidly from the authentic type of museums, to the more public outdoor space, and even to the Internet online gallery, allowing interactivity for everyone. The artist’s role tends to be more in the background as a meta-designer.

Public space:
•    “Access” by Marie Sester (light follows audience in a public space; can also be traced in the Internet)
•    “Vectorial Elevation” by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (large sized light show controlled over the Internet)

Mobile Art:
•    Golan Levin’s mobile phone concert
o    Each spectator has a mobile phone with a ringtone, and it rings during the concert, as part of the concert
•    Usman Haque’s “Sky Ear”
o    Each balloon has a mobile phone inside
o    The color of the balloon changes according to the messages received

Change in the type of museum (Internet online galleries).
o    Whitney Museum website – Artport (http://artport.whitney.org/)
o    Example: CODeDOC
o    http://artport.whitney.org/commissions/codedoc/index.shtml

6. Change of the definition of the artist
Under collaborative work, either by the artistic imagination or programming knowledge and skill, even the scientist, engineer and amateur participant could be the creator (“everyone could be the artist”).

“Take over”, theme of Ars Electronica 2001 (symbolic of this age)

Examples:
•    “Bubble cosmos”, by a team of students of Tsukuba University (2003)
•    “MorphoTower” by Sachiko Kodama (2006)
•    “Khronos Projector” by Alvaro Cassinelli (Ars Electronica 2006; JMAF 2005), video time-warping machine

We are now facing the new age of re-definition of the art and culture. It could cover all intellectual and artisitic activity of humankind.

Some themes are recurrent and have not changed so much
•    Comparison between:
o    Panorama Mesdag, Den Haag, 1881
o    IMAX, Omni-Max
o    Jeffrey Shaw’s “A Place-User’s Manual”, “Configuring the CAVE” (1996)

7. Change of the social role of the media art: as a new tool for the survival of humankind in the future

On the other hand, there still exists a strong differentiation based on the traditional categorization and genre within the academic society of science and engineering, and also among many sects of art groups in the world.

So, the challenge for the real co-creation among artist, engineer, and scientist should be more important, especially under such a critical time.

It is important to do so considering the meaningful and important role of the media technology bridging the gap between different cultures and people in the different countries, facing the human crisis in the world today.

(goes back to C.P. Snow and Bronowski and the idea of art and science as tools for survival)

Jakob Bronowski was the person who suggested C.P. Snow to write “The Two Cultures”.

After visiting Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 to do a survey on the effect of the Atomic Bomb, he felt the dilemma with which mankind had longtime confronted, and since that time he head been involved in working for integrating both science and human values.

He wrote “Ascent of Man”, “Science and Human Values” (1956). There his desire for integrating science and arts was apparent.

Then perhaps art and science today could be a better tool for the survival of humankind at this critical time, especially by using such media-based art form.

“I hope we could have more possibilities to use such media culture as a unique tool for the survival of humankind, based on its power in bridging the gap between different cultures, opinions and prejudice.”