Internet and Multimedia: A New Definition of "Art"

How does the work of the artist differ with the new technology?

Technology makes us explore new possibilities. Before we had only a "Multimedia Festival", but, by adding the work "interactive", the organizers recognize the importance of the interactivity, i.e. the multi-user games that combine Internet with programs. Another interesting change is the introduction of DVD (Digital Video Disc), which can store from two to eight hours of video. Certainly by the next years we will have many new products in DVD, and less in CD-Rom (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory).

Since programs to create images are within everybody's reach, what type of art if being produced now?

Many of the images seen today are not produced by persons with an art education, but by Internet users, nerds, and 15 year olds that are filling the world with their images. Visual art is changing and we are rapidly moving towards a new concept of what is "artistic".

It is interesting to know the difference between this new work and the schooling of an artist for museums. For example, I studied engraving. I learned to prepare plates with acid, to ink them one by one, and to make a limited number of prints. Once finished, one tore or scratched out the plate, and signed and numbered the 25 prints. With time, such prints acquire value and go to museums or collections. But if I create a digital image, it can be reproduced an infinite number of times without loosing quality. Why, then, would I want to destroy the original if its nature allows me to distribute it through the Web?

Working by digital means requires a high level of technical knowledge. How does one acquire the most recent tools without neglecting creativity?

There seem s to be a meeting of jobs. The new born artist must dominate his art and also the computer programs. Presently, learning computer art and about computers seems to be an unending career. We must investigate new work models and share the credit for the digital works. One of my personal projects is founding the Association for New Interactive Multimedia Artist (ANIMA), where artists can share equipment, programs and experience.

Can the Latin American find a place in the multimedia market? Yes. In the United States it is nowadays difficult to find someone to set up a text manually, while our manual training provides us with an edge in this respect. We latinamericans, by necessity, have learned to acquire as little hardware or software as possible, and to produce as much as possible, and as beautiful as possible. Besides watching for details, we latins are very much visual persons.

Working for such companies as Human Code and Girl Names, I find there is a great demand for artists and designers who can create high quality images, using basic tools such as PhotoShop, Illustrator, Premiere, Director or Authorware. The work is done by teams, and the final product can be an interactive game, the presentation of a product, a commercial or educational stand, an inter-phase for a website, or "art for art's sake". Let's not forget that every interactive program seeks to tell a story, --and we latinamericans are very good in telling stories!