In 1965, artist Nam June Paik (1932-2006) attached a strong magnet to the top of a television. The crisp image, overpowered by the magnet, folded onto itself in beautiful geometric waves. But it wasn¡¯t meant to be beautiful; it was an attack.
¡°Television has been attacking us all our lives, now we can attack it back,¡± Paik said of his actions.
At the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival, which runs till Feb. 16 at Tokyo¡¯s National Art Center, there¡¯s an absence of Paik¡¯s critical attitude toward technology. Instead, as jury member Shiro Takatani points out, technology is being used to let us ¡°see things never seen before.¡± The designers, artists and programmers featured here are using it to expand perceptions and reveal the hidden dimensions of the world around us.
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