Page 68 - 第18屆大墩美展專輯電子書

A
Juror's Statement, D igital rt Category
Lu, Ching-Fu

I suppose that digital art takes us a long time to take in and digest because it contains an element of time . An approach to
viewing digital art should be focused on whether art pieces present digital characteristics properly or not.

I. Techniques present the style of art pieces

Li Jhe-Wei s Hear Voice, Here Home was awarded First Prize in the digital art category. It is a video device presenting a
family television set. The screen offers functions similar to a television standing in a room where families usually gather. The content
projected on the screen presents sounds and images that are quite unique, including TV soap opera theme songs, a cock crowing, rain,
wind, students and other noises we tend to overlook during the day. As this reveals, the artist is concerned, more than anything, with
the small details of daily life. This work reminds me of iconic artist Hsieh The-Ching and video art founder Paik Nam-June (1932-
2006). Although both are known as media and digital artists, Hsieh opinions differ from Paik s video art theory. Hear Voice, Here
Home presents a completely new perspective for viewing video art and gives me a slightly sentimental feeling. In the Mandarin
title of this piece, the pronunciation of Hear Voice and Here Home sound identical and give the title a double meaning, of
both homesick and return home .

During the final review for the Da Dun Prize, we received another piece from the same artist (Li Jhe-Wei) named The girl’s
diary of electromagnetic radiation . It is a well-executed stop-motion film with interesting imagery of abstract objects representing
an unseen power. This work is suitable for educational purposes, to help people to understand radiation as well as know how to avoid
danger. However, two other submissions did not really present the innovative characteristics of digital art and were more like ordinary
video art pieces that would have been better presented by their creators if they had intensified and developed their own styles.

French artist Henri Focillon is a good example. He believes that politics, society and economy do not bring much influence
to art styles, and emphasizes that technique is at the core of art styles. For example, rib vaults were a common element in Gothic
architecture and, although they did not play an important role in that style of architecture, were a truly striking visual feature and thus
became the essential element of that style. I believe that a minor stylistic element can not only supplement any kind of work but
as long as people frequently apply it to their work can become the vital factor in creating styles. I believe that film techniques such
as morphing not only simplify the process of producing frames that fade in and fade out, but also that applying the effect broadly in
either 2-D or 3-D animation should lead to the creation of some very interesting new work. Hungarian artist Peter Foldes, a computer
animation pioneer, is a great example. His film Hunger (La Faim) received the Jury Prize in the short film category at the Cannes
Film Festival, and an Academy Award nomination in 1974. Hunger was created using software that allowed the morphing effects
to be very well executed, conveying cutting-edge skills and showcasing the characteristics of animation.

II. Animated movement is important.

Liu Yen-Chen s Life is Unpredictable earned the Second Prize and presents a sort of life philosophy. Moreover, the characters
in the film are quite interesting, being designed to have their own styles expressed, for example, via characteristics such as big or
narrow eyes. The artist applied techniques such as enlarging, extending and multiplying to imbue the work with a diverse style.
The colors are elegant while the sets are surreal. The Third Prize goes to Chuang Ho s A Time and a Place , also a stop-motion
animation. The artist overlapped the illustrations using computer software. This piece presents a handmade style which is mainly
based on outlining drawings. The artist outlined the illustrations with a brush to highlight some areas, but the work could have had
more excitement to make the animation more interesting.

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