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Art Sat Oct 10 2009
Binary and the Wetware Machine
I got to see the opening night of Binary, a show curated by Lauren and Francesco Levato, over at The Near Northwest Arts Council. The art show was nothing to rave about and I won't be doing that here although you can check it out through November 7, 2009. On the other hand the "Wetware Render Machine" was a hit with everyone.
This project, if you want to call it that, was an effort to create collaboratively. It unfortunately included all this writing about CGI computers, sampling and on off binary gibberish. The thing that actually took place at St Paul's Cultural Center they called "Wetware Render Machine," this was a live model session with artists, writers, students, parents, and all sort of people drawing and interacting in an open creative and active environment.
Lauren Levato actively invited people to draw, and create their own work on paper that was provided, or contribute to a number of works that were already started or even considered finished. This particular evenings event was not about one person effectively seeing through an idea or vision, although some may have seen it that way, but it was about a collective vision. That's what all the computer sampling talk was about, and although it makes sense, it made understanding the process difficult, and these days I would rather see art simplified than made overly complex. The Wetware Render Machine was as simple as it sounds complex and if you didn't get a chance to experience it, you have until the 7th of November to see the remnants of a great night of active, interactive and expressive art making.
I would like to add that there may have been a pay off for all the CGI talk that I was not there for but regardless I had a great time and bravo to both Lauren and Francesco.
— MartinJon / Comments (1)
Lauren Levato / October 26, 2009 11:05 PM
Martin,
Was good to see you at the event. Did you participate? Sorry if the concept of a render machine went over your head, fits in with the CAM 2.0 theme. But beyond that what the exhibit web site and literature explains is that the Wetware Render Machine is a metaphor for human interaction. The very word "Wetare" is a cyber-punk term for human processes. Starting to make sense now?
And what actually started out as something complex in theory did, as you said, get tossed by the wayside when everyone jumped in. That's the point of doing something live - you don't know what you are going to get. It was great fun, and potentially a little absurdist, but why not have a little absurd fun, mmm? Or being able to let go of grand ideas. It's a radical idea, something perhaps to consider with that portrait project of yours. But I digress.
If you are still unconvinced you have another chance for round two because the first go round was so successful. In fact we are turning this one into a book - Oct. 30, 2009 7 - 11 p.m. at St. Paul's Cultural Center, Exquisite: A Series of Corpses. Join us again, won't you?
Lauren Levato