1997 JODI interview?: Aren't you afraid that your work will disappear at one point because of technological paradigm changes? For example, that it can't be viewed anymore because browsers change overnight?
Paesmans: Fear is not a good condition for work. We have
no fear. We make these things because we are angry. People perceive this anger when they are on the other end, at the receiving computer...
?: Why are you angry?
Paesmans: Because of the seriousness of technology, for
example. It is obvious that our work fights against high
tech. We also battle with the computer on a graphical level.
The computer presents itself as a desktop, with a trash can
on the right and pull down menus and all the system icons.
We explore the computer from inside, and mirror this on
the net.
When a viewer looks at our work, we are inside his
computer. There is this hacker slogan: "We love your
computer." We also get inside people's computers. And we
are honored to be in somebody's computer. You are very
close to a person when you are on his desktop. I think the
computer is a device to get into someone's mind. We
replace this mythological notion of a virtual society on the
net or whatever with our own work. We put our own
personality there.
?: There is this rumor that your site causes people's
browsers to crash. Is this true?
Heemskerk: No. That is not a challenge. You could shut
down anybody's computer with one line of code. That's not
interesting.
?: My impression is that a lot of people look at your site briefly, and then go somewhere else, without ever
exploring the details of it: "Oh, there is this site that looks
like your computer is broken", and then it's back to CNN or
Yahoo or whatever. Does that bother you?
Paesmans: No. Media art is always on the surface. You
have to get people very quickly. You need to give them a
karate punch in the neck as soon as possible. And then - of
course - they don't get to the details, and the site will just sit
there for the next five years or ten years, or maybe 100
years. And maybe their children will have the time to
explore the details... (laughs) via camille pb. Update: Another excerpt, about the differences between European and American Internet surfing. This has changed now, I assume??: I remember that one of you made a remark about the
difference between the European and the American
internet. This seems strange, because the internet is
supposed to be an international network, that surpasses
national boundaries. What do you mean with this, and how
does this difference affect you as artists?
Paesmans: The Americans don't have to pay for their
connection time...
?: ...because local calls are free in the US...
Paesmans: ...so the internet is just an extension of their
local computer.
Heemskerk: It suits their geographical sense as well,
because some places are so remote, that they need a means
of communication. Not only the internet, but also the
telephone. If you pick up the phone in the Netherlands and
call somebody in Germany it seems really far. But in the
US they spend hours on their phones with their neighbors.
Paesmans: And it's the same with the internet: home office
workers for example can stay online for hours, because
they don't have to think about the telephone costs.
?: And how does that affect you as artists?
Paesmans: We cannot explore the net the way we want to.
For example we cannot check the dutch newspapers in the
morning on the net, because connection time is too
expensive. You can look at your email, but you cannot look
around for an hour, because you have to pay the expensive
morning rates for a local telephone call.
Heemskerk: The result is a whole different way of viewing.
If you have to pay for the hour you want to see something
immediately. You are not prepared to look for something
for an hour. But you have to do this on the internet.
Paesmans: Otherwise you just log into the little areas you
know. It doesn't become this jungle where you go to
discover things you did not know before. But this is just the
interesting part of it. It is fun to find things from the
Philippines or Morocco. So you have to get organized and
do your surfing at night, because the rates are cheaper then.
?: How many hours do you spend online per day?
Paesmans: Not many. Maybe half an hour. If we are
working on something it might be longer. I like to look
around at Japanese sites, which are incomprehensible to
me. The characters are totally unreadable, and they have
beautiful screen designs.
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1997 JODI interview via camille pb. Update: Another excerpt, about the differences between European and American Internet surfing. This has changed now, I assume?
- tom moody 3-21-2007 2:46 am