net.weight

03.04.06 Sculpture/architecture

Sal Randolph’s reply to the introduction caused me to think about the differences and similarities between these two words so I thought i’d post this as a new thread.

I, for one, view sculpture and architecture as the same thing. But this is more to do with my approach to sculpture (which has more to do with reacting to, and interacting with, space). Sal points out that architecture is a space that you actually use, and I would agree with this. And although a sculpture does not always create a space that you use, the space around a sculpture can very often be affected by it’s presence. this in turn affects the actions of viewers of the sculpture.
This is the space that I am interested in, a sculptural space - an architectural/spatial manifestation - in the internet that affects the viewer’s perception.
I would like to quickly point out that I am not looking for ‘virtual’ spaces in the sense of 3D worlds or 3D representations of networks that you can explore. This ground has been quite thoroughly covered and there is a quantity of people who work in the field of data visualisation and create online artworks about the manipulation and representation of information. What I’m looking to define is a sculptural/architectural approach to perceiving and creating net-based art. It is this approach that is important to the definition of the work. Further-more I am not trying to drag net art back into the realms of ‘traditional’ art by using labels like sculpture, I just feel that this is an avenue of net art thinking that would benefit exploration. I would hope that it is beyond the discussion of ‘what to call’ the artwork and more to do with ‘how it happens.’
Things to think about:
- The spatial/architectural nature of website navigation.
- The spatial/architectural nature of interaction between user, hardware, software and information.
- The dynamics of the screen.
- Mass of information (both in terms of scale and physical property).