Sarah Brady’s show, Material Reiteration, consists of four
exhibits relating to big data. The show aims to present data as a creator instead
of a product of the intention. The exhibits that caught my attention was the
sculpture entitled “Rise” and "Reiteration".
“Rise” is a kinetic installation that involves a black box
of black stones imported from China (As shown in the video clip below). Beneath the black stones is an electric
motor that rotated a piece of wood. The continuously rotating wood
displaced the black stones, pushing them out of the box, creating slopes of
pebbles on all four sides of the black box. In addition, the art piece would
randomly produce a prolonged loud creaking sound which did not affect the rate
at which the wood was spinning. Moreover, the stone hills on either side would
occasionally collapse and be rebuilt by new stones displaced by the wood.
“Rise” invokes the idea that data collection is unrelenting.
Additionally, the fact that the loud noise does not affect the frequency of the
device, seem to suggest data collection is unfeeling. It reminds me of how
major corporations are collecting the meta data on consumer behavior. Like the
stones overflowing the box, data collection never stops, with the newer data
replacing the old data as servers run out of storage space. However, the
aimless displacement of the stones all brings about the thought of the futility
of data collection if said data is not utilized.
“Reiteration” is two twin black towers that had speakers
installed in them. Standing in the gap in between the two towers, random sounds
such as metals rubbing together and static engulfed participants. In addition,
when looking at the other installations, the sounds added a certain depth to
each piece, casting each piece in a different light metaphorically.
Sculpture Entitled "Reiteration" which Engulfed Participants Standing in Between the Pillars with Sounds of Metal Rubbing Together |
“Reiteration” bears striking resemblance to the black
monolith in the Space Odyssey. Like
how the monolith changed the hominids in the book, the tower alters the viewer’s
experience of the other artworks on display. Hence, parallels can be drawn
between how the tower alters the perception of the person within it to how
access to metadata gives its user power. Both enhances the perception of their
user and can reveal much about things or people. As the old saying goes, “Information
is power”.
More
importantly, the entire exhibit is colored black, which makes the show look
chic and modern. However, the black aesthetic also seems to suggest that data
collection is unfeeling and self-serving, disregarding any collateral damage. Given
the nature of metadata collection, the black hue is well deserved as it
highlights the mysterious and concealed methods in which said data is usually
collected.
Overall, the exhibition is a perfect example of the symbiotic
relationship between science and art. It was cathartic to see how the science
of data collection, which can be said to be a form of order, inspire such art
which appears seeming chaotic and random. Most importantly, all the installations
presented relied on the use of modern technology. Ergo, Sarah Brady’s show
would suffice as proof of the “Third Culture” predicted by Baron Charles Percy
Snow, where literary scholars collaborate with science scholars instead of adopting
a silo mentality. Group Photo Featuring Artist Sarah Brady (left) with Fellow DESMA 9 Students |
Event Web Link:
https://dma.ucla.edu/events/calendar/?ID=1002
Sources:
Snow, Charles Percy. The Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge U Press, 1961. Print.
"Black Meaning - Black Color Psychology." Color Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2017. <https://www.colorpsychology.org/black/>.
MacAskill, Ewen. "The NSA's bulk metadata collection authority just expired. What now?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 28 Nov. 2015. Web. 4 Apr. 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/28/nsa-bulk-metadata-collection-expires-usa-freedom-act>.
"Monolith." 2001: A Space Odyssey Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2017. <http://2001.wikia.com/wiki/Monolith>.
"Data collection." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Apr. 2017. Web. 4 Apr. 2017. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_collection>.
Wagoner, Heather. "If information is power, how powerful is your team?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 July 2016. Web. 4 Apr. 2017. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/heather-wagoner/if-information-is-power-h_b_11038752.html>.
Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a third culture: being
in between." Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-125.
Schneier, Bruce. "NSA Doesn’t Need to Spy on Your Calls to Learn Your Secrets." Wired. Conde Nast, 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 4 Apr. 2017. <https://www.wired.com/2015/03/data-and-goliath-nsa-metadata-spying-your-secrets/>.
"Monaural and Stereo Signals." Audio Signal Varieties. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2017. <http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Audio/audsig.html#c2>.
Schneier, Bruce. "NSA Doesn’t Need to Spy on Your Calls to Learn Your Secrets." Wired. Conde Nast, 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 4 Apr. 2017. <https://www.wired.com/2015/03/data-and-goliath-nsa-metadata-spying-your-secrets/>.
"Monaural and Stereo Signals." Audio Signal Varieties. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2017. <http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Audio/audsig.html#c2>.
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