| Nam June Paik is a Korean-American artist that worked during the latter half of the 20th century. He is often thought of as the earliest pioneer of video art. His earliest influences were the 1950-1970 anti-art movements, and with all the societal changes takign place, Paik wanted to combine the new technology of the time with the powerful expressive powers of performance art. From the get-go, he utilized music and noises along with his performance art. Eventually he began to use television monitors, stacking them on top of one another in different forms, such as a cello, a bra, and even the entire United States. I, personally, am fascinated by the way in which Paik utilized video and music, which are both so widely popular in today's society, to make commentary on how the visual image can so easily affect the human mind. When at the American Art Museum, I sat in front of his piece "Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii" for what seemed like ages. It was so much to absorb, and all of the different sounds from the different sets of monitors were oddly calming, because you simply couldn't focus on anything else. Consulted Websites: http://www.paikstudios.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nam_June_Paik |