DESMA 9 - Event #1 Blog

 COLOR, LIGHT, MOTION

Ryszard W. Kluszczyński: On the Works of Wen-Ying Tsai and the Role of Cybernetics in Contemporary Art

        Wen-Ying Tsai's work was very influential and an early step into the art style for those around him. Tsai’s practices included cybernetics, light art, and kinetic sculpture. This is a clear example and stepping stone of the connection between science and art. According to Catherine Mason at Studio International cybernetics is, "the study of how machine, social and biological systems behave, offered a means of constructing a framework for art production in which artists could consider new technologies and their impact on life." 

        Tsai's work was very self-dialogic. It was interactive and sensory for the viewer. There were a lot of steps and things that Tsai had to look at to make this possible. He made sure that it was ontological and  philosophical, as well being able to draw people in to participate with it. He did this through embodiment and self-organizing. Self-Organizing was when the art pieces were able to react and move according to the sounds and movements. This is where the participation came into play. The audience/viewer was able to each get a unique view of a piece just by how loud they were talking or their individual movements. 

        This event, led by Professor Vesna and Ryszard W. Kluszczyński was really interesting to see and listen to because as we talked about "Robotics + Art" in Week 3, this can be something we look at, as a "sibling" art. I think that we have been able to see that there are so many ways we can connect science and art, math and art, and even robotics and art as we have moved through this course.

        In conclusion, I think that my favorite piece we talked about during this event, was Tsai's "Upward Falling Fountain." I think that this was a great example about how colors, motion, and light change the perception of something so ordinary as water falling. I think that the idea behind this piece really draws me in and makes me want to dive deeper into how lights and colors can make falling water look like it is going up, defying gravity.

Tsai's Upward Falling Fountain

Works Cited:

“Art - Changing the World Through Art and Science.” Tsai Art and Science Foundation, Lungo, tsaifoundation.org/art. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

Davis, Douglas. Leonardo, Vol. 28, No. 5, Third Annual New York Digital Salon. (1995), pp. 381-386.

Mason, Catherine. “Cybernetic Serendipity: History and Lasting Legacy.” Studio International: Visual Arts, Design and Architecture, 11 Nov. 2018, www.studiointernational.com/cybernetic-serendipity-history-and-lasting-legacy#:~:text=Cybernetics%2C%20the%20study%20of%20how,and%20their%20impact%20on%20life.

Vuković, Vuk. “Restoring Time in Media Art: The Cybernetic Sculpture of Wen-Ying Tsai.” Department of History Art & Architecture: Constellations, 18 Sept. 2023, www.constellations.pitt.edu/content/restoring-time-media-art-cybernetic-sculpture-wen-ying-tsai.

“Wen-Ying Tsai.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Jan. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wen-Ying_Tsai.