Page 36 - Studio International - June 1971

technological media by artists has not by any Technology no inclusive term or concept and assess the dynamics of their interchange,
means always implied interdependency with suffices to define the situations being but were explicitly engaged in researching
scientists or engineers. Both Krebs and encompassed. A few artists shared an attitude aspects of perceptual psychology. Their mutual
Mefferd, for instance, have in the past which is distinguishable from the ascendant, investigations were not terminated at the end of
accomp fished much of their work unassisted, short-term concerns of the others. These an arbitrarily set time interval, but have
finding out on their own about their equipment artists from the outset wished to investigate a continued organically to develop. John
and its potential by reading, experimenting and psychological or experimental mode of activity Chamberlain at Rand and James Byars at the
consulting only occasionally with manufacturers primarily, instead of occupying themselves Hudson Institute set about to establish
or engineers. One of the principal benefits of fixedly with technics. Two assumptions are, in participatory events; both in a high spirit of
Art and Technology for an artist like Krebs was retrospect, implicit in these artists' projects. One `unofficial playfulness' proclaimed themselves
the great speeding up of information accession is that the function of gathering and exchanging as gatherers of information. They made
made possible by his contact with corporation information is important as an end in itself; the themselves subtly effective catalysts in a
personnel; he conveyed great excitement about other is that participation should be made process of evoking attitudes. The compilations
the 'luxury' of being offered instant access to self-aware and be used as a form of aesthetic of actual 'data' resulting from their efforts, in
data and expertise it would have taken years to endeavour. Behind these assumptions may lie contradistinction to those accumulated in the
acquire on his own. This sort of advantage was another one—that there potentially exists in any course of the Irwin/Turrell/Wortz researches,
given similarly to Harrison, Whitman, MacLow collaborative situation between scientists and are poetic and inconclusive : they do not at all
and Reichek, but has so far been largely denied artists a special dynamic, and that if the reveal the dense complex of occurrences
Mefferd for whom we never really found the particular conflicts and sympathies inherent in stimulated through the respective processes of
fortuitous personal connection. this dynamic can be made to surface, one can obtaining them. Both Byars and Chamberlain
There is little doubt that a number of serious learn and state and do something with them. treated their periods of residence in two of the
artists will continue to assimilate technical The artists referred to here further may be said nation's leading think-tanks as self-validating,
knowledge and will evolve an increasingly to have regarded the people with whom they purely participatory events. The work
sophisticated and refined body of dealt as themselves 'media', rather than viewing accomplished together by Jesse Reichek and
technologically-oriented works of art. It is, them as personnel, or as simply parts of a larger IBM's physicist Jack Citron represents a
however, open to question whether or not this machine dedicated to the end of engineering and consummate prototype for a truly informational
development will find sustained impetus from fabricating systems or objects. exchange. Reichek and Citron succeeded in
organized corporation support or must tend to The Robert Irwin/James Turrell/Garrett organizing a computer programme which
rely perennially on the contingencies of sporadic Corporation project is the pre-eminent example functions as a powerful image-producing tool.
intervention by scientists and the determined under Art and Technology of an endeavour Both would confirm that the principles involved
self-education of artists. based on a directly systems-conscious premise. in their discoveries transcend any immediate
In considering a third order of Irwin, Turrell and the scientist Dr Ed Wortz results materializing from them.
artist-corporation interchange in Art and have not only made it their business to explore With Andy Warhol at Cowles

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