Monday, April 11, 2011

Nam June Paik

           He was a composer, performer, and video artist who played a pivotal role in introducing artists and audiences to the possibilities of using video for artistic expression. His works explore the ways in which performance, music, video images, and the sculptural form of objects can be used in many combinations to question our accepted notions of the nature of television. Additionally, in Korea, Paik studied piano and composition. When his family moved, first to Hong Kong and then to Japan, he continued his studies in music while completing a degree in aesthetics at the University of Tokyo. In 1959, he performed his piece Hommage a John Cage. This performance combined a pre-recorded collage of music and sounds with "on stage" sounds created by people, a live hen, a motorcycle, and various other objects. Instruments were often altered or even destroyed during the performance. Most performances were as much a visual as a musical experience.

     Moreover, some of Paik's video installations involve a single monitor, others use a series of monitors. I feel like he is using a modern way of conveying his artistic message. Through the trechnology, which so many of us are familiar with, he can catch are attention then keep it! Paik has a great talent in the means of him being a broadcaster and an artist; he is blessed that in his case, both those things tie together for an in/out the box take on artistic perspectives.

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