An exploration of the contemporary space(s) of the internet.

The internet is such a rapidly growing and influential facet, and space, of contemporary culture, how do we then explore it in relation to art and curation? It has been analysed since its beginnings by net.artists, and initially struggled to be accepted as a serious art institution. Can the internet function as a process, or is it merely a platform for display and curation? For the purpose of this essay it is crucial to consider the inheritances of the internet, specifically in relation to the movements of Situationism and Fluxus. Another element to be critically analysed is the notion of the internet as a modern space - although not a space of 'modernism - and how ultimately this relates to Bourriauds idea of the 'altermodern' and a rejection of historical linearity.

Bourriaud, in his treatise 'altermodern', asserts that post-modernism is redundant, that it was purely the in-between phase at the end of the 19^th Century as art mourned the natural end to its static perception of itself. Altermodernism is art reacting to its situation in relation to developing notions of global culture. Bourriaud rejects conventional historical narratives instead, he elucidates - art in the altermodern is a 'positive experience of disorientation through an art form exploring all dimensions of the present, tracing lines in all directions of time and space.' (Bourriaud, 2009). ). The corresponding exhibition, also entitled 'Altermodern', sought to supplement the ideas contained within his theory. It presented art works which were demonstrative of this concept of the 'cultural nomad', the art focusing on notions of displacement and dislocation, 'voyages, objects and beings - in migration' (post.thing.net, 2010). It is arguable that within works considered 'altermodernist', the idea of displacement is not a uniting aesthetic, rather it becomes a methodology and a view point which 'exist in a peripheral, yet significant network of relationships by which the artist then elaborates on' (post.thing.net, 2010). If we consider the internet in its base form, a – global – network, we can consider it as archetypal of the fundamental essence of the altermodern, rendering time and space and the dimensionalities of these concepts, archaic.

Regardless of altermodernist theory and the rejection of historical narrative (which arguably, the net enables), it is interesting to consider the development of the internet and net art. Situationism and Fluxus are significant to consider in this capacity, especially as Fluxus artists' in the 1960's were amongst some of the first to experiment with 'new media' arts (as a result of the development of video technologies) that were the predecessors of the new media art we recognise in the present. Situationist International references Futurism, Dada and Surrealism in its contextualisation, and the manifesto laid out forms part of a utopian anti-art tradition that is influenced by these movements themselves. Debord, in 1957 stated,

'Our central idea is the construction of situations, that is to say, the concrete construction of momentary ambiences of life and their transformation into a superior passional quality. We must develop a systematic intervention based on the complex factors of two components in perpetual interaction: the material environment of life and the behaviours which that environment gives rise to and which radically transform it.' (Debord, Report on the Construction of Situations [1957])

Situationism and Fluxus are philosophical and artistic movements contemporaneous with the rise of capitalism and mass produced consumer culture. Fluxus was concerned with creating movement in art, instead of the staid rigidity that they viewed 'modernism' as being synonymous with. In some respects it is wrong to consider Fluxus as a 'movement' per se, there was no unified 'fluxist' aesthetic, rather it provided the artists with a 'forum, free from the entanglements of the art establishment, in which to perform their own works, and the works of kindred spirits' (Williams, 1993). Situationism essentially concerned itself with creating 'situations' and arriving at new experiences, experiences not restricted by the ideological conditioning of a standardised consumer capitalist society. It 'criticised modern consumerist society for alienating people and turning their lives into meaningless pursuits of commodities.' (Elliot, 2001). Debord commented on the 'specularisation of society', a critique on the 'politics of the image' and a condemnation of 'market commerce art'. In his text, 'La Société du spectacle', Debord extends Marx's theories of Alienation to contend that 'the spectacle is not a collection of images; rather, it is a social relationship between people that is mediated by images'. (Debord, Society of the Spectacle, 1967). Aserger Jorn, further expanded upon Debords' 'construction of Situations' to introduce the concept of 'Situgraphology' (the study of situations) as a critique of Marxism. The difference between Marxism and Situationism or Fluxus is that where Marxism took the fundamentals of politics and the economy for affecting change, Situationism and Fluxus were more concerned with revolution of a cultural nature.

In relation to the internet, we have to consider whether the format of it, in itself, only reinforces Debords' idea of the spectacle. Is the internet the ultimate form of a contemporary spectacle? Or is it indeed the tool that Situationism needed to truly act subversively? If we consider the spectacle in the terms Debord describes; yes, the internet can be seen as functioning as representational, in terms of collating and disseminating imageries. Although as Debord contends, 'the spectacle in general, as the concrete inversion of life, is the autonomous movement of the non-living' (Debord, 1967) – can we really regard the internet in this manner? Surely, as the internet is such a rapidly evolving tool, it cannot be described as autonomous and spending too long trying to contextualise and situate net art in terms of its historical referents is decidedly futile. The internet goes further than to simply function as a representation of culture, in its own right it is another sphere or space of modern life, albeit a virtual one. In the past decade the internet has undoubtedly become an integral part of wider popular culture, and influential upon individual human experiences. Debord maintains the spectacle as being 'the opposite of dialogue' (Debord, 1967), debatably this is the true function of the internet – the creation of a global dialogue. The concept of globalisation was precipitated by the internet. Time and space, effectively became compressed and everything was, theoretically, instantaneously accessible; 'international distance is now represented by a progress bar' (Faculty Of The Arts Thames Valley University, 2007).

The Situationist theories of Derive and Detournment stem from Baudelaire's concept of the flâneur and are pertinent to investigations of the internet and its relations to society and art production. It is interesting to question the function of the internet in relation to these concepts, are they ideologically inter-relatable? Baudelaire saw the flâneur as playing a vital role in the understanding and development of the city. The notion of the flâneur has arguably 'accumulated significant meaning as a referent for understanding urban phenomena and modernity'. (Davidson, 2009). Baudelaire depicts the flâneur as perusing the modern city and finding awe in his surroundings. If we take the Situationist concept of 'psycho-geography' and apply it to the models of the internet, can we not see the potential for the Internet as a modern architectural space? As a forum for contemporary enactments of 'derive' and enabling the 'flâneur' in the present? The inherent architectural nature of the internet allows us to apply, to this virtual space, the 'nomadic' precepts of detour originally applied to urban spaces. New Babylon, as designed by Constant Nieuwenhuis in 1959-74(see Fig 1) depicts a utopian anti-capitalist city. Can we consider the internet as the embodiment of some of the principles behind Nieuwenhuis' utopia? As the form his designs for an alternative city-space would have taken, had the technology been available?

'The culture of New Babylon does not result from isolated activities, from exceptional situations, but from the global activity of the whole world population, every human being, being engaged' (Nieuwenhuis, 1974). Archetypal

Nieuwenhuis further contends that the physicality of a multi-layered city is the only conceivable form within which 'New Babylon' can exist – but surely this is exactly the kind of space offered by the net. If we take Bourriauds theory of the altermodern and the concept of the redundancy of historical narrative, can we not also argue that our conception of space and boundaries and layers is thus made redundant by the net – if the net is indeed paradigmatic of altermodernism and not post-modernism . Although, it is debatable whether or not the internet is in fact as 'utopian' as some might argue. Idealistically the internet would function thusly, although in reality the internet is bound by the same laws and regulations as real-space. William Gibson coined the term 'cyberspace' to describe a terrain which only varies from that we know in reality, by the very fact that it is a construction of a cyber-reality, a virtual extension of humanity.

Regardless of whether or not the internet functions in relation to the philosophies of Situationism and Fluxus, it is important to explore the potentiality of the internet in terms specifically related to art. The internet as a vehicle for art is rapidly gaining pace and structure. We can see the internet as operating as a virtual gallery. This very notion subverts hegemonic conceptions of gallery space and the traditional white cube approach to curation. Works of art are made accessible to those who wouldn't typically visit, or feel they know enough about art to visit a traditional space. Thus the internet, as a network, functions to open up art to a wider audience. Art in the age of networks is an issue which, at the moment is only addressed effectively by the forms New Media art takes in correlation with the net. Effectively the internet, as a network, allows us to transcend global-space. 'As a tool, networks allow us to communicate synchronously and asynchronously...they have become a vehicle for artistic practise' (Faculty Of The Arts Thames Valley University, 2007). In 'Curating Subjects', Carlos Basualdo discusses the 'unstable institution' and the concept of the revisions undergone by these 'institutions' as a result of the 'globalising contemporary art scene's networks' (Basualdo, 2007). He examines the importance of 'biennials', and 'large international exhibitions' - as art that is 'independent from commercial galleries and collectors' (Molnár, 2004). We can see these networks as operating much in the same way as the internet – but that the internet simply functions on a more decidedly 'global' scale.

We have to consider its possibilities extend further than merely being a tool with which galleries and artists can simply upload works of art. By the time the mainstream art world had become aware of the internet in the 1990's, Net art was already exploring and experimenting with this 'new landscape'. 'Art on this electronic frontier - known variously as Internet art, online art, or Net art - matured at the same breakneck pace with which digital technology itself has expanded.' (Ippolito). The 2009 piece 'YouTube as a Sculpture' (see Fig. 2), by Constant Dullaart, is an example of an artist exploring the workings of the internet and bringing it into the physical sphere of gallery space. Lighting, moving around large white orbs arranged in a circular shape, imitates the YouTube loading icon. The sculpture serves to highlight the dialectics of the 2D space of the internet and the 3D space of a gallery. The viewer is able to engage not only with the aesthetic of the work itself, but also with the mechanical processes of the piece. The projectors and other technical equipment are clearly visible and the audience is able to navigate around the sculpture itself, contrasting the inherent hidden nature of the codes of the net and concealed identity that it permits. As well as exhibiting the work as a gallery piece, Dullaart also uploaded a video of the installation onto YouTube itself. This then extended the dialogue back to the internet, the dissemination bringing focus back to the issues of communication and collaboration, and arguably the piece is only fully realised by its translocation into the realms of the internet. The intent of this piece is not to highlight the discord between the two forums for display, but rather the shared imagery serves to underscore the now inextricable relationship between the two. As stated in 2006, by the Taschen published 'New Media Art', 'as the boundaries separating New Media art from more traditional forms, like painting and sculpture, grow less distinct, New Media art will likely be absorbed into the culture at large' (Tribe & Jana, 2006).

Baudrillard, in his book 'Why hasn't everything disappeared yet?' prevaricates upon the inevitability of disappearance. He expands upon Heidegger's polemic 'The Question Concerning Technology' which raises the issue of technology confusing the boundaries of what is real and what is virtual. These issues are becoming increasingly germane as New Media art becomes 'absorbed into culture' and culture becomes absorbed into New Media art and the virtual and visual space of the internet.

Like the loading icon in 'Youtube As A Sculpture', the process of cultural production and collective understanding of the Internet's impact is unending, and carries expectancy and suspense. With the integration of online culture and Internet-related topics into the space of the commercialised art world, the potential for dialogue, creativity, and increased understanding of community and individuality is astounding. The dialogue between Internet and art will continue to evolve, to examine - as art does, the human impact of changing technologies, in ways that cannot be foreseen. By using the gallery space and physical art objects as a way of referring back to work created on the Internet and Internet culture, contemporary art could be said to be going further to reinforce the Internet's dominance of our reality, but the transience and temporality this brings to works is necessary if art is going to continue to compete culturally with the rapidly changing entertainments and ideas of the Internet, that are able to adapt far faster than traditional art forms.

Fig. 1

 

 

 

 

Symbolische voorstelling van New Babylon (detail) (Symbolic Representation of New Babylon), 1969, collage on paper, 55×60".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig. 2

 

Constant Dullaart, You Tube As A Sculpture. 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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