Web Design

EVER SINCE the first cathode ray tube was hooked up to thefirst vacuum-tub-laden calculator, people using computers have hadthe impulse to create meaningful images out of nothing but numbers andphotons. Sure, binary computer code may seem like a hostile medium inwhich to create a masterpiece of artistic expression, but artists have alwayshad the ability to adapt new technologies to their whims.

EVER SINCE the first cathode ray tube was hooked up to thefirst vacuum-tub-laden calculator, people using computers have hadthe impulse to create meaningful images out of nothing but numbers andphotons. Sure, binary computer code may seem like a hostile medium inwhich to create a masterpiece of artistic expression, but artists have alwayshad the ability to adapt new technologies to their whims.

Computers can doonly two things: they can say "yes" or "no". "On"or "off", 0 or 1. But get enough of these on/off switchesworking together fast enough, and you can create anything from acompany's spreadsheet to an image of the Mona Lisa. Of course, theimage of the Mona Lisa on your monitor is just that, a reproduction, notthe "original". The original, the canvas upon which Leonardo daVinci brushed paint in 1503, is, of course, located in theLouvre.

For many people, what separates "art" from areproduction such as you might see on a computer screen is time and space. Tobe precise, it has always gone without saying that a work of art requires aunique history and a discrete physical presence. While the image on thescreen may look like the original, it is not original, and therefore notart itself. However, the computer can be used not only to display imagescreated in other mediums, but also as a tool to create images, as well asa way to distribute those images, and this opens a whole new concept in termsof the meaning of art.

The computer is like no other utensil everencountered in the history of art. It fulfils three formerly separatefunctions necessary to the creation and distribution of art. The computer isthe artist's medium. It is the agent and material with which the art isrendered. The computer is unlike any other medium in that it is extremelymalleable within the confines and limitations of the two-dimensionalmonitor's surface.

It is also the artist's tool. With physicaldevices such as a mouse, a touchpad and a keyboard, the computer alsobecomes the instrument used to manipulate the medium. And, the computeris a mechanism of distribution. With the introduction of the Web, artistsquickly realised the potential of these machines to distribute their work withoutthe traditional filters that separated them from their audience. All of thisfrom one little box (connected to a lot of other little boxes).

Inhis oft-cited article "The Work of Art in the Age of MechanicalReproduction", the social critic Walter Benjamin states: "Eventhe most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: itspresence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where ithappens to be." Here Benjamin is referring to reproductions of"original" works of art in the form of posters or other simulacra.But what about an art form for which the concept of an original work, onethat is distinguishable from all copies, is irrelevant? What about a workof art that has never occupied a unique space? What can be said of art thatevolves as a dialogue between the artist and his or her audience?

The Webcan, of course, be used as a museum of sorts, where existing worksare reproduced, or as a gallery of static artworks created with the use of acomputer. But this is not Web art. Instead, Web art capitalises onabilities of computers and the Web. It is often hypertextual and open-ended, with no clear beginning or ending point. Instead, it moves theaudience through non-linear spaces that flow either through a conscious planof the artist, or as random events programmed by the artist, or eventhrough interaction with the audience.

For the audience, Web artinvolves exploration. It involves the "user" (as opposed to themore passive viewer of static art) to explore the Web- based"environment" created by the artist, involving that person in thecreative process. Artists who use a website to display their work arebypassing the traditional outlets for art and taking their work directly to thepublic. By doing so, they are not only subverting the time-honouredconcepts of art occupying a unique and special position; they are alsocalling into question the even more entrenched notion that a work of art is acommodity.

We are at the beginning of a new artistic revolution, oneunhampered by the increasingly pretentious filters of traditional museums,galleries and critics. One that celebrates audience participation, theblurring of disciplines and the collaborative experience.

Where do youfind Web art? Check out some of these sites to getstarted.

Fuel

An interesting story in images, text andhypertext.

Soul Flare

An art museum asa work of art in itself.

hell.com

The creatorsof hell.com have made it clear that their website is in no way connected tothe "A" word, because that implies pretentiousness.Whatever.

Intelligent Agent

Amonthly newsletter dealing with interactive media in the arts.

Museum ofWeb Arts

A great resource of Web art andartists.

Jason Cranford Teague is theauthor of DHTML for the World Wide Web. You can find an archive of thiscolumn at WebbedEnvironments.