An Excellent Blend of Art and Science at the "COLOR, LIGHT, MOTION"

April 28, 2024

I have been lucky to watch a very inspiring presentation under the name "COLOR, LIGHT, MOTION," held by Ryszrad Kluszczynski last Saturday.

The exhibition was on Wen-Ying Tsai's cybernetic sculptures; they were intensively connected with the science of communication and automatic control systems. This event was the real manifestation of the things that we had been discussing all along DESMA 9 about technology and art. Chinese-American artist and mechanical engineer, Wen-Ying Tsai used his mechanical engineering background to create art that would approximate natural phenomena by means of electric motors and stroboscopic lights. This closely corresponds to our class discussion of how artists use technology as a tool to help them break from traditional limitation. Tsai’s works exemplify how engineering principles can breathe life into static materials, a concept that I plan to explore in my midterm project.

Figure 1. Tsai Wen-ying works on his installations in his New York studio in the 1980s

Very striking for me is the aspect of the challenge in preserving cybernetic art. Indeed, the motors and lights can break, thus making the original artwork lose its function. This view could be read from the article written by Vuković, and it is interesting how I would design durable and maintainable pieces of art.

It is important to consider at this point that in this manner, the interactive and dynamic nature of the art is well preserved with time. London was mentions Tsai's understand of nature was all from his childhood memory in China. He was living in New York doesn't have chance to experience the nature at that time.

Figure 2, London show the picture his parents took at their house

The ones Tsai's son, London, tries to refurbish all testify to the presence of the other, to the continuing dialog between the original creation and contemporary efforts at preservation. It is this changing nature in the art of Tsai that will inform my final project with the aim of integrating things that can also change with time, further allowing the dialogue between the viewer and the art piece. I would recommend my classmates to watch "COLOR, LIGHT, MOTION." It further explores how art may be interfaced with technology and offers useful knowledge on the trials and rewards of producing and maintaining cybernetic art. If you ever needed to be shown how art can come to life with engineering and stand the test of time, this exhibition will most likely help bring that picture into your mind.

Reference:

Reichardt, Jasia. Cybernetics, Art, and Ideas. 1971. https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/cybernetics-art-and-ideas-9780821204313?shipto=US&curcode=USD&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwxLKxBhA7EiwAXO0R0ErgYoQvc4H7CSfFCYrbkgdLy3s8Y5ecGtyEFb3VSnN23h0EZA-tJhoCwTAQAvD_BwE.

Dixon, Steve. Cybernetic-ExistentialismFreedom, Systems, and Being-for-Others in Contemporary Arts and Performance. 2020. https://www.routledge.com/Cybernetic-Existentialism-Freedom-Systems-and-Being-for-Others-in-Contemporary-Arts-and-Performance/Dixon/p/book/9781032083742

Hamilton, Kevin. Where the Turtles End: Materiality in a Historic Cybernetic Experiment. 2017. https://contemporaryarts.mit.edu/pub/where-the-turtles-end/release/6

Proof of attendence: