Walking through an almost empty Amsterdam at night I came across an advertisement for the exhibition of Nam June Paik “the future is now” at the Stedelijk Museum. When I was still in secondary school I needed to write an essay about Paik for my art history class, and where everyone in my class was reluctant to write an essay I indeed was very excited. I had seen one of Paik works before the TV-Buddha at Stedelijk Museum. And although I did not know a lot about art or Nam June Paik by that time I still really enjoyed writing for once an essay about something that genuinely interests me.
Scrolling down my Instagram feed I came across a picture of the same advertisement but this time someone had written the words “Stay at home” over it. This made me think about the essay I had written. In my essay, I talk about one of the most well-known works of Paik named “Electronic Superhighway”.
The Electronic Superhighway is a large installation, constructed with 336 televisions, 50 DVD players, 3750 feet of cable, and 575 feet of multicolored neon tubing. It is an art piece that leaves spectators often impressed with its bright colors, flashing tv screens and sounds.
Paik moved to the United States in 1964. During this time the superhighways were just introduced. These highways offered people the opportunity to explore all parts of the nation by car. The flashing images on the TV screens give the illusion that you are viewing the country through the window of a moving car. This makes it hard to absorb any details, resulting in what we now know as “information overload”
Paik represents Amerika as a multi-cultural country. This he does by connecting every state with its own video. The video content is based on Paik’s concept of the different states and it is suggesting how our image of America has always been formed by media outlets such as film and television. Around the monitors, the neon tubing resembles all the different states and its cultures but the colors could also resemble the glowing neon signs that are often found by motels or restaurants on the side of the superhighways.
With this work, Paik is expressing the vision he had for the future. A future in which communication would be without boundaries because of its advanced technology. A future in which information can be shared faster and can eventually lead to information overload.
With all of us stuck at home because of the COVID-19 situation, I feel like everyone can relate to this piece of art. The way we communicate with each other is almost always online nowadays, I’ve never been video calling so often in my life. And if however we still communicate with each other in real life it feels very surrealistic. Besides that everywhere you go you are confronted with COVID-19. If you turn on your TV, open your social media’s but also while doing “normal” things such as groceries at your local supermarket. I feel like there is an information overload on this topic. There is no escaping it.
Is this surrealistic world our new reality? Paik predicted that a situation like this would happen, in which we will no longer only communicate through traditional media. Now that he is no longer around I’m wondering what the future will hold for us. Will we stay inside and live our lives from now on online or will we return to the world we knew before COVID-19?
what she says:
avatar is one of my favorite shows.
what she means:
avatar: the last airbender is one of the best shows i have ever seen. words cannot describe how much this show means to me. every single one of the characters were diverse, three-dimensional, and well-written, with arcs and character development that were all beautifully orchestrated. the characters were all so human, with flaws, and ambitions, and compelling back stories and motivations. it even shows how the antagonists weren't evil and heartless monsters, but how they were just as human as the heroes. the stories the show itself followed were just as beautiful, mixing humor and playfulness with important, hard-hitting life lessons that have shaped me as a person. the show stressed the importance of friendships and familial bonds, and how everyone is not only deserving of redemption, but can achieve it. it showed the strength in kindness and humility and forgiveness, and how you aren't defined by your past. it showed that just because you're related by blood to someone doesn't mean they're your family, and how friends can be your family too. the show even depicted how animals can be like family. it showed how unhealthy relationships and abuse work, and it showed how you can move and work past those things. it taught how to deal with grief and pain, and how those things can help you grow as a person. it showed that even if everyone is telling you something is right, it doesn't mean it is, and that you should stand up for what's truly right. the visuals were absolutely stunning, and the soundtrack is the best soundtrack of any show or movie i've ever heard. the stories and the characters of this show have resonated with me deeply, and are still affecting me today. to me, nothing will ever compare to avatar: the last airbender.
I love unmade beds. I love when people are drunk and crying and cannot be anything but honest in that moment. I love the look in people’s eyes when they realize they’re in love. I love the way people look when they first wake up and they’ve forgotten their surroundings. I love the gasp people take when their favorite character dies. I love when people close their eyes and drift to somewhere in the clouds. I fall in love with people and their honest moments all the time. I fall in love with their breakdowns and their smeared makeup and their daydreams. Honesty is just too beautiful to ever put into words.
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