Monday, April 26, 2010

Science and Progress - Tony Oursler



Tony Oursler works in several media, but he is best known for his eccentric and groundbreaking videos of eerily painted dummies. His art deals with topics from Multiple Personality Disorder to corporate power and media brainwashing.
Tony Oursler quotes, "I've never given up painting. My interest in video certainly came from a deep belief that an artist should try to work with the images of the moment, for lack of a better word. Or, in the medium of the moment. Still images did not really carry the cultural current that the moving image does. This is still true today. ts really digital activity that I'm involved with now. Video is really just an appendage of some sort of digital system, which is being defined and redefined all the time. Painting of course, allows for a deep exploration of two-dimensional space, which is a basis for any other kind of image construction."
Tony Oursler has used the medium of film to create his own unique sculptural aesthetic, taking the images out of the television box and making them function in three-dimensional space. A recurrent theme in Oursler's work is the way in which visual technologies influence and even modify our social and psychological selves. His practice continuously engages with popular culture and questions how systems of mechanical reproduction, like photography, film and television, have come to dictate not only the way we see the world, but also the ways that images are constructed. A key feature of his work is the ways in which the human body comes into play. The body functions through the encounter with the work.

Enlightenment in Oursler's work consists on the different ideas and materials he uses to present his work. As Oursler uses different materials, Science can be applied to his work because he uses projectors to show his work in 3D. Progress can apply to his work because as technology starts to grow and become more high-tech, Oursler will be able to produce even bigger and better things. Individualism also applies to Oursler's work because the work he produces is very unique and very different to other artists. This artwork that he produces individualizes Tony Oursler.


References:
http://www.lissongallery.com/#/artists/tony-oursler/cv/
http://images.google.co.nz/images?hl=en&source=imghp&q=tony+oursler&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=
http://www.tonyoursler.com/text.php?navItem=text&subsection=All%20Text&page=1

4 comments:

  1. I agree with the quote "that an artist should try to work with the images of the moment, for lack of a better word" as its easy to make just anything that you can look back on, but creating something in the moment is spontaneous and unique. It takes a creative thinker to make works out of unconventional materials that are not usually used. Oursler seems to use projection as his canvas rather than paper. He creates the 'moment' through the connection of his 3D approach.

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  2. I agree on what you have posted about Tony Ourslers work as it does consist of 'groundbreaking videos' and 'eerily painted dummys'. These objects this artist uses are really to get a reaction from his inteded audience. I like how you included comments about the artists love for painting and his views on still and moving images. This information gives a deeper understanding of the artists intent when creating his artworks. Tony Oursler is obviously a motivational artist as his work is very singular in how it is crafted, This information you have covered in your post highlights key points into understanding the artists mindset when imagining his instilatiosns and project themes.

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  3. His work is so creepy. It's like a gene mutation that he uses different ideas playing with the mouth and eyes in different way. Enlightenment can be described as influencing the current way of thinking. I think he is successfully to influence the people's psychological reactions to looking the "eye" , thinking of what is the "eye" looking for. I also agree with your idea of science that he uses projectors to show his work in 3D. Moreover, i think his work can also relate to empiricism.

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  4. Tony Oursler’s work is very interesting in the way it deals with how visual technologies influence society and to what degree. It is also an interesting take on what can be produced today with the digital medias available to artists. The work is explorative and interesting, challenging ideas of physics, space and dimension. The work carries an eerie creepy aura, which caters perfectly to the somewhat-negative message about corporate or media brainwashing.

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