Tanja Vujinović: UO: Eksplozije
Four-channel video, 16 min, 2015
Produkcija: Ultramono
Universal Objects: Explosions is a work containing four scenes of exploding objects. Only for a brief fragment of time are we able to see the delicate objects before and after they start exploding. These events are silently observed by a group of avatars.
Environments from the Universal Objects series are non-narrative situations – vibrational, living surroundings filled with elements that are either inanimate or executing simple behavioral patterns through which the situations themselves become like an organism. The majority of 3D objects, like suspended automata, perform minimal ritualistic gestures. They create zones of pulsing play that never transcend into something else but rather exist in a state of non-narrative endlessness.
As dynamic monuments of contemporary times where we represent ourselves through digital performative artefacts – avatars, the series takes universal elements present in generic avatars and their typical surroundings and then translates it all into dynamic monumental yet fragmented bits of digital information floating in infinite digital space. Building our own doubles, our avatars, resembles various body modifications through masking, prosthetics, costumes and finally results in behavioral change and rituals. Avatars are symptomatic, simultaneously actual, real, present and absent through their ethereal being. Imprinted with the sense of importance that classical monumental sculptures have, they expand into space while constantly drawing us back to their origin of raw, generated, digital materiality.
The 3D objects are dynamic, transformative objects holding the possibility of infinite performative action. They can re-assemble at any given time in order to algorithmically act – to propagate site traffic, advertise, seduce etc. Avatars are our own digital ghosts and fetishes.
The units of these works were made through data bending. This involves converting files to various formats, opening and exporting them from various software programs, manipulating their raw data, and then saving them back to original formats. This process always involves elements of surprise, noise that is unavoidably generated during these conversions, sometimes resulting in unexpected outcomes.
Source: Artists home page, ultramono.org/universalobjects
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Within her works Tatjana Tanja Vujinović Kušej explores the relationship between consciousness and technology through digital animism and contemplative play. Her works are made of excavations and interventions within the material infrastructure of the digital by using software applications, custom electronics and physical and digital objects. They either take the form of specific situations or dynamic environments, which are brought to life with the help of virtual machines.
Since 1997 her audio-visual works, digital prints and installations have been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums, such as the Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the Museum Kunst Palast in Düsseldorf, the Museum of Contemporary Art - Denver, Kunsthaus Meran, the Medienturm International Forum in Graz, the Cornerhouse Gallery in Manchester, the Istanbul Contemporary Art Museum, MMC Kibla Maribor and Kapelica Gallery in Ljubljana. Her works have been presented at festivals, such as ISEA2009, The 15th International Symposium on Electronic Art, Ars Electronica Linz, Kinetica Art Fair in London, the Spor Festival in Arhus, the Zeppelin Sound Art Festival in Barcelona, FILE - Electronic Language International Festival in Sao Paulo and FILE RIO in Rio de Janeiro, among others. She has also presented her work at events, such as the Madrid Abierto in Madrid, Euroscreen21 at various locations, Continental Breakfast in Maribor, and Nuit Blanche in Paris. She has presented her Internet-based works as part of the Ctheory Multimedia's NetNoise, the Web Biennial Istanbul, Helium by Ballongmagasinet and NIFCA, and Sinnlos WebArt.
She graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade in the year 1999 at the painting department and has been a guest student at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf. She also holds a Ph.D in Philosophy and Theory of Visual Culture from the Faculty of Humanities Koper.
Artist's web page: www.ultramono.org
