I'm honestly not sure if this piece should be classed as visual art, auditory art, or (most likely) something in between. By translating digital data into base binary and syncing up the resulting lightshow with a soundtrack somewhere between a machine gun shootout and a techno rave, then displaying it in massive proportions, Ryoji Ikeda creates an epilepsy-inducing experience that is nevertheless a clever commentary on the pervasiveness of digital media throughout our lives.
According to the creator's website, the core meaning of the piece is "to examine the relationship between critical points of device performance and the threshold of human perception, pushing both to their absolute limits," and it certainly accomplishes that. The project is harrowing to walk through, and enrapturing at the same time. The endless barrage of light and sound leaves the mind dazed and confused, but thrilled at the same time. At its most basic level, it could be considered akin to watching an exciting movie or special-effects-heavy play or dance routine: it is an intense sensory experience born from (but not reliant upon) an underlying concept.
While it has little to nothing in common with traditional, "historical" art, it does make one think about the role of technology in modern society. The project seems to visualize the way technology surrounds us, inescapable and unceasing.
I'm sorry, I really am, but with the mask things blocking their noses all I could see was:
I'm not really sure what the artist was trying to convey here. Gossip is not a rare occurrence in modern society, true. But what were the masks for? To make them look like teenage girls who rolled their eyes one too many times? That's the only hypothesis I can come up with. I'm also having a hard time being able to tell if the subjects of their conversation (boyfriends, gay marriage, illegal immigrants) had any relevance to the meaning of the project, or if they were picked just because they were trending topics that might frequently be discussed among friends in reality.
Checking the artist's website does little to clear up the questions. The "thots" (thoughts?) page is a short rant that would be more at home on tumblr (you know which side of tumblr I'm talking about) expressing anger at "a racist, homophobic, transphobic, classist society". That might explain the focus on the girls' conversation, but aside from that, the entire thing seems rather disjointed and confusing. Perry obviously has problems with modern-day society, but if she is attempting to change it through her art, she may need to reconsider her strategies.
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