Event 2: Media Art Nexus

Dissatisfied with the opportunities for novel artistic expression in the United States, Ina Conradi and Mark Chavez traveled to Singapore. Singapore aims to become a "Renaissance city" by promoting public art works which aim to return art to a more unique form of expression rather than a commodity to be sold or traded. Conradi and Chavez have contributed artworks such as Chrysalis and the Media Art Nexus which combine not only art and technology, as the "Third Culture" would suggest but elements of Asian religion and culture to create exciting new artworks. (Snow)

I was especially struck by the use of 3D modeling techniques lifted from Hollywood to create works of art such as Chrysalis. As far as Hollywood is concerned, 3D modeling is used to tell stories through animation, but not necessarily to create artistic pieces. Mark mentioned his dissatisfaction with his experiences animating for blockbuster Hollywood movies, and used his skills with Maya, a 3D animation software, to create Chrysalis. Chrysalis is an animated piece that draws on themes of life, death, and reincarnation, merging Buddhist monks and metamorphosing butterflies to create a truly unique portrayal of life and death. It illustrated to me how 3D animation can be used not only to tell stories in movies, but more artistic forms of storytelling.

In addition to Chrysalis, Ina and Mark worked on the Media Art Nexus (MAN) wall at Nanyang Technological Institute in Singapore. The MAN wall is a massive wall made of LED lights that are pre-loaded with 3D animations created by Ina and Mark. The MAN wall deviates from traditional art insofar as it's incorporated into everyday life. In most cases, if one wants to see art, they have to buy a ticket to a museum or a concert. The MAN wall, on the other hand, is built in the halls of the university, incorporating artistic experience into the everyday lives of students. Furthermore, in a world where art can be easily mechanically reproduced and distributed, the MAN wall is an art piece that is always changing, always being updated, and therefore provides a novel artistic experience which is hard to reproduce. (Benjamin) It will be interesting to see if Singapore's vision of a Renaissance city takes off, with art built into every aspect of our everyday lives.

References
“INA CONRADI + MARK CHAVEZ: MEDIA ART NEXUS NTU SINGAPORE.” UCLA Arts: School of the Arts and Architecture, 22 May 2018, arts.ucla.edu/single/ina-conradi-mark-chavez-media-art-nexus-ntu-singapore/.

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.
Vesna, Victoria. “CoLE.” CoLE. N.p.. Web. 18 Oct 2012. <https://cole.uconline.edu/~UCLA-201209-12F-DESMA-9-1