Antoni Abad
Sisif
This artwork shows a man who pulls a rope tirelessly. From the other side of the world, in New Zealand, another man, who is identical to the first one, also pulls the rope but in the opposite direction. As in the myth of Sisyphus, to which the title refers, the individual performs the same action over and over again. This project makes an allusion to the infinite quest of information from the Internet which leads us from one site to the other, to the point of becoming an obsession. The pulling of the rope recalls the activity of "pulling" information on the Internet. The work also raises the question of World Wide Web communication between individuals on our planet. (requires Netscape 3.0)
SP

Maurice Benayoun
Et moi dans tout ça
1996-1997
The artist who created this project offers us an unique opportunity to change the world (temporarily) by our presence and to act upon it. The site presents a map of the world which can be moved freely and the visitor has the opportunity to choose where to put a grain of sand on the map. The exaggerated size of the grain of sand produces a deformation in the territory where it lands and makes it look like a bomb. In this manner, the artwork underlines the excessive desire of intervention and of accessibility which characterizes the use of the Internet. On this site, one finds another interesting artwork which consists of changing the history of the beginning of the world... (requires Netscape 3.0)
SP

Vuk Cosic
History of Art for Airports
1997
This is an amusing site which presents works of art under the guise of ideograms such as those found in airports. About ten works are schematized like this, from Lascaux to modern art, through cinema, and to Web art. The historical shortcuts borrowed by the artist along with the poor appearance of the images represents a criticism of the presence of the art on the Internet, while a sophisticated use of the medium is possible. The winking at other artists which produce artworks on the Web provokes a smile. (requires Netscape 3.0)
SP

Critical Art Ensemble
Diseases of Consciousness
Produced for the Walter Phillips Gallery by Critical Art Ensemble, a collective of five artists from various disciplines, Diseases of Consciousness treats the maladies of the soul of the end of this century with dark humour. The use of media imagery suggests that the diseases of human consciousness of today often stem from the artificial, media-generated personas which strongly influence and alter the individual's identity as one is viewing oneself through the prisms of imagery found in our culture. Relying on the concept of the healing effect of art, the artists are seeking out this healing potential in the Internet medium. However, there is no reference in the piece to the specific characteristics of the Internet.(Banff Centre for the Arts)
RD

Groupe Z, Belgium
I Confess
1996 - 1997
Although we cannot talk yet of a confessional genre in Web art, it seems that the Internet medium with its accessibility lends itself to such a form, due to the paradoxical situation of being alone with a computer, while being connected to many other people. In the last issue we presented the project The Automatic Confession Machine by Greg Garvey, which is rather close to what one may call classical confession, although we cannot tell our stories, we get to keep them for ourselves. On the other hand, I Confess, which is selected for this issue, departs from the original model of a confession. It is adapted to the needs of artists, pointing out the specific sins which an artist is susceptible to. You may remain anonymous if you wish, but the embarrassing feeling of confessing on the Web will probably not disappear. (adaweb)(requires Netscape 3, Shockwave for Director 5, MIDI plugin, LiveConnect enabled WAV plugin)
RD

Alfredo Jaar
The Eyes of Gutete Emerita
1996
Created by the Chilian artist Alfredo Jaar, who has lived in New York since 1982, The Eyes of Gutete Emerita is part of The Rwanda Project 1994-1997. The artist travelled in Rwanda in 1994, where he witnessed the massacres of more than a million people by the Hutu militia. The tragic story of Gutete Emerita, which the author describes in a few words, progresses dramatically until the artist reveals himself as an observer, when he speaks in the first person. The tension rises and the text continues to progress to the moment when we see the eyes of Gutete, only for an instant and as the artist remembers them. The image quickly disappears so that the glimpse we get of Gutete’s eyes suggests the click of the camera and the imprint of these sad eyes on the artist’s memory.(lightfactory)
RD

Jodi
Jodi.org
This impressive, immense Web site consists of about 400 sites and the artists continue adding new elements to it. Presented at Documenta X, the project is produced by Jodi, two young Dutch artists. Its continuous renewal alludes to the ever-growing Net and the loss of our control over it. The imagery is derived from computer technology: computer languages, signs and codes used in programming. Furthermore, the artists reveal what is hidden behind the screen. They are interested in conferring the «noise» pertaining to computer technology and use as elements for their work signs and codes corresponding to those of errors and viruses.
RD

James Roven
ISO
1997
One of a series of works which the artist defines as «short stories of technological isolation», ISO recalls the experience of watching advertisements found on electronic billboards beside highways while driving. We are in the position of the spectator: the images file past our eyes and melt away without the need for our participation. The artist constructs a space devoid of human presence and inhabited with empty stimuli and confusing electronic messages which invade the perceptions of the viewer. The words which appear on the screen suggest an electronically transmitted conversation in which human identity becomes a prey but human contact never takes place. This effect is enhanced by the fact that the viewer is placed in a position of passive observer.
RD

Technosphere
Produced by artists, designers, and technicians, this site allows us to create creatures in a virtual world. After having selected the body parts of the creature and given it a name, the visitor attends to the birth of the new being. Later, he/she can have access to its genealogical tree; the visitor can also know its activities and its environment, etc. But beware: this strange creature can become a parasite intruding into your e-mail box for a few days! Its life consists mostly in primal activities into which the creature indulges itself without any restraint. This artwork is a testimony to the limits and dangers of creation on the Internet.
SP

Horacio Zabala
L’art ou le monde pour la deuxième fois
1997
This Web site welcomes us with ten small discs placed in a triangle as in a game of pool. It seems to be inviting us to engage in some kind of a game. At its base, this project consists of ten philosophical questions about concepts in art. It contains a vast repertory of answers, more than 100 quotations by 561 authors, mostly artists, philosophers, writers, filmmakers, and thinkers. One can consult the different answers of the authors by choosing one of the questions, a key word, or the name of the particular author. The visitor has also the opportunity to propose his/her own answers. The project functions as a library and makes us reflect on art by using the interactive aspect of the Internet in an amusing way.
SP

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