Politics and Aesthetics of New Media in East Asia

1. Abstract Results Politics and Aesthetics of New Media in East Asia The ever increasing speeds of information transfer have transformed the way we interact in our daily lives. The question of what to do with this seemingly constant barrage of information can be seen in the areas of new media experimentalism and information arts. While much study has been done in the area of new media, little work has been done focusing on the role of locality, specifically that of East Asia. This project began focusing exclusively on East Asian artists working among new media and information arts, and later focused on primarily Japanese artists and movements pertaining to issues in the acoustic medium. The work began in Tokyo, Japan, where the notions of an information state and bisecting media interaction were observed first hand in the case of multimedia artist Nam June Paik and the Nippon Telephone and Telegraph’s sponsored Information Communication Center. When the research resumed back in Irvine, Japanese artists experimenting with the acoustic register were focused upon and their works further analyzed. Certain themes of Japanese aural experimentalism were found to share more global aspects of rejection towards conventional western music construction and also a reconstruction of everyday aural stimuli to find more accurate terms of expression to match the current pace of modern living in an information based society. Understanding these factors and their implications in both an East Asian and Japanese context provides greater insight to the interconnected nature of aural experimentalism, recreation, and display in a globally connected society. A collection of Paik’s works from throughout his career at Bye Bye, Nam June Paik on display at the Tokyo Watarium. A theme established among the artists investigated is the manipulation of information. Ryoji Ikeda, for example, makes use of static samples which could be taken from a modem handshake. The sound generated by a modem handshake is removed from its original purpose of information transfer and placed in a new context as a musical sound. The results of these new contexts vary by medium and artist, but what is created can carry a political message unavailable to the original medium. These themes, however, are not exclusive to media and art experiments in East Asia and in the case of the Fluxus movement, contain international membership and political implications. The medium of Paik’s works ranged from simplistic Fluxus paintings to multinational satellite broadcasts. His invention of the video synthesizer allowed him to combine works from a variety of mediums to make a statement beyond the reach of any of the original elements. Conclusion While this research project ended with a focus in the areas of sound and experimental music, further study could be conducted in various other areas pertaining to new media and information arts in the locality of East Asia. The development of the twelve bibliographies on various East Asian artists and movements provides a promising foundation for additional research in the same area. Tyler Moore, Faculty Member: Jonathan Hall Upon returning to Irvine twelve bibliographies were developed focusing on primarily Japanese artists and movements involved in acoustic experimentation. Research The research began with a one week stay in Tokyo in which the contemporary role of new media and information arts were seen in a first hand setting. One of the artists in focus was Merzbow, also known as Masami Akita. Only a fraction of Merzbow’s three hundred works were analysed by utilizing the UCSD music library and private collections. Merzbow is widely considered to be the founding member of the Japanese noise scene, a genre utilizing noise, static and other “non-musical” sounds not limited to the use of traditional western music meters and tonal system. His works parallel artists such as Nam June Paik in the manipulation of information, in terms of sounds, to create new works with implications reaching beyond that of their originals. Acknowledgements Stuart Ross, Calit2 Said Shokair, UROP Jonathan Hall, UCI (left) The HIVE interactive database at the InterCommunication Center (right) A-Volve exhibit as part of the ICC’s Open Space exhibit S ummer U ndergraduate 2R esearch 0F ellowship in 0I nformation6T echnology ttmoore@uci.edu · www.research.calit2.net/students/surf-it2006 · www.calit2.net