Using the physical as a canvas for digital advertising

Following on from the afterimagings of Olafur Eliasson I have given a bit of thought recently as to how consumers/viewers/audiences of a project could be used to "realise" a piece of work.  Through reading the article Net Art in the Wild by Ben Valentine (2013), I came across the work of Anthony Antonellis whose recent project saw him implant a chip into his hand as "a form of micro-curation" (Antonellis, 2013).  Antonellis writes: "the artwork will be rotated out to exhibit new artists and artworks on a regular basis…An Android app in development allows for direct download of the GIF from the chip, displays extended information about the artwork, and contains an archive of previously exhibited works."  At the time of the article going to press, the chip would link to Antonellis' signature website favicon, arguably making the initial output a form of advertising for the artist as those familiar with his work would recognise it.

By physically manifesting technology in a literal sense, Antonellis is creating his own curated technological network that comes, very directly, from himself.  On why he chose this very intrusive method, he says: "I like technology that seamlessly integrates with people, so it's something less obtrusive.  But this particular type of application I think is very fascinating, because it's very present so it has a lot of potential for using in different types of situations.  This is just one possibility of the chip, and there are others where it's going to be interfacing with objects, with art objects and sending files back and forth to stand-alone sculptures."

In the article covering this work, Ben Valentine (2013) refers to Antonellis and his peers as a "YIBA" - a Young Internet-Based Artist, the likes of whom are using the de-contextualised possibilities that come from distributing art though digital platforms -  i.e allowing art to take on new meanings through all the different people it reaches through a screen.  "…he (Antonellis) has embraced the internet as a primary network for production, consumption, presentation, distribution and conversation about his work….This is an inversion of traditional art production."(Valentine, 2013)  Valentine compares the chip implant to accessing money from an ATM, as they essentially work in the same way.  "Our lives have an enmeshed digital layer, and a GIF in the hand is a logical next step."

Antonellis hopes that his peers in the net art movement from which his project stemmed will take his initial idea and use it as a springboard to design further experiences. "I would like to see more of these types of interrogations with the intent…where the internet is ever-present…I'd like to see this more…where it's not an issue to wear an animated gif as a tattoo."

Fig. 1 - "Video Stills: Courtesy Animal New York", Anthony Antonellis 2013 

Fig. 2 - "Implant site held over flashlight",  Anthony Antonellis 2013

  Something along the same vein I have seen, in a more physical sense, is that of DDB Auckland's sneaky ad campaign for the launch of Superette's Short Shorts, where plastic moulds were put on benches and bus stops around the town centre in a way that they would imprint on the back of someone's thighs if they were wearing said short shorts.  This served a double purpose as those seen with the imprints would be the kind of person who hung out in the trendier areas of town, so the brand hype would be associated with, as Superette wrote on the accompanying ad, "only the hippest young cats".

Fig.3 - Superette's Short Shorts Campaign, by Damian Galvin, 2011

This was a move by Superette to associate themselves with a particular location which had an existing cultural implication of being current and cool.   Similarly, Antonellis' work plays up to location and the cultural context of it, this time online).   Animal is an online website which chronicles the more wacky, out-there and non-conformist art, culture and political happenings, into which Net Art Implant can slot itself.  "…the visceral and weird story had more potential to become viral.  Perhaps if Antonellis had only published the documentation on his personal blog, which has a smaller following of a specific kind of audience, the surprising responses that ensued would probably have ever occurred." (Valentine, 2013)   Location is an aspect I have not considered before which is strange, given many high-label brands - most usually in the fashion industry - have a city name in their logotype that is presented as part of the identity;  DKNY, CHNY, Burberry London, L'Occitane En Provence, even Zoo York all imply the cultural associations of their respective cities.  I do not feel that I could integrate the cultural and social identity of a city into whatever I create, but it does make me think about the possibility of using a building as a canvas.  A previous uni project saw me create a theoretical app where users could choose an area of Dundee that was run down, take a photo of it and re-decorate it using a pared down version of Photoshop.  Had the project been fully functional my aim would have been to get people involved on the basis that they were influencing the outcome.

Fig.4 - "Paint Your City" concept

Fig. 5 - Fictional Twitter account

 This leads me to wonder what kind of brand experience could I create if I made something that outwardly involved the user/consumer in it's making?  I wrote at the beginning of this post about works that needed the viewer to actualise them, but this is sometimes not obvious to the viewer that they are complicit in the completion of a piece.  A next step from this point could be to investigate branding and advertising projects where customers directly contributed to the campaign - a recent example would be Lidl using tweets and instagram posts from their customers featuring their produce.  I have also kept in mind that I want to start looking more in depth at QR codes and user interfaces so this could tie in concisely.  A very abstract idea that has been floating around is having blank packaging/layout for a product and having users design it themselves, either freehand or using basic images that fit with whatever brand is being advertised.  Next research steps in this direction will be to look at campaigns which encourage interaction from consumers.

In terms of Antonellis' implant project, there is a lot to think about regarding the methods and how the content is produced - it is entirely net-based, so can be distributed almost without limit.  However reaching a huge number of people can also create a loss of context:  "…net-based artworks can be effortlessly taken out of their original context into new areas, to be read by entirely different audiences.  This unmoving that the digital space allows has greatly amplified issues of readership, legibility, and audience, which have already long been present in contemporary art." (Valentine, 2013) In the context of my own potential branding project,  I do not think this technique or anything similar would be suitable (frankly I find sticking a chip in your hand a little nauseating), however Antonellis does mention alternatives such as adhesive stickers or temporary tattoos.   This could be a fun way to encourage people to spread a message themselves (who doesn't love stickers, I ask you) and could be incorporated in a way that compliments other methodology.

References:

Valentine, Ben, 2013.  Net Art in the Wild [online article] Available at: http://www.artpractical.com/feature/net-art-in-the-wild/
[Accessed 9th October 2014]

Unknown, 2011.  Superette Short Shorts  [online article] Available at: http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/superette_short_shorts_at_superette
[Accessed 15th October 2014]

Antonellis, A. 2013.  Net Art Implant [online article] Available at:
http://www.anthonyantonellis.com/news-post/item/670-net-art-implant
[Accessed 16th October 2014]

Images:

Fig.1:  Antonellis, A, 2013.  Video Stills: Courtesy Animal New York [electronic image] Available at:
http://www.anthonyantonellis.com/news-post/item/670-net-art-implant
[Accessed 16th October 2014]

Fig.2  - Antonellis, A, 2013. Implant site held over flashlight [electronic image] Available at:
http://www.anthonyantonellis.com/news-post/item/670-net-art-implant
[Accessed 16th October 2014]

Fig. 3 - Galvin, Damian, 2011.  Superette Short Shorts Campaign [electronic image] Available at:
http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/superette_short_shorts_at_superette
[Accessed 16th October 2014]