The "Arabesque" installation by P. J. Holden was presented as a contemporary artwork at the Digital Arts Festival in Athens at “Megaron” Hall in 2018 and ever since has had a major artistic and social impact all over the word. For its exhibition needs, it was necessary that a series of decisions be made, all of which were relative to the factor of "functionality”. For the work is not a simple sculpture but a moving artwork, with an environmental, aesthetic and also aural impact on the viewer. Corresponding to the principles of acoustic ecology and urban sounds, the work does not only explore the relationship between man and his environment (and consequently nature and urban culture) through its sound, but also directly or indirectly influences the consciousness and the way the visitors think, see, hear and interpret. In particular, the installation is made up of multi-part replicas of the artist's body. Those are robotically dancing through air-pressure systems in the rythme of Johann Strauss's "Blue Danube". Preventive conservation does not seem to have the greatest meaning in the case of preservation, as sound, motion and light are digitally controlled. The same applies for the acoustic climate (db) of noise produced by the project's operating equipment (levers, compressed air tubes, loudspeakers) the optical climate, the hydraulic system, etc. Unlike recordings and video recordings (of Echo/lightscapes), Arabesque is not just a computer projection to be installed. It raises multiple issues regarding the authenticity of the artwork, the multiple versions of artworks, the deterioration and restoration of matter, and the competence of the group of scientists that care on behalf of the artist so as to install it.
| Published in | Innovation (Volume 2, Issue 4) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.innov.20210204.11 |
| Page(s) | 49-55 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Lightscapes, Soundscapes, Contemporary Art Conservation, Restoration, Ethics, Digital Art, Decision-making
| [1] | Athens Digital Arts Festival. ADAF: Arabesque at https://2018.adaf.gr/el/events/arabesque-2015/ (last access: August 18, 2018). |
| [2] | Brandi, C. (2001). Theory of Restoration. In E. Gavrilidi (Ed.) Athens: Εllinika Grammata. ISBN: 960-393-411-9. |
| [3] | Brandi, C. (1996). Τheory of Restoration. Ιn N. S. Price, M. Kirby-Talley & A. Melucco-Vaccaro (Eds). Historical and Philosophical issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage. 230-235. LA: Τhe Getty Conservation Institute. ISBN: 978-0-89236-398-8. |
| [4] | Verbeeck, M. (2019). Brandi and the restoration of contemporary art. One side and the other the Teoria. Conservaciones, 7. 211-226. ISSN: 2395-9479. |
| [5] | Greek Society of Acoustic Ecology/ΕΕΑΟ: http://akouse.gr/wp/ (last access October 16, 2018). Regarding the sounds, it is stated that"... every place has a distinctive acoustic identity which is shaped by the sounds produced by it, due to the morphology, natural phenomena and the activities of living organisms. At the same time, all these sounds affect, directly or indirectly, people’s conscience and expression." |
| [6] | Hillier M., (Εd.).(1976) Automata and Mechanical Toys, an Illustrated History. Jupiter, ISBN-10: 0904041328, London. Οn pages 162-175 the author refers to the history of the "automatic" toy making techniques and the melting of the old tin cans. Also to the folding of metal sheets for re-use and their conversion into two-sided metal toys. Toys made of cast iron, namely sheet metal layers containing zinc or zinc coated with alloys. |
| [7] | Munoz-Vinas, S. (2005). Contemporary Τheory for Conservation. Οxford: Elsevier. ΙSBN: 1417569107 9781417569106 9780080476834 008047683X. |
| [8] | Liamas-Pacheco, R. (2020). Some Theory for the Conservation of Contemporary Art, Studies in Conservation, 65: 8, 487-498, DOI: 10.1080/00393630.2020.1733790. |
| [9] | Rush M., (Ed.).(2005) Νew Media in Late 20th Century Art, Thames & Hudson ISBN-0500203784, London. The description of interaction (pp. 201-208) is mentioned as a hypothesis: “if images are to become increasingly experiential, then a theory of representation must be evolved to account for the transaction provoked by participation”. |
| [10] | As mentioned, p. 102, "Machine rhythms have an aesthetic value," a view adopted by painter Luigi Russolo by making sound generators known as “intonarumori” in 1913. |
| [11] | Holling, H. (2016) The aesthetics of change: on the relative durations of the impermanent and critical thinking in conservation. In E. Hermens & F. Robertson (Eds). Authenticity in Transition, Painting Practices in Contemporary Art Making and Conservation. 13-24. Glasgow: Archetype Books. ISBN-10: 1909492361. |
| [12] | Frieling, R. / Daniels, D. (Ed.). (2004) Mythical bodies, Media Art Net, Key Topics 2, Springer, ISBN-10: 3211005706, Wien. On page 116, the authors refer to the known cyborgs, hybrids of humans and machines, mechanical versions of man, more advanced forms bearing artificial parts, the "survivors of space". They are also mentioned in Harraway, in “a Cyborg”s Manifesto”, as "automatic" and "autonomous" heroes with advanced abilities as the Exterminator or Star Trek heroes who do react instinctively. |
| [13] | Parparousi G. Investigating a Soundscape, University of Patras, available in Greek at: https://eclass.upatras.gr/modules/document/file.php/PN1440/%CE%A0%CE%91%CE%A1%CE%9F%CE%A5%CE%A3%CE%99%CE%91%CE%A3%CE%95%CE%99%CE%A3/7.%20%CE%95%CE%BE%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%B5%CF%85%CE%BD%CF%8E%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CE%AD%CE%BD%CE%B1%20%CE%B7%CF%87%CE%BF%CF%84%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%AF%CE%BF.pdf.(lastaccess, 11 September, 2018). The author refers to ordinary human activities such as conversation, work, sounds generated by the use of industrial technology. The latter can lead to noise pollution - also a characteristic feature of an urban soundscape. |
| [14] | Stoupathis K., A first Approach to conservation of light installations. Tobepublishedin: Annual Conservation Conference Proceedings of the Panhellenic Union of Greek Conservators/ΠΕΣΑ, 4 December, 2017. Poster announcement of a typical example of a visual installation, resulting from the digital recording of a dancer's movements is P. Korbicka’s installation "Dance Calligraphy". After recording her dancing movements, digital forms of three (3) dimensional images created a triptych of argon lamps. His artwork is best known as "sculpture, environment" and "installation". The rationale of replacing broken argon light tubes is a feasible solution if they wear out: as long as the glassmaker is consistent in reconstruction. The challenge is to match the installation's "compatible materials" with the digitally recorded movements of the dancer so that the contemporary artwork will never get lost. |
| [15] | Regarding obsolescence, and replacement of spare parts and conservation possibilities, see Sorano-Stedman, V. (2013). Les Collections, du Centre Pompidou et l΄ Obsolescence, Techne, No 37, RΜΝ, pp. 30-42. ISSN 1254-7867. |
| [16] | Gomez S., (Ed.).(2016). La conservacion del Arte Contemporaneo, Ediciones TREA, ISBN 978-84-9704-960-3. The author refers to the properties of thermoplastic and thermosetting materials, synthetic resins, and other types such as PET polyester, pp. 42-43, as they are found in the materials of contemporary art and require special restoration practices. |
| [17] | Κyung, A. & Cerasi, J. (2020). Who’s afraid of Contemporary Art. 98-100. UK: Thames & Hudson. ISBN-10: 0500295735. |
APA Style
Konstantinos Stoupathis. (2021). Approaching an Art-Conservation Framework for Digital-Art Installations: The Case of “Arabesque” by P.J. Holden. Innovation, 2(4), 49-55. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.innov.20210204.11
ACS Style
Konstantinos Stoupathis. Approaching an Art-Conservation Framework for Digital-Art Installations: The Case of “Arabesque” by P.J. Holden. Innovation. 2021, 2(4), 49-55. doi: 10.11648/j.innov.20210204.11
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Download@article{10.11648/j.innov.20210204.11,
author = {Konstantinos Stoupathis},
title = {Approaching an Art-Conservation Framework for Digital-Art Installations: The Case of “Arabesque” by P.J. Holden},
journal = {Innovation},
volume = {2},
number = {4},
pages = {49-55},
doi = {10.11648/j.innov.20210204.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.innov.20210204.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.innov.20210204.11},
abstract = {The "Arabesque" installation by P. J. Holden was presented as a contemporary artwork at the Digital Arts Festival in Athens at “Megaron” Hall in 2018 and ever since has had a major artistic and social impact all over the word. For its exhibition needs, it was necessary that a series of decisions be made, all of which were relative to the factor of "functionality”. For the work is not a simple sculpture but a moving artwork, with an environmental, aesthetic and also aural impact on the viewer. Corresponding to the principles of acoustic ecology and urban sounds, the work does not only explore the relationship between man and his environment (and consequently nature and urban culture) through its sound, but also directly or indirectly influences the consciousness and the way the visitors think, see, hear and interpret. In particular, the installation is made up of multi-part replicas of the artist's body. Those are robotically dancing through air-pressure systems in the rythme of Johann Strauss's "Blue Danube". Preventive conservation does not seem to have the greatest meaning in the case of preservation, as sound, motion and light are digitally controlled. The same applies for the acoustic climate (db) of noise produced by the project's operating equipment (levers, compressed air tubes, loudspeakers) the optical climate, the hydraulic system, etc. Unlike recordings and video recordings (of Echo/lightscapes), Arabesque is not just a computer projection to be installed. It raises multiple issues regarding the authenticity of the artwork, the multiple versions of artworks, the deterioration and restoration of matter, and the competence of the group of scientists that care on behalf of the artist so as to install it.},
year = {2021}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Approaching an Art-Conservation Framework for Digital-Art Installations: The Case of “Arabesque” by P.J. Holden AU - Konstantinos Stoupathis Y1 - 2021/11/10 PY - 2021 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.innov.20210204.11 DO - 10.11648/j.innov.20210204.11 T2 - Innovation JF - Innovation JO - Innovation SP - 49 EP - 55 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2994-7138 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.innov.20210204.11 AB - The "Arabesque" installation by P. J. Holden was presented as a contemporary artwork at the Digital Arts Festival in Athens at “Megaron” Hall in 2018 and ever since has had a major artistic and social impact all over the word. For its exhibition needs, it was necessary that a series of decisions be made, all of which were relative to the factor of "functionality”. For the work is not a simple sculpture but a moving artwork, with an environmental, aesthetic and also aural impact on the viewer. Corresponding to the principles of acoustic ecology and urban sounds, the work does not only explore the relationship between man and his environment (and consequently nature and urban culture) through its sound, but also directly or indirectly influences the consciousness and the way the visitors think, see, hear and interpret. In particular, the installation is made up of multi-part replicas of the artist's body. Those are robotically dancing through air-pressure systems in the rythme of Johann Strauss's "Blue Danube". Preventive conservation does not seem to have the greatest meaning in the case of preservation, as sound, motion and light are digitally controlled. The same applies for the acoustic climate (db) of noise produced by the project's operating equipment (levers, compressed air tubes, loudspeakers) the optical climate, the hydraulic system, etc. Unlike recordings and video recordings (of Echo/lightscapes), Arabesque is not just a computer projection to be installed. It raises multiple issues regarding the authenticity of the artwork, the multiple versions of artworks, the deterioration and restoration of matter, and the competence of the group of scientists that care on behalf of the artist so as to install it. VL - 2 IS - 4 ER -
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