Watermans art centre is located in Brentford situated on the Thames. The building itself remains true to its 1960’s origins yet the art inside, at the Digital Performance Weekender, was far from dated; it was innovative and used some of the latest technology. The Digital Performance Weekender was organised by Irini Papanditriu, the New Media Arts Curator at Watermans and offered a fascinating look at digital art from some of the front runners in the niche field. The events to attend ranged from a symposium on big data and privacy, the opportunity to experience virtual reality headsets, to a beautiful dance routine. The Weekender was an insight in the many aspects of digital arts.
The atmosphere of the event was one of high energy and enthusiasm from the artists and viewers, there was clearly a sense of real curiosity from visitors that attended. I went along on the Saturday and It was evident that over the day the audience became more and more appreciative and gained a greater sense of understanding of the works surrounding them. Initially the most intriguing factor was that of the virtual reality. Without an understanding of what it was, an onlooker could only see participants in strange headsets being guided around the gallery. It was almost humorous to observe people supposedly completely unaware of their surroundings being guided in the most peculiar manner. It wasn’t until I tried it that I understood the experience. Once the headset and headphones were strapped onto me, I felt far away from Watermans, the Virtual Reality headset completely disorientated me and led me into a strange world. We then embarked on a journey, following a small girl in a red coat through her fantasies. The whole time your perception is being altered. The experience would not have been so realistic had technicians not been surrounding you with the senses in the virtual reality, for an example when surrounded by hay, your guide surrounds you with the scent of fresh hay. It was a whole new experience for me and lived up to the guides words when she told me ‘You will have never experienced anything like it.’ On contemplation I love the concept, you felt truly immersed, yet at the time I was slightly anxious about the slight sensory overload.
The Virtual Reality concept was not left there, and was also evident in the work of Anna Dumitriu’s Sequence. Her work was an in-depth look at genome sequencing, however done in a way that made it almost mesmerising. On speaking to the artist she explained the relevance of the works to the general public and herself. Looking at genome sequencing is not always accessible, a topic I certainly had a very limited knowledge of, yet Dumitriu turned it into art using different platforms, mostly digital. The Virtual Reality screen transported us into the micro world of bacteria; most people I spoke too were more enthralled by Dumitriu’s virtual reality (Oculus Rift) than the CAPE VR. To me the concept behind the work was interesting, but on a purely aesthetic level I enjoyed the work more so.
Production Values was a piece by Executive Chair, a group of Goldsmiths graduates. It was located in the main gallery. On first entering the exhibit I was slightly unsure as to what I was witnessing, there was no framed images or strange headsets. However, I soon realised that the gallery itself had been transformed into the art work. The walls had been transformed into cardboard box walls, you could peer through these walls to view what lay behind. The swivel feet of office chairs are visible in one and shredded paper in another. This brought us to the final box, in which you could find the artists themselves. I was lucky enough to speak to them and learn about the creative workshops they were offering, in which those who attend are asked to think about components of office life and asked to transform this into art work. I was taken with the idea of taking something so mundane and turning it into something so fantastical and on such a large scale.
We then went into a small theatre where we watched a hauntingly beautiful contemporary dance piece by Alexander Whitley set to laser graphics by Laser Marshmallow Feast. The dance itself was enchanting, yet it was further enhanced by the beautiful graphics accompanying it. The laser lights appeared sometimes as simple spherical objects and then like the child’s game ‘Pickup Sticks’. The dancer and the graphics seemed to correspond with one another, resembling one another’s movements. This performance left me feeling serene; this was soon challenged upon entry to the lively bar.
The bar was filled with people, drinking, eating and enjoying the delicious curries sold at Watermans art centre. However this lively chatter of people could not be heard over the music from the band named ‘Circuit Bending ’. The band use homemade instruments, I can’t say the music was harmonious and beautiful. It was a mixture of strange and unnerving, a good summary of the art at Watermans which made you question your own digital reality.
The day overall was really interesting, digital art was not a format I knew much about and after a day at Watermans I felt a lot more intrigued by the world of digital art. Furthermore, as digital communication becomes increasingly more important in our lives I feel that this show was as much a reflection on the individual as the artists themselves.