essay borderlines

“Borderlines: Digital art to produce social statements.”
How can an artwork influence the exhange between the artist and society through the use of digital technologies?
Adriano Casanova. 2008


In the beginning of the century, digital technologies in the art production weren’t something called ‘new’. In fact, it was in the 1990s that the so-called “digital revolution” appeared in the art market as a consequence of the radical development of the technological industry.
The terminology for artworks that use a technological platform, changed since the 70s and developed in accordance to technological productions. The terms ‘computer art’ and ‘multimedia art’ (1970) were used to represent the type of art production at the time, but evolved to the current terms ‘digital art’ and ‘new media art’.
“The qualifier of choice here – ‘new’ – points to the fleeting nature of the terminology. But the claim of novelty also begs the question, what exactly is supposed to be considered ‘new’ about the digital medium?” (PAUL, Christiane. “Digital Art”)
What we have to analyze in this context of ‘new’, is how these different terms assist to develop the political and artistic spectrum in the contemporary art content and consequently the influence on today’s society.
In the work “borderlines: immigrant’s environments”, a collaboration between the artists/immigrants: Adriano Casanova (Brazil), Lana Lasagna (South Africa), Francesco Beneamato (Italy) and Aline Von Der Assen (Germany), the digital environment is used in various ways to represent an art research concerning the immigrant aspect in the city of London.
The work translates the immigrant’s representations of the concepts: ‘belonging’, ‘language’, ‘identity’ and ‘environment’, utilizing digital technology as a tool and helpful technique to exemplify and analyze this specific group dealing with their social perspectives.
This work production is related to the concept of “social sculpture” created by the German artist Joseph Beuys (1921- 1986), where the process of the art piece is seen as the actual artwork. Beuys also applied society as a theme in his productions at the university and other art environments.
“I see social sculpture as the ultimate participatory live artwork, where there is not one artist/expert creating, and the passive audience watching, but all of us creating together. Social sculpture appeals to me politically for its leaderless-ness and its challenge of equality and co-operation. It appeals to me as art for its’ contextuality, and that it reinstates art as an inclusive arena of creativity”. (LOGAN, David. ““Piece of Many Voices”)
Similarly, the work ‘borderlines’ uses technology in society for co-operative creation.
In the contexts of this medium we can distinguish between two main types of digital artworks: technology on display (virtual reality, games, robots) and technology as a tool (video projections and digital photographys).
Through the use of the digital technology tool as a weapon, the collaboration creates networks and develops a laboratorial process to research and explore contemporary social development.
There is speculation that the digital production will eventually absorb all other forms of artistic media; i.e. through digitalization of a painting, or when using digital technologies in a specific moment of the production. In some cases these works will show distinctive characteristics of the digital medium in their own language and aesthetics.
Taking on the role of catalyst, the artist today digitally documents the vanguard statements of the social group voice. Similarly, in the work “The last 9 minutes” (1977, created for the Documenta VI from Kassel, German), the artists Douglas Davies, Nan Jun Paik, Charlotte Moorman and Joseph Beuys, used the same medium to document current political statements. They produced the first teleconference performance in front of a video camera connected to more than twenty-five countries, and through a series of events collapsed virtual geographic boundaries.
“Paik and Moorman perform a series of collaborative works, while Davis considers the nature of the telecast as a medium. Beuys, who often used his exhibitions as platforms for social and political agitation, discusses his utopian theories of ‘social sculpture’ and his efforts to transform society through artistic activity” (Harvard Film Archive. “Fluxus on Film”)
In addition to being the catalyst, the artist in the work ‘borderlines’ acts as the mediator (curator), connecting the network and the technology through his own perspective in the social statement art piece. But, how can we affirm this production in the art history?
“(...) The link between works in artist-curated group shows may have a little to do with their content; for those in the know, they are much more to do with certain social sets (...)” (STALLABRAS, Julian. “Curating: the contemporary art museum and beyond”)
Likewise, in England (1980 - 90’s), the artists Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas and others took on several roles in the production of their own works. This included setting up exhibitions, acting as curators and working exclusively without the support of commercial galleries and other established systems. Unknowingly and as a result, they created what we today call “Young British Art” movement.
The nature of the rich work of collaboration and digital technology, allow for flexibility within different platforms. The artist‘ social statements are realized within the process of creation and exposed through selected documentation exhibitions.
This social statement in the work borderlines has a continuality applied in the work ‘connecting urban spaces’ first produced in Brazil in 2007 and now produced in collaboration with the artists-run organization based in Berlin, Germany, WOOLOO.
The work connecting urban spaces_2008 use the same methodology of the borderlines applied in different context.
In the both works we can identify the research about collaborative art production related to the idea of social art using the digital technology as a tool.
In the work connecting urban spaces_2008 the artist also act as the mediator of this network, but instead of using the technology in a process production this medium is being used online - in a virtual environment – where a show for gallery spaces is created allowing the visitors to view this online work production in the process.
The work connecting urban spaces will be exhibit in Berlin – November 2008 at the wooloo gallery; in Manila – January 2009 at the Green Papaya Art Space and also in São Paulo – March 2009 at the Emma Thomas gallery.


1- PAUL, Christiane. “Digital Art”. Thames & Hudson world of art. 2003. London. UK. 224p
2- SCHATA, Peter. “Social Sculpture: Every Human Being is an Artist”. “Social Sculpture Colloquium”. c/o Shelley Sacks. The school of Art, Publishing and Music, Oxford Brookes University. Glasgow 1995. Pages 12-13.
3- LOGAN, David. JONES, Timothy Emlyn. “Piece of Many Voices”. “Social Sculpture Colloquium”. c/o Shelley Sacks. The school of Art, Publishing and Music, Oxford Brookes University. Glasgow 1995. Pages 43.
4-Harvard Film Archive. “Fluxus on Film”. Last access at 19th February 2008. http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films/2007spring/fluxus.html
5- STALLABRAS, Julian. Editor HARDING, Anna. “Curating: The Contemporary Art Museum and Beyond Art and Design”. John Wiley & Sons 1997.