Event 5: Weak or No Signal- MFA Design Media Arts Thesis Show

Shopping Cart with
a scarce amount of food 

For my last event, I attended Weak or No Signal, the Thesis Show for graduating MFA Design Media Arts students. The show was cleverly name, because with the invention of the internet and our constant reliance on technology,  wi-fi is seen as almost a necessity.
What was even more surprising was when I searched the term Wi-Fi on the internet to see what it stands for, but realized it was a made up word. This term is commonly used, but is in actuality a social construct.

The prevalence of technology and different aspects of society was showcased throughout many of the works. What I really enjoyed about this showcase was how relevant everything was; I could personally relate to a lot of the artwork due to its reflective nature on the current state of society. I think the Design Media Arts major is a major that shifts away from the common paradigm of separate subjects; while all these pieces were artwork, they were created using non-traditional media and influences (the RSA).

Obsessed with Social Media 

Jonathan Moore's stuck between a rock and a... was the first exhibit I saw; featuring live actors, it captured my attention. Two people dressed in factory clothing, worked with rigid movements, compounding what looked to be debris in a desolate and run-down workshop. Right next to the enclosure, was an almost empty shopping cart, with an empty container of soda and one soda can, a nod to our spending habits and our almost always full shopping carts. Reminiscent of Ford's assembly lines, the actors were like machines, performing simple tasks mechanically (Vesna). The people seemed lifeless and resembled robots, and seemed to be scavenging what remnants of food remained, though it was mostly waste and trash. His piece seems to comment on our consumerism habits and our wastefulness, and foreshadows what could become of our population if we do not seek ways to conserve our resources and be less wasteful.

The dark side of human nature 

I like interactive exhibits, so I was drawn to Stalgia Grigg's in or, a round sedition, a project that included video and sound projected through a headset. This video was incredibly odd, featuring disfigured, amorphous people interacting with each other in a dark garage-like room. The video and sound together was intriguing, and had a frightening and dark tone to it. The words "carefree, careful, careless" were written on the wall. What was distinct about the video was the two people were interacting in such a careless manner to one another; they were not even listening to each other. Their interactions came across mechanical and inauthentic through their body expressions and verbal expression (Walter). Grigg's work seemed to be commenting on our communication styles and and how people are becoming increasingly distracted with one another, and are not focused on one another.

Throughout many of the works, I saw lots of references to social media, an acknowledgment to their role and influence in our society. The art was very modern, with some of them using virtual reality, and others featuring even wearable technology. Overall, it was a wonderful exhibit, with lots of hidden meanings and clever commentary embedded in the art.

Me and the VR video from Krsitin Mcwharter's project
 Waking the Giant Within

Sources:
"RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms." YouTube, uploaded by the RSA, 14 October 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U.
Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics pt2" YouTube, uploaded by uconlineprogram, 15 April 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAZ8bo9T_Pk.
Walter, Benjamin. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Germany, 1936.