Maps, GPS and Telepresence in Art - Maps and Networks

I looked into some artwork we were shown which all links into this project in a different way. It is Maps, GPS and Telepresence art work which are all closely suited to this theme of maps and networks. Here is what I looked at:

Simon Patterson - The Great Bear (1992)

The London Tube Map has become part of popular culture being a very recognisable image. Here Patterson has taken this iconic image/map and manipulated it in his own way to make art from it. He has put in celebrities names instead of the station names but each different train line is a different type of celebrity such as actors, musicians and journalists. I like this piece because it is a very simple yet effective idea. Also it is always fun to see how artist re-purpose images we see in popular culture. Also when I first thought of maps for this project my mind instantly thought of the tube map so I can understand how symbolic it is.

I have now moved on to look at some GPS based works as Maps seemed a bit too simplistic for my ideas for this project:

Masaki Fujihata - The Voices of Aliveness (2012)

This piece was hard at first to know what was going on and to get context on it but once I looked into it it made a lot more sense. It is a circular route the artist set up for the participants to cycle around and recorded them with Go Pros. He then took this footage and combined with a GPS tracker that had been recording their movements and made it into this 3D video above. I find it really interesting because people must participate in the activity in order for there to be art. It also uses technology and the GPS to bring these peoples experiences together and making them have fun in order to do so. I really like the title 'voices of aliveness' because it matches the piece well showing that having fun but also being scared and emotive is what it is to be alive. I feel like technically this piece is very accomplished.


Teri Rueb - Grimpant (2013)

Grimpant (2013) from Teri Rueb on Vimeo.

The video above explains the piece itself therefore I am not going to go into too much detail with this. However I am shocked by how much technology this one installation uses and in how many different ways even though it is essentially based on plants and walking etc. It seems very ironic. I feel like the amount of technology actually distracts you from the theme of this art. It very easily flattens space and time into this one singular map and is interactive from outside and inside the gallery. I like these elements to this but I still feel like it is too much.

To give these pieces context of the way technology has progressed over time I looked at this which is very interesting:

Sherrie Rabinowitz - A Hole in Space (1980)




This piece really does highlight to us the way technology has progressed in such a fast way because back in 1980 this was such an amazing new thing for them to do and now it seems so basic to us. For example we can now use webcams in the comfort of our own home to talk to anyone anywhere in the world but to them this was a new way of communicating. The idea that they could suddenly see that person they were talking to made it feel more like real interaction. You can see from the video how attached people got. This also shows how art has always been progressing with technology in history and has played quite a big role in it. I just really appreciate the context you gain from looking at this.

Then I went back to looking at some more interactive pieces:

Paul Sermon - 3x4 (2015)


3x4 Documentary from Paul Sermon on Vimeo.

This piece is almost a more modern version of 'a hole in space' connecting people from different places in the world so they can interact. however this is not the only meaning to the piece and it also links to the idea of poverty and overcrowding in cities by having this small 3x4 space and a green screen. It compares two major cities who at first seem very different to one another. I like the way this piece is done and it links to mine in its way of interactivity. I want to get people involved in my piece as enthusiastically as he has done.


Ken Goldberg - Telegarden (1995)




This piece is an interactive piece but thought the internet. I really like this ironic paradox that is created here because it is people attending to a garden online yet they could physically go outside and see to there own gardens. It draws your attention to this unnecessary idea that technology has somehow bettered our lives yet it has actually caused a brick wall stopping us from physical interaction. I feel like when this was created that may have no be the obvious case in society but looking at it now in current society this is a very true reflection.

I then went on to look at the idea of telepresence in art and here is the piece I liked in particular:

Aram Barthold - How to Build a Fake Google Street View Car (2010)


How to build a fake Google Street View car from aram bartholl on Vimeo.

I really like this piece because it is a performance piece of art which appears quite humorous but tackles serious issues in our society. It is to do with this hole idea of what google can get away with and shows this in a very obvious way. I think it links to my piece well in the idea that I am interested in this way that cctv has lost meaning in current society and people don't actually realise the implication and I feel like this is similar to the point he is trying to make. I would like reaction to my piece to be humorous at first but then also making people realise what the serious underlining issue is.

These piece I have looked at in further depth have shown me more possible ways I can go into more depth with my piece. A lot of the themes covered by these artworks are very serious yet they find other ways to express these and I like that.