Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Marius Watz
http://mariuswatz.com
http://twitter.com/mariuswatz
background
Me: Self-taught artist, educator and sometime
curator. Involved in media art since 1995.
1984: First computer (TRS-80)
1993: Computer Science
1994: End of Computer Science
background
1996: Co-curator of Electra, major media art
exhibition at Henie-Onstad Art Center, Oslo.
Featured large-scale interactive installations,
experimental design, historical works. Virtual
Reality, experimental hardware, interactive video
etc. 42000+ visitors.
Artists: Laurie Anderson, Diller + Scofidio,
Ulrike Gabriel, Perry Hoberman, Knowbotic
Research, Greg Lynn, Sommer + Mignonneau etc. etc.
(Also: Sense:less - VR installation by Mork, Pendry, Stenslie and Watz)
Sense:less (1996)
Relevance?
Due to art world politics and an unforgivable
lack of documentation Electra has been completely
forgotten and might as well never have happened,
despite being seen by 42000+ people.
Furthermore: The artists in the show were
considered highly successful at the time, but many
have since stopped making work. As a result, most
media artists I know have no knowledge of their
practices or significant works.
background, Cont.
1997-2002: The Lost Years. Web design, dotcom
idiocy, experimental personal web projects,
corporate identity consultancy.
2003: Post-dotcom crash relocation to Berlin,
committing to making art full time.
2005: Curated Generator.x as a reaction to the
media art establishments ignorance of generative
art and formalist abstraction based on code.
2012: Still making art full time.
System_C (2004)
Realtime software
Illuminations (2006)
Realtime software
Illuminations (2006)
Realtime software
Electroplastique (2005)
Multi-screen video
Transition to objectmaking
Frustration with screens as mediating mechanism,
lack of physical presence combined with growing
interest in spatial structures
Experimentation with digital fabrication
processes to produce physical objects as the
direct consequence of software processes
Product: 3D printed objects, drawings made with
CNC tools, parametric sculpture, rule-based
light installations, tape drawings based on
projected images
Laser on plywood
Laser on plywood
Laser on alumminum
(2011)
Modular (2012)
Arcs[Rockheim] (2012)
Public facade
Provocations...
Warning: Cynical observations incoming,
many of them sadly true.
Provocations...
The success of media art is NOT a matter
of time. Media art history is constantly
being forgotten.
The current historical interest and
re-discovery of media artists from
the 1960s does not significantly help
artists working today.
The idea that future art history will
vindicate the current generation of media
artists is of very little comfort.
Provocations...
The disparity between the proven
popularity of media art with lay
audiences and the willingness of art
world gatekeepers to show / curate /
write about it is telling.
Provocations...
To say that art is digital or made
with computers is meaningless.
Anthony Gormley is not considered a
digital or generative artist, despite
his use of custom parametric software
systems.
Wade Guytons solo show at Whitney might
be Painting, Rebooted (NY Times), but
describing it as based on technology is
trite in the extreme. Printing press, anyone?
Finally:
Keep in mind that a successful artist is any
artist who pays her bills.
Bonus points: Be able to afford health care.