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  1. HelloWorld.show(); | A Curator’s Take (part 2) Friday, August 28, 2009

    In honor of our extended gallery hours tonight for August’s Last Fridays on Main, we’re proud to present a curator’s perspective on our current exhibition, HelloWorld.show();. Below is part two in the series, written by Senior Arts Fellow Jessica Martin.

    Dave Shea, the creator and cultivator of the highly influential website csszengarden.com, has taken a more literal approach to displaying source code. By pairing a browser view and source code, via video projection, “Process Zen”, explores the relationship between HTML and CSS using the initial design of the CSS Zen Garden project. The web browser starts with an unformatted view of HTML, and over time progressively adds more CSS formatting rules until the final design is achieved.

    Aaron Walter, representing the work submitted by MailChimp, offers an interactive piece for viewers. “Pictaculous” speaks to the notion that input begets output. “Just as the actions of our computers are shaped by inputs recieved, so too are we influenced by outside stimuli”. Pictaculous.com allows users to submit a photo and in return, generates the predominant color palette, including the Hex values for each color, related color palettes, and a downloadable color palette file for Adobe software.

    Leslie Jensen-Inman’s work, “Teach the Web” is primarily concerned with the relationship between the web, as an industry, and academia. Through her work in the exhibition, Jensen-Inman presents a single concept in three distinctly different formats: code, in chalk on a chalkboard; book-form; and browser view. All depict the same content, and their presentation speaks to the notion that both physical and virtual methods for teaching must progress in tandem with the industry.

    The work of C.E.B. Reas also addresses relationships, specifically between evolved natural systems and the synthetic systems we engineer. Reas, Associate Professor at UCLA, is represented by Bitforms Gallery NYC. His work in HelloWorld.show();, “Pre-Process Execution” and “Pre-process Hex” is evocative of transformative systems in motion and at rest. The work itself is derivative of the software he creates using short text instructions that explain process that define networks. From his hand-made book filled with code to the unique framed print, Reas’ work can ultimately be understood in terms of traditional image-making techniques paired with finely crafted programs that define processes.

    All in all, HelloWorld.show(); is mimetic in nature; in that it creates an atmosphere that is similar to that which we interact with on a daily basis. The particular pairing of artist and practitioners in this exhibition aims to bring audiences one step closer to understanding the constant and inevitable interaction that takes place between natural and man-made, mechanical realms, while highlighting a trend—the web—that is forever changing our society and culture. 

    Join us tonight from 5 to 7 pm for Last Fridays on Main, or check out HelloWorld.show(); during our regular gallery hours, Monday through Friday, 9 to 5; or Saturdays 9 to 1. HelloWorld.show(); closes September 12.

    Posted by Administrator