Samantha Duquette DGMA 7203 Senior Seminar Gallery Visit One November 24, 2014
INTRODUCTION Multimedia artist, Emil Schult presented an artist talk at Alfred State College on October 2, 2014. A musician, painter, and poet, Schult has worked closely with the pioneer German electronic music group Kraftwerk. As a member of this group, he has held the title of guitarist and album cover designer.1 During his talk with students Schult discussed his education, his creative process plus his interests and their influence on his work.
Schult began his talk with students by discussing his education at the art academy in the 1960s. During his studies Schult studied under influential Fluxus artists, such as Dieter Roth, Joseph Beuys, and Gerhard Richter. It was also during his years at the art academy when Schult became involved with the electronic group known as Kraftwerk.2 During his presentation, Schult discussed his motivation to attend the art academy: the need to live in a larger town. The larger town allowed Emil to enter the electronic music world by introducing him to a competitive, artistic environment. Kraftwerk provided Schult with the opportunity to explore new mediums. His work with Kraftwerk has resulted in numerous visuals that have been shown in international museums, such as the MoMA. In his article for Electronic Beats, Schult stated his view on electronic music as an art form: “I think there are two main metalanguages in this universe: music and image.”2 Schult has been able to combine both of these metalanguages for observers to appreciate.
DESCRIPTION OF WORK Schult’s interest in electronics has been a strong influence on the work he produces. The technologies that have been used and manipulated to create his art are technologies that are
1 Bernagozzi, Jason. "Emil Schult / Artist Talk @ Alfred State College." Facebook. September 24, 2014. Accessed November 5, 2014. https://www.facebook.com/events/686463778114644/. 2 Schult, Emil. "Emil Schult on Kraftwerk." Electronic Beats. November 25, 2012. Accessed November 25, 2014. http://www.electronicbeats.net/en/features/conversations/emil-schult-on-kraftwerk/. needed in order to organize the booming population. He stated that images of technology already have the appearance of art rather than mechanics.
For example, Chips of History is a collection of works that has been dedicated to the inventors of the first transistor in 1947.3 The gallery exhibition consists of several acrylic paintings that replicate the technological design of objects, such as the keyboard controller and the Pentium Chip. The entire collection uses color and line as a central part of each design. The repetition of the thin, pink lines throughout Figure 1: Pentium Chip Pentium Chip’s design creates a complex pattern. The thin weight of these lines imitates the texture that could be seen on microchips.
Similarly, the replication of a keyboard controller uses repetition of lines to create balance. Keyboard Controller also employs solid shapes, which are divided by these lines to create Figure 2: Keyboard Controller movement. The gold line that divides the large rectangle in the center of the image encourages movement towards the contrasting green square that is the center of the piece. The color contrast and movement to the piece’s focal point directs viewers to the most important component of the keyboard controller: the computer chip.
The geometric shapes that together create complex and organic designs add interest to these designs. Each piece in the collection encompasses unique combinations of the elements and principles of design. However, the solid geometric shapes and repetitive lines to create patterns help unify the collection. Together the collection references technology as its source of
3 Schult, Emil. "Chips of History..." Http://www.emilschult.eu/HNF 3.pdf. January 1, 2005. Accessed November 2, 2015. http://www.emilschult.eu/HNF 3.pdf. inspiration, but the isolation and scaling of these designs to serve as individual art pieces rather than technology encourages observers to consider the beauty of technologies.
Figure 3: Gallery Layout for Chips of History
Emil Schult has continued to experiment with technology throughout his creative process. The brightly colored image that was used on the posters advertising the event catches the observer’s attention and also hints to the technological influences of Schult’s work. The image is a print of the first LED. Emil Schult went into more detail during his talk with students about the image, explaining that the first LED meant we, as consumers, were able to use 80% of potential energy in Figure 4: Print of First LED comparison to the average 20% of energy previously available. The technology behind the creative process produces systematic and calculated images, but subtle details like the change in values as the colors transition across the light spectrum make the piece seem less calculated and more natural. In many of his pieces Schult uses technology as a source of inspiration, but also as a medium. The influence of these technologies throughout the creative process has led to a distinctive style.
INTERPRETATION Emil Schult’s work with electronics translates the beauty behind the technology through the use of visuals. Schult describes the two metalanguages of his pieces as music and visuals, but I would venture to classify a third metalanguage of electronics. During his lecture, Schult discussed the significance of technology and its role in the fast travel of images. He encourages students to keep trying new software. But he also warned artists to be aware and careful when using technology. Its significance in his work is too prominent to overlook.
His paintings of the various computer components in his exhibition Chips of History encourage viewers to look at the beauty behind science and technology. There is something beautiful about the geometric patterns created for these technological pieces as well as the complex patterns created by these technologies. The scale of the paintings, especially in comparison to their true proportions, communicates the significance of these objects despite their small actual scale. The complexity of line patterns and the organization of multiple geometric shapes reference the power behind these beautiful patterns.
The relationship between art and technology is a topic of many artists’ work. However, I feel that Schult’s creative process of using the technologies to speak about the technologies is particularly effective. Using both electronic music and visuals, Emil demonstrates the versatility of the electronic art movement. The recognition of technology as art is acknowledgement of where our world is headed. Emil mentioned his experience at the 1965 World’s Fair in New York City, when he observed GM’s Furturama exhibit. He viewed the piece, as a representation of what life will look like in the future. I feel that Schult’s works share a similar message, but also comment on the beauty of the present and the past.
SUPPORTING RESEARCH The art academy in Dusseldorf began to resemble the modern world during Schult’s period of study. In an interview, Schult describes the environment at the academy as a culture that needs to be worked with in order to maintain power to be ahead of the times. The modern world we live in now allows for art in many forms. Schult comments, “…like media, the concept of combining the visual and the sound, it comes out of creative impulse of connection music and art of those times….”4 This influence of modern culture and technology on Schult’s work can be
4 "Emil Schult Interview (of Kraftwerk Fame) in Dusseldorf." - Subtitles (en). Accessed November 25, 2014. http://www.vidqt.com/id/Lkc99linl88?lang=en. seen in both his music and paintings. The current state of technology, as well as technology’s history, is the central message of most of Schult’s work.
The Herald Scotland published an article about Emil Schult’s work with Kraftwerk, which was on display at Glasgow’s Lloyd Jerome Gallery. The gallery selects exhibition artists who pursue the crossover between music and visuals. In the article, the reporter comments on Schult’s work: “It’s all highly reminiscent of the kind of garnish batiks and tie-dyes you used to bring back from your holidays in the seventies. But there’s something more than either celebration or plain irony going on in Schult’s work. Much of it is about finding ways to represent technology and its history in ways which go beyond our usual conventional images.”5 Schult’s unique interpretations of technology and its history have received favorable feedback from critiques in Europe.
CONCLUSION The technology driven art that we create in the field of Digital Media and Animation is heavily influenced by the electronics that have been used in the past and their evolution through time. It is important to understand the history of these technologies and their capabilities. When addressing the students in his closing remarks, Schult encouraged students to keep trying new software and to have fun while experimenting. I feel that Emil Schult’s unique interpretation of technology and its history encourages artists to truly look at the beauty behind the electronically driven art we create.
5 Jeffrey, Moira. "An Ambitious but Flawed Project. Visual Art Emil Schult, Lloyd Jerome Gallery, Glasgow." Herald Scotland. September 25, 2001. Accessed November 25, 2014. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/an-ambitious-but-flawed-project-visual-art-emil-schult-lloyd- jerome-gallery-glasgow-1.172701.