Week 11
For this post, I would like to highlight the historical context of projection activism as well as best practices for operation. Early projection lanterns using candles and/or oil wicks allowed for public performances (similar to slideshows) but only in limited, light-controlled environments (Buchanan, 2021). Various scientists, artists, and photographers experimented with projected media throughout the 18th and 19th centuries (Segel, 2017). Two key elements defined the potential of early projection technology:
1) Physical constraints – the brightness of the projection which controlled the number of people who would witness a display. 2) Economic constraints – the cost of technology demanding that viewers must be of high socioeconomic status (Buchanan, 2021).
In 2022, through advancements in projection technology and the overall evolution of media software in general — the cost barrier has decreased significantly which has made projection technology and applications accessible to much larger audiences. In addition, both brightness and portability have increased which has only opened new possibilities for mobile installations and actions. As explained by Buchanan (2021) – “instances of both authorized and unauthorized projection installations, both aesthetic and political, have boomed over the past 10 years”
Interested in partaking in guerilla projections yourself?
The Grafitti Research Lab – a collective dedicated to outlining graffiti artists with open source technologies for urban communication, in collaboration with the Eyebeam Open Lab, and Paul Notzold has created an in-depth, 8-step tutorial. This tutorial breaks down the required parts, how to prepare media, location recommendations, and how to acquire power sources.
(*Personally, I find the term projection bombing, which the authors use, to be a bit abrasive and alluding to a form of harm, instead, I opt to use the term guerilla projections which highlights the DIY, on the ground aspect of this work)
Projection as a tool for activism #8
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Projection as a tool for activism #8 〰️
In the 1970s, Jenny Holzer, an American neo-conceptual artist, created a series titled “Truisms” which consisted of political opinions and aphorisms printed on paper and posted around New York City (Segel, 2017). In 1982, the project took a new digital form. “Messages to the Public'' formed a key part of the Public Art Fund’s long-term commitment to media-based artworks and ran from 1982 to 1990 (“Public Art Fund”). The show featured a series of artists' projects which were created specifically for the Spectacolor board at Times Square (“Public Art Fund”). Running from 1982 to 1990, the show featured a series of artists’ projects created specifically for the Spectacolor board at Times Square.
Photo by: John Marchael
This served as a precursor to her later work, where in 2005, she projected declassified documents from the Iraq War onto multiple locations in New York City.
Photo by Attilio Maranzano
References
Buchanan, A., & Buchanan, A. (2021). Projection art and projection activism. Architecture_MPS, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444.amps.2021v20i1.001
Jenny Holzer: Messages to the public. Public Art Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://www.publicartfund.org/exhibitions/view/messages-to-the-public-holzer/#&gid=1&pid=1
Lab, G. (2022, March 28). Projection bombing. Instructables. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.instructables.com/PROJECTION-BOMBING/#discuss
Segal, C. (2017, September 17). Projection artists bring light to social issues with attention-grabbing protests. PBS. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/projection-light-artists-protest