Artist or Technican?

[sleepytom]

Do you see yourself as an artist or a techy?

[loboy]

Leonardo Da Vinci is the perfect example. He not only was an extremely talented artist but inventor and scientist as well. Leonardo's interests were so broad, and he was so often compelled by new subjects, that he usually failed to finish what he started. His work covered four main themes: painting, architecture, the elements of mechanics, and human anatomy.

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious. "
-- Albert Einstein

[syzygy]

I'm not sure I'd describe myself as a god but I do like to think that I have a spread of skills in both technical and artistic areas.

[BrainStove]

I?m pretty convinced I?m a Left_Brain_Side only person...
Perhaps I just have to turn on my Right side :confused: but I could not be able to find the switch yet :D

So what am I???... Make you the math!!

[ToddGraft]

Leonardo Da Vinci is the perfect example. He not only was an extremely talented artist but inventor and scientist as well. Leonardo's interests were so broad, and he was so often compelled by new subjects, that he usually failed to finish what he started. His work covered four main themes: painting, architecture, the elements of mechanics, and human anatomy.

Yo Lo describes my life long struggles....

I also practise DALI SLEEP!

Salvidor, not so different from many of us today; used to push his creativity to the max. When spinning from exhaustion through lack of sleep and food, he would go to sleep in a chair.
Clasping a porcelain dish in his left hand, he would succumb to a shutdown which released the dish. A millesecond of time took the dish to fall from his hand and break, smashing on the floor and woke him from his ensueing sleep.This enabled him to regenerate his life force and balanced his energies, revitalised with "sleep."
He then went on to paint pretty pictures!
I fell upon this by accident, a label, to my wierdness! it happens to us all, those who get carried away with that obsessional creativity.
We are blessed with the recent tools of technology and development..... to harness what our minds have always dreamed of!
The use of mind & machine is now a joint venture, artist or a techy.......you can now enjoy it ALL.

whatever! wish I knew how to fix my touchscreen monitor though!

[loboy]

artist / technician - terms from the 20th century

-information distortionists (info-distos)
-digital reconstructionists (d-rekkers)
-liguistic reconfigurers (lingo recons)
-port junkies
-outboard hijackies
-culture blenders/mixers/mashers
-vid twizzers
-false history inventors (ficts, a-ficts, b-ficts)
-stream recontextualizers (reamstreamers)
-e:soul resamplers/splitters/combiners/hybridizers
-e:breakers
-source locators (solos)
-data dumpers/extractors/pushers/throers/nibbers/nabbers/grabbers
-spacers
-q:mooshers
-define miners
-GODemulators / Demonlators
-nomenclature capturers (nomacs)
-spatial disturbers/jackers
-disoulutionists
-influxers / defluxers / influxists
-cable monkeys
-tunnel divers
-perspective realigners (perligners)

[ristuuk]

a good technician is an artist...
a good artist who isnt technical.....well..enuf said.

[vjpixylight]

I follow in the footsteps of the family(fathers side) line of engineers(love to design and build), so I had to vote techy.

[stickygreen]

techy here also!

wow how to breath some life into an old thread..... not that I'm complaining, I think it's a good one! ;)

[deepvisual]

do martial arts count?
I'm officially dangerous...

[Kyle]

I think I can vouch for that, he does have lethal weapons in his house! It's in the Deepvisual rental clause, failure to pay will result in Kill Bill like consequences!!!!

http://www.realsamuraiswords.com/store/images/T/samurai-swords-masahiro-handmade-kill-bill-katana.jpg

[vjair]

i am quite a lot of one and some of the other.

[vjpixylight]

i am quite a lot of one and some of the other.
....but you never know which one at any particular moment in time. I know how you feel:p

[theLABvisuals]

more nerdy / techy / paranoid / artist type thing over here :) but most definately having a laugh while pushing buttons \o/

[vjrei]

Do you see yourself as an artist or a techy?

Easy...

A good artist manages incredible technical expertices in the area.

Technicians who does amazing jobs can fall into real artists of their techniques.

For example: You have Ana Kurnicova, she is hot and a good tenis player, she is an artist. But if you ask her about tennis she can tell you whay the balls are good with detail, the difference between the effect on the ball one type of grass or another and lets not start with the rackett itself... she is a technician.

Another example: You can take any singer, any musician and they will give you a lecture in techniques on how to hold the microphone, what brand is the best depending on the style of music and the location. Not to mention the PA equiment and monitoring.

I remember Julio Iglesis asking for an specific console and specific compressor and mic because he likes to sing with the microphone in his belly and he knows how to advoid feedback... he knows a big time of technical stuff.

In the case of VJing... well, if your footage is crap you are a technician more than an artist.

But if your show is good probably you relay a lot in technical stuff and you may look as a technician. But the reality is that even leonardo Davinci had specific brushes and substances for his paintings. Now, people do not see that, they see the result.

So... a talented individual need to manage the techniques to perfection to offer a good show and VJs are prety much into that.

So... as long you have a good show at the end you are an artist, if not, you are a technician playing with video.

[rolin]

I really think both answers are inappropriate!

Visuals, that qualify as art don't belong in clubs or at festivals,
but should be shown in a gallery.
And then you are not a VJ –
then you are an artist, that does art, not visuals.

Most visuals I have seen (and created) do NOT qualify as art.

And I really also don't want to see visuals made by someone,
who describes him- or herself as a technician!
I also wouldn't book you as a promoter,
except I need some hardware fixed or setup.

Many VJs would NOT qualify as technicians,
because all they know is how to switch on their notebook and plug in a few cables – not more.

When you create and produce your own visuals and
show them accompanying a DJ or a band,
then you are – more then anything else –
a (video) designer and an entertainer.

But – VJs do need some sense for art and aesthetics to design and create good visuals and
VJs also need a basic technical understanding of their hardware and of projectors.

[rolin]

That doesn't mean, that a VJ cannot also be an artist (but not really at the same time) and
people like sleepytom and deepvisual simply also offer a technical service
(setup, technical problem solving and knowhow, equipment for hire and more) to their creative activity as a VJ.

[ristuuk]

suppose im from the oldschool way of thinking...
if u didnt know how your 16mm projectors worked then u didnt do shows...

some one who does all his work on a lap top is a designer not a vj...u should know how your equipment works to make u a vj...
ive done gigs purly on a tecnical basis where vj's (some well known) havent been able to plug in to a v4, not known how to split screen off to second monitor and even stand on a stage with a 2m vga cable and wonder how it connects to the flown projectors.

there wont always be a technician on site at a venue to assist these people...

opens up the old debate of proper vj's and roadie vj's which was going on about the time this thread was originally started!

[stickygreen]

OK, who answered none of the above?

[vjpixylight]

2 guesses:scream:

[SteveG]

I've just joined "none of the above"......I'm a Tradesman :D

[vjpixylight]

well if your going to start expanding the categories, I'm an artician, or was that techisian;)

[complexvisuals]

Only a matter of time before the claims of aspergers, dyslexia or synisthesia is asked to be added, man.

[asterix]

some one who does all his work on a lap top is a designer not a vj...

Thats a bizare statement. Does the tool define the intention of the person using it. Does knowing how to turn on and load a 16mm projector make me an artist? Do artists only wield paint brushes?

Personally I'm a graphic designer by trade, but what I do when I'm vjing is a completely different mindset. Its not a job its a joy. Perhaps thats the difference between artist and tech.

Either way I don't use the term artist when I talk to others about what I do. But I believe it is my art.

[vjpixylight]

Another, what is an artist debate shaping up.... Well, art can be applied to washing dishes as much as it can playing in a symphony.
It's not about how you make art(technically), it's about how you see the world and the way you move around within it...

[Amukidi]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[stulloyd]

Im a Tartist x

[MotionGuy]

I think you to be 50% 50% .... :D

[vjpixylight]

we call that a hybrid VJ:cool: