A line in outer space
visible from earth
with the naked eye
at clear nights
Classic art is based on three givens: material, weight and a unique
location (place). It is my intention to liberate the artist from these
three limiting factors.
The first step in this project is the matter of _weightlessness_ -
which is one of the last obstructions in sculpture and architecture -
freeing the artwork of its weight. In weightlessness, orbital
calculations are used to determine the position of the sculpture. Thus,
the visibility of the sculpture can be predicted, once one's own
position is known. This can be compared to the functionality of today's
search engines. This is the thread I use for navigating the growing
cyberspace labyrinth.
During the development of the project I came to realize that the
material aspect of sculpture, the actual stuff the sculpture is made of,
had not yet been vanquished and this again adds to the limits of the
artist. In _dematerialized_ cyberspace weightlessness is easier to
simulate. Moreover, since the sculpture is virtual, it can be seen at
all times, at all places, by everyone. It has become _ubiquitous_.
And so the third phenomenon fell into my lap: _deterritorialization_. A
virtual sculpture, by dint of its immaterial characteristic, is
everywhere, all the time. Thus the three classic limitations of art are
vanquished.
This opens the possibility to develop sculpture in the dataspace as a
ubiquitous virtual sculpture in its expectation of its physical
extension in zero-gravity space. This leads to the unexorable conclusion
that weightlessness is the stage between the classic (material) and the
contemporary (virtual) sculpture.
In art as well as in architecture and design, it's a matter of great
importance to have these 3 degrees of freedom. And so as not to get lost
in this amazing new situation I need one foot on earth, one foot in
space and my mind and hands in cyberspace.
post script
Visit the WSP-site (http://www.denhaag.org/~sjardijn) to get some screen
shots and while you're there have a look at the FAQ (click on 'FAQ' in
the lower left corner) for some more texts. Be sure to speak to 'The
Oracle' (online manifest-simulator) as well.
With regards,
Martin Sjardijn
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