Group Discussion.
What are some key features of the kinds of things we call "art"?
What are some key features of the kinds of things we call "art"?
We believe that art is a way to express ourselves, both reality or imagination. It wants to create emotions and feelings to the viewer. Art lasts for a long time, but nowadays it changes faster than before. Art has changed its purposes. First it was used to represent, to pass cultural values and moral purposes and now as a way to express.
How does Adams define art? Do you agree with his definition?
Adam thinks that art should have content and have ideas to express. Art needs to be aesthetic, not only be beautiful but able to appeal to people. Art doesn’t need a formula to be created. Art is not about being useful; it’s about expressing and creating feelings to the viewers. Art should not driven by commercial consideration, it doesn't need to be saleable. The entire group agrees with Adam’s definition.
Can Videogames be classified as art? What do we think?
Adam believes that videogames can turn to be a form art. Half of the group believes that videogames cannot be art because nowadays they are focused to create money (Commercial purpose) and it would be too hard to change that fact. Also gamers don’t pay attention to the aesthetic value, they only want to be entertain.
The other half agrees that it can be art because some features like audio and visuals can express something that can be considered as something aesthetic. The second point is that we believe that videogames share ideas and has content.
Comment on Mary Flanagan [domestic],2003.
Comment on Mary Flanagan [domestic],2003.
[domestic] is a work done by Mary Flanagan in 2003. It is a modification a popular first-person shooter video game, Unreal Tournament 2003, by using software engine. It has given totally new meanings and artisitic values to the original one. Unreal Tornament is produced for commerical purpose, players fight off repeated enemy attacks and thus acquire feelings of excitement and satisfaction, it is a common and typical mode of many popular games. Nevertheless, [domestic] does not contain any shooting element, but create a home-like environment for players to explore artist's childhood memories. For my point of view, I would consider [domestic] as an work of art in regard to aesthetic, emotion and content.
Firstly, it contains aesthetic values. There are plentiful visual materials in the work, including photographs, fragments of images with different texture and text. These visual materials composed a three-dimensional home-like environment for "players" to experience. For instance, using images of wood to cover the walls, and placing the images of flames on the ground, these eye-catching pictures create an impression to "players" which is the room is burning. From the richness and meaning of the visual materials, we can see the aesthetic value contained in the work.
Secondly, it express and provoke emotions. Flanagan created this work with her traumatic childhood memory, a house fire that happened at the age of seven. When passing through the enormous game space, and seeing the fragments of photograph from her family albums, "players" explored her childhood memories and feelings, such as sadness, fear and panic. As pointed out by Ernest W. Adams, art should make us feel something. The work really create feelings to players.
Thirdly, it has content. As mentioned before, this work is based on an tragic event that happened in artist's childhood. Artist use a virtual installation as a way for telling story. For example, the artist using text and pictures to describe the position of a couch. Players can really experience feelings in the house fire.
Pictures quoted from: http://www.maryflanagan.com/domestic
Ref.: Mark Tribe/ Reena Jana, New Media Art.p.44
