6.

Freedom from Fear and Worry
Rafael Rozendaal




I found this piece on Rhizome, with only the link to the website and no background information. As a result, I experienced it very purely, as the artist probably intended. Ironically, this piece fit perfectly into my life as it is the week before finals, I much needed freedom from fear and worry. The site is somewhat like a colorful, ever-evolving, rorschach test, mesmerizing the viewer into a state of peaceful euphoria.

After leaving the piece as my screensaver for a few days and enjoying its mesmerizing qualities, I searched for more information about the artist, Rafael Rozendaal. He is from the Netherlands, but is of Brazilian descent. An interesting fact about him is that his great grandfather was a former president of Brazil. I also found a new perspective into his work, as his bio on his website briefly and simply describes his work, and that he creates websites as artwork and then sells the domain. The website remains public, but the new owner's name is written in the title bar. Freedom from Fear and Worry did not have a person's name attached to the website, so I am assuming it is still for sale. I wonder for how much...

While the work itself is simple and aesthetically pleasing, I find his process in selling his work the most interesting aspect. He addresses straight-on the issues of consumerism regarding digital media. He in a sense is creating an original piece of work, just as a painter makes an original canvas, despite the fact that it can be viewed simultaneously by millions across the world. He also questions society's obsession with consumption, as who would spend money on something that can be seem for free... I suppose someone with enough money to do so, the desire for extravagance, and the need to attach his name for people to see.

5.

Seven on Seven.

For my latest Artist Entry, I have chosen not a specific digital artist, but more of a digital event. It's called "Seven on Seven" and the premise is to join a leading artist with a "technologist" in teams of two to collaborate and come up with an innovative project that will take place on April 17th. There are little to no limitations, and the projects can be anything from an application, product, or piece of art. It appears to be the first time Rhizome and the New Museum have set out on this endeavor, because I could not find any past projects, but nevertheless I find it to be a very exciting integration of art and technology.

Seven on Seven is the first edition of this potentially annual event, and was said to be recalling "9 Evenings" in which dancers, visual artists and musicians were paired with engineers and scientists to create work. The event is a day long convention with the revealing of the projects and meeting the participants.

The information was rather vague, listing only the artists and technologists that are involved, but I guess that just adds to the anticipation and mystery. As an artist myself I would love to be involved in something like this to broaden my horizons. I think the digital world can be a very intimidating one if you are not experienced, but I think this project is a great opportunity to give these artists confidence in the digital arena by working with technologists, and vice versa.