Lei Cox
Professor of Digital and Electronic Art, Dept of Fine Art, Bergen National Academy of the Arts
Mel Woods
Artist The School of Media Arts and Imaging, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee, UK.
The Dark Room
Cox and Woods are building a Site Specific Installation / Public Artwork comprising of a Camera Obscura housed in an architecturally designed structure, optics enabling 360 interactive panoramas on a projection table and installation of High Definition Video Projection artwork revealing landscape locations along a N, S, E and W axis, effectively mapping the location along the axis of a compass to the sea.
Lei Cox
This permanent public artwork examines the role of the artist and viewer, and how camera obscura connects with related optic and panorama devices from the late eighteenth centuries to the present, what role did and does the camera obscura play as tourist spectacle and how can we learn from the recent camera obscura revival in re-contextualising observation of the landscape and voyeurism.
Format of Presentation
A brief intro of the artists past work contextualising the project ‘The Dark Room’ within the broader area of their international practice and research. Examples will include Electronic Images, stills from permanent public video installations, Gallery Installation and Large scale panoramic projects.
Main presentation will explore the original concept for ‘The Dark Room’ as public space and art installation. It will reveal the project over a period of 2 years, from concept, through presentation of that concept to public finding bodies. It will expose the creative aspects in the production of the work to the final point of construction of the structure. The projectinvolved a long term production involving a large team of specialists and other groups (in this case Planning, Council, Lens Engineer, Architect, Grant Holder, Environmental groups, Tourist, Local Community)
The artists will discuss and expand on various ethical and creative challenges connected with ‘The Dark Room’ some of which were anticipated and others that became apparent during the course of production. It will then reflect on the creative concept and its transformation over time.
Mel Woods
What conclusions can be drawn from working on a large scale, high profile and high budgeted public project? What Impact has it had on the Artist’s practice.
Main artistic, discursive or ethical challenges
How does working on a Public artwork compromise or empower the artist?
- Are the artists building a tourist attraction or substantial contemporary artwork?
How does working on long-term projects affect the artists creative process?
Analyse the problems of making a permanent sited artwork with ‘new media’.
- How should we power an electronic work in a time where concerns with energy consumption are questioned. Will the artwork be compromised by the rapid change of technologies, when and how should these be transferred.
Summary of Main Points
How long is a contemporary public art ‘contemporary’: How does technology, context or concept add to the ageing process?
