Dreamland in the Digital Divide

Dreamland was certainly a memorable exhibition of art displayed in the city today. The immersive atmosphere, similar to Pixel Forest, greater serves the works of art. Usually film is displayed in a dark room, almost cinematically, with little to no “interference” to the main display. In this case, the various shapes and forms moving in the looping images portrayed a sense of beyond. Beyond in the sense of subtle propaganda and digital reformation; albeit mostly contained within the digital innovation aspect. The biggest image(s) that caught my eye were the pink background and white, anonymous figures walking/dancing in an unpredictable matter, interchangeably. The randomness portrayed in each shot goes to show how art has progressed from the easy-to-digest to the mysterious, abstract. Even in history, as Bishop mentions in her piece, digital art changed the way people experience art.
There is a less tangible, relatable connection in a computer display to a sculpture or painting. When there was a shot with 1900’s children in a class of sorts, there was a certain warmth that was almost nonexistent in the aforementioned film. Much of the digital has removed this sense of authenticity with its ability to obtain ‘perfection’. Bishop mentions a side effect of research-obsessed art. Material and information is in excess than ever before, resulting in a plethora of images that overwhelm both artist and audience. The human mind and eyes can process so much before it hits fatigue, unable to make sense of what’s before them. In the case of Dreamland, I was overwhelmed. Not only in Dreamland, but in many digital exhibitions, cause a fatigue from an excess of exposure to LED lights and information. So much is left for interpretation that anything displayed becomes foreign; in turn, making it difficult to appreciate a work as art.
Lastly, the question of origin and originality comes to mind. There are so many digital artists, with their own exhibits around the world, with similar work displays. Just looking at a few of the pieces in Dreamland brought about a recollection of a handful of artists I follow on Instagram. It becomes harder to tell if the art is genuine and/or comes from a place of original voice/message. This is not to say that Dreamland is not original, but going off of Bishop’s last note, digital art has created this subconscious tension between art and audience.