On the 14th May 2022, both online and at the Refinery Artspace in Nelson, artist and ADA board member Vicki Smith, and ADA board member James Hope discussed the Logitech C200 “eyeball” webcam. This basic web camera with its distinctive rounded shape was released at the end of the 2000s; Vicki discussed its role in her participation in networked performance (cyberformance).
This was the final in a series of five seminars, with each guest presenter an arts practitioner who explores the social and artistic aspects of a particular technology through their work. As their complexity increases, the objects of technology that we use everyday become more and more mystifying to the average user. Most of us are able to competently operate our cellphones or computers, however much less are able to confidently explain how or why a given piece of technology works.
Vicki Smith makes artworks that navigate the permeability between visual and virtual, weaving science, the environment and traditional practices into individual work and collaborations. She develops and produces projects that enhance and support collaborative communities of practice engaging creative ways to encourage care and protection for our environment.
artecology.net
James Hope is Curator at the Ashburton Art Gallery. He was formerly Assistant Curator at the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua and has written for publications such as Art New Zealand, HAMSTER, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waitwhetū’s ‘Bulletin’, and Writing Around Sound, published by the Canterbury Society of Sonic Artists.