In an exhibition that marks the 10th anniversary of the Banff New Media Institute, one might anticipate a gallery space bristling with computer monitors, video screens and other gadgets of the digital age.
The viewer is first confronted by a polished wood cabinet fitted with a brass viewfinder and crank handle. The panel above proclaims "See Banff! 3D, Interactive, Just Like Being There!" in gold lettering -- quaint salesmanship reminiscent of a travelling carnival.
Peering through the viewfinder while turning the crank, the piece takes the participant on a virtual tour of local sites. A hike along the Bow River takes seconds -- zipping smoothly over the trail as the movements of hikers are accelerated to a comical degree. The crank can also be turned backwards, sending everything into reverse. The result is an immersive, interactive, virtual experience. Victorian style.
See Banff! by Michael Naimark is a kinetoscope -- a short-lived form of early cinema developed by Thomas Edison and quickly replaced by the new medium of film projected onto a screen. A long-obsolete form of technology produces very effective results, interrogating our never-ending quest for newness.
This mix of old and new technology is central to the premise of the exhibition, curated by Sarah Cook and Steve Dietz. Their intention was to emphasize meaning over medium. The works chosen also reflect a sort of historical perspective. As the title implies, "new" media is not a relevant definition when the meaning of new is always in flux.
Three Seconds in the Memory of the Internet by Maciej Wisniewski exemplifies this. For a month before the exhibition opened, a custom-designed "spider" program was employed to search the Internet for files created or modified at a specific second in time.
The files retrieved from the first point, Dec. 10, 1989, at 00:41: 45 GMT, are projected on the wall, which forms an archway into the next room. Beyond this, another archway built into the space shows material from April 4, 1994, at 20:00:00 GMT, and finally, on part of the rear wall, Aug. 2, 2001, at 14:53:54.
The differences between each point are marked. In 1989, the images consist of text on a black background, 1994 features simple, brightly coloured graphics and, by 2001, fully rendered photographs and video appear. Caught in the light from projectors, the viewer's own body is always shown in silhouette, walking through the barrage of information.
In the rear room of the gallery, the physical body takes precedence over media. The works here use technology as a tool for facilitating collaboration.
In Greg Niemeyer, Dan Perkel and Ryan Shaw'sOrganum Playtest 3.0, a stage with five microphones has been erected in front of a screen that shows a graphic representation of the human trachea. The image remains inert until a sound is made into a microphone.
The goal of the game is to steer through the trachea and out the mouth. Each microphone controls movement in one direction -- right, left, up, down and forward. All five participants are required to work together, modulating and co-ordinating their voices. The louder the sounds, the faster the movement and higher the score. During the opening reception, a series of strange, atonal quintets took the stage -- quiet at first, then gaining confidence and volume.
The last installation considers the possibility of disconnecting the body from media altogether.
Shroud/Chrysalis II by Catherine Richards is housed in a clean, white room. In the centre of the floor, a heavy glass platform sits on clear glass blocks. A life-size print, seen through 3D lenses, shows a body wrapped in a copper-coloured shroud. Glass and copper both act as insulating materials, isolating the body from all forms of wireless signals -- radio, television, phone and Internet. By providing a means of escape, Richards questions the future for our bodies in an environment of ever-increasing connectivity. Will unplugging mean death, or a kind of rebirth?
The Art Formerly Known as . . . provides critical perspective on an area that, while not so new any more, is still struggling to develop its own discourse. The ideas generated by this exhibition make a valuable contribution to the discussion.
