The Theory Behind the
Digital Collage
The Digital Collage style that I developed over the course of my undergraduate career was initially nothing more than a fun hobby; it was a way for me to do something extra with my photography, but not much more. However, as I continued my education in digital media production/theory and philosophy, I started to think more and more about the place of this work in a wider artistic and philosophical landscape. At a certain point, I realized that I could use this work as a lens through which to explore some greater concepts surrounding art and media in general. Presented here is that exploration:
Above, I've created a spectrum on which I believe all art falls, broken up into three general categories: autonomous, responsive, and controlled art. To explain the significance of this spectrum as a whole, I think it would be easiest to first define these self-created terms.
Autonomous Art: Art in the creation of which the artist is, for all practical purposes, not involved beyond an initial inciting action. Think an avant-garde artist who throws a bucket of red paint against a canvas and calls it a day.
Responsive Art: Art that's creation consists of some amount of back and forth between artist and artwork. For instance, a process wherein the artist makes an alteration, studies how the artwork responds to said alteration, then makes their next move based on that newfound information.
Controlled Art: Art that is almost entirely planned out ahead of time, and in the creation of which the artist takes full practical control. Much of what is imagined when one hears the term "art" falls partially under this category, though such a statement is more complicated than it at first seems.
Before we get into the nuances and complexities of these terms and how they interact, there is an assumption within these definitions I'd like to discuss that was briefly touched on in the "What is an Artistic Medium?" section. This assumption is that a medium, and a work of art within that medium, can actually produce information, and can therefore be partially or wholly responsible for the creation of art. Let's think back briefly to the example described in the definition of autonomous art. An avant-garde artist throws a bucket of red paint against a canvas, then calls it a day. It is certain that the artist maintains some control over the final artwork; they chose the color of the paint, and their action is what begins the process of the work's creation. However, beyond that initial action, the look of the piece is determined not by the artist, but by the medium itself. The paint flows down the canvas, the minute bumps and texturing of its surface guiding the liquid along the path of least resistance. The density and surface tension of the paint determines its thickness on each section of the canvas, creating variations in vibrancy and intensity. Splatters merge with one another to form odd amorphous blobs. By the time the paint has dried, the initial splash has faded into memory, and what is left is an unrecognizable cataclysm of matter and physics, all driven by the natural properties of the canvas and the paint. In short, the art has, for the most part, created itself.