BLOG PROMPT FOUR: Kinetic Imagery
Indirect Flights (2015) by Joe Hamilton and various websites (2001-Present) by Rafael Rozendaal
PLEASE ANSWER BY POSTING COMMENTS.
Please share your thoughts regarding these works, which explore the web in a light-hearted, aesthetically driven way.
Indirect Flights by Joe Hamilton: http://indirect.flights/
Rafael Rozendaal: https://www.newrafael.com/websites/
Tasmanian artist Joe Hamilton created "a looping spiral of meticulously layered scenes built from video shots. ... Geographically disconnected locations merge to form a hybrid panorama. ... The piece directly references histories of landscape painting via expressive paint marks lifted from famous paintings. ... Indirect Flights is a response to the impact of digital technologies on the representation of landscape. ... [Hamilton's] work questions our established notions of the natural environment within a society that is becoming increasingly networked."
Dutch-Brazilian artist Rafael Rozendaal sells websites as art. Collectors purchase the domain and must agree to keep the work publicly accessible.
The interactivity in both of these sites seems endless- pretty much cascading me into an endless loop of clicking around trying to figure out exactly what I'm looking at (in a good way). Indirect Flights feels overwhelming at first, as my instinct is to scroll and drag around quickly. However, the slower I step through the landscape, I am more soothed than overwhelmed. Similarly, New Rafael is also a cool thing to step through. You get a lot of variety and choice in how you interact with this site, stepping through the fun patterns to unfold even more.
ReplyDeleteAt first glance, Indirect Flights looks a bit chaotic and like it has a lot of information going on, but once you start moving around, you see the smoothness of how everything is put together in a very well thought out and aesthetically pleasing way. You can discover each part of the image as you move around the space and see how they are repeated and it makes you want to see more and more. I found Rafael's website very interesting, the colored pictures that I discovered one by one, the interactivity made me want to continue trying and playing with shapes and colors.
ReplyDeleteI found the page Indirect Flights a bit overwhelming in presentation, but I loved the amount of detail put together in layering the photos over one another to create a unique look and feel. I really like the movement of the page as a sort of linear progression of objects that block the map, to simulate a flight from one place to another, but adds this handmade, dystopian element to an otherwise normal task. I really liked the multiple different abstract stories on Rafael's page, with my favorite being either the first one, Roads, or Rooms. I liked the interactivity in roads, that was similar to the one present in Indirect Flight but used clicking instead to go along the road where it changes color. I think through these websites I discovered a unique substance found in storytelling through abstraction, and abstract photos that I was not sure would be possible on the web.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Joe Hamilton's piece. The way the images are layered feels smooth and satisfying. It reminds me of a digital collage. I can understand its meaning, having been told what it was, but otherwise I didn't understand it initially. Rafael Rozendaal's works, while not as appealing to me, felt just as meaningful. I think his decision to keep the works as public as possible is a direct blow to the idea of museums and private collections. Keeping art accessible keeps it alive. I find the idea of the website itself being the art interesting as well, since often times with think of websites merely as paths to get to the "actual art." It's a subversion of how we view web art.
ReplyDeleteI found these websites to be really interesting. Joe Hamilton's Indirect Flights website is confusing to me because I don't fully understand what's going on. It's cool that I can drag around, and it makes me feel like I'm flying, I just don't always know exactly what I'm looking at. Rafael's website was very trippy to look at. His website is full of almost-optical illusion looking images, and they all move. Sometimes clicking changes the colors. It was very colorful and fun.
ReplyDeleteThere's something about Indirect Flights that's a little bit chaotic yet extremely pleasing at the same time. The collage style of it helps keep everything grounded, and yet there's a noticeable sense of depth with how the images are layered on top of each other. That, plus the sense of movement makes me want to spend time there and explore it. Rafaël's pages offers more options and interactivity. I believe most of the images included some type of interactivity in some way, but there are some that just seem to be moving still images. With how many options there are, this website is almost begging you to go through all of them and see how each page changes.
ReplyDeleteI love how both websites are very interactive. They're very aesthetically pleasing and deal with a lot of heavy layering. Joe Hamilton's piece in particular deals with this much more. I think it is interesting that some portions of the map are much clearer than others. I am also very impressed with the fact that it seems like a never ending loop, which is a very impressive feat.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteBoth websites have this endless loop to them.Indirect Flights by Joe Hamilton. Is an interesting website. It reminds me of google world. Getting a chance to see the world from outer space. It has different layers which helps create this digital website collage. There isn't much to do but click and drag. I do like how the world seems far yet close at the same time. The world seems distorted as well which I like.The second website by Rafael Rozendaal had the same elements as the first. It has loops and endless features as well. There is more click on rather than one page. Each box is colorful and has different shapes. I myself wasn't much of a fan of this website. It hurts my head looking at all those saturated colors moving and changing shape. It's still a cool website.
These works are very interesting! Hamilton displays a seamless collage of landscapes that display beautiful textures and a variety of styles. My favorite part about this pieces was the different settings he exhibited. From rural farmlands, to mountains, to urban components, Hamilton created an interactive collage where the viewer can scroll through aerial perspectives of our world and connect with a space they have experience with.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, Rozendaal has a beautiful list of website art. The movement of and color in his work draw the eye and create a pleasant fluid presence. I think he was able to capture the simplicity yet complexity in digital art. His images and shapes are rather condensed, but the background work into the websites are most likely very complicated. Also, I really like the interactivity in his pieces such as clicking to change the display of the artwork. His pieces are greatly open to interpretation and have countless meanings. Keeping these websites open to the public is also wonderful, and I am so glad others get to enjoy the art!
Both of these artists have very interesting works. I spent a while scrolling along Indirect Flights, thinking that there had to be a boundary somewhere, only to realize it was an endless loop. The second I would see something in the background satellite photos, it would be covered by the other collaged contents when I tried to look into it. This really helps support the critique of the way technology, and even human activity, can interfere with nature and landscape. The other websites by Rozendaal are very pretty to look at, and even remind me of optical illusions. They look like they would make very entertaining screen savers, or even something to just look at to calm down.
ReplyDeleteIndirect flights is a visually stunning masterpiece. Dominant cool tones effortlessly dominate the warmer tones displaying what I can only understand is “earth”? The website reminds me of an application on the Nintendo 3DS called flipnote studio 3D; the reason for this is due to the two layers moving dependently of one another which is reminiscent of the aforementioned application. I was intrigued by a word I saw, “FIRATPEN”, which upon further research was determined to be Turkish. Overall a very successful piece. Reading into the description, I understand the pieces are digitally connected, but not geographically connected, I wonder why Turkey was chosen.
ReplyDeleteI find that the “newrafael” website is both more and less kinetic. I find the previous website to be kinetic in the sense of me doing the movement while in the case of newrafael, the movements are constant, feel slower, but never stop and move independent of user interaction. The colors are nice and I can even appreciate the non colored monochromatic pieces.
ReplyDeleteIndirect Flights - Stationery items with scrolling format. However, you don't have to just move up and down, but any direction. This is an effective choice because it catches the viewer's eye and adds a level of interactivity. The images appear to be photoshopped and satellite images that seamlessly blend into each other or layer over each other. It is infinite and repeating. I believe it is a depiction of the contemporary landscape, digital age, interconnectedness, and transportation. It is dominated by cool tones, creating a level of cohesion.
Rafael Rozendaal - Vibrant pops of color are consistent throughout the webpage. This makes it have an early 2000s, web-oriented aesthetic. There are mesmerizing geometric shapes and gradients. Optical illusions appear frequently. Personally, these works feel like a game you would play on Friv or CoolMath during free time in elementary school.There is moving imagery once you click on a certain square, making it a fun and engaging website. Each square has a different title, which may provide insight into what their meaning is. The variety of artwork is fascinating. You could click on various squares for hours! By looking through these pieces, you could learn a lot about color theory. The way that this artist sells websites as art reminds me of NFTs. It makes me wonder if this art form has an environmental impact like NFTs. It nices to know that the public can still access these pieces, even if they are owned.
Both websites are fun and interactive and endless pleasing. The Indirect flights is pretty interesting, I like the feeling of being up high in the sky viewing objects, landscapes big or small. I love the Rafael Rozendaal website because it's like a little adventure "what's in the next box?" Is it interactive or not? And also like the naming on each box giving the viewer a hint on what to expect. Overall, they are both cool and explorative.
ReplyDelete