Subsisting frequencies: the Intersection of media arts and architecture

Abstract

The facilities currently available for the creation of new media art are exclusively reserved for funded professional artists. This inaccessibility is problematic for young and emerging media artists that do not have the resources to develop their work in physical space. Without the access to a proper facility, these emerging artists use projective equipment to exhibit their work onto large public surfaces hoping to be seen. The proliferation and growing popularity of projective art demonstrates a need to expose this work beyond the limitations of computer monitors, into the potential of an architectural context. This potential relationship between architecture and media arts offers an opportunity to create a building that prioritizes public access to this art form rather than a strict professional use. The concepts of analog and digital pertaining to light and space are fundamental in developing a methodology while working at the intersection of media art and architecture. The term analog defines a signal represented by a continuously variable physical quantity, such as voltage, spatial position, etc. Analog rhythms are found in waves, usually evidenced by natural phenomena with cyclical behavior. It can be argued that the sun is considered an analog source of light and rhythm. Within an architectural context, for example, an array of window mullions can modulate sunlight into analog rhythms of shadow. Whether they realize it or not, architects create these analog experiences. The work of Iannis Xenakis and Le Corbusier in La Tourette is exemplary in demonstrating the ability to create spatial experiences with analog rhythms. Their work designing the Philips Pavilion demonstrates how architects can create spaces at the intersect of both analog and digital rhythms. The term digital describes attributes of computational language represented through binary sequences of ones and zeros. Digital is precise and does not continuously fluctuate. While a flashing light controlled digitally with a microcontroller may appear to continuously change in amplitude, it is doing so by a miniscule and imperceivable stepping pattern. This boundary is known as granularity, a phenomenon that is at the core of differentiating between analog from digital. Unlike architects, new media artists work with a focus on digital experiences. As this architectural thesis is heavily rooted in computational media, the intersection of analog and digital is a vital concept in exploring boundaries of both practices. The core question then is how can rhythms between analog and digital light act as a common foundation for media.arts and architecture? Spatial experimentation with analog and digital rhythms is essential in developing an architectural project alongside media art. The window became a spatial interface between the sun and computer generated projections, conceptually provoking a dialogue between analog and digital light. This experimentation derived principles that could be applied to architectural design. Using a physical architectural model as the interface between analog and digital light is the methodology behind the design. The intention is for the architecture to embody the intersection of analog and digital. A public media art facility requires a site that suits the cultural mandate of its local community. Montreal is considered to be a leading capital in digital media, it is evident that this type of project would be valuable to this community. The Mile-end district of that city is a culturally unique location that would meet this expectation. Hosting numerous cultural events, the mile end is favorable for a project providing a space for social gathering. Situating this project in this district can take advantage of this neighborhood’s unique cultural life while challenging the traditional assumptions of what it means to create a public building.