Xing-A-Ling Speak

In the summers of 2001-2, I played tennis with this ph.d candidate from CMU, Aki, while he interned for IBM Research Austin. Besides our shared interest in Tennis, we were both interested in Photography. But that is where our path diverged. While he took a leave of absence from CMU to attend RIT’s Masters of Arts program in the summer of 2002, I kept chugging along at IBM for 4 more years before quiting to go to law school. Now, he is a professor of Arts at Reeds College.

He made a decision to change to pursue a geiune personal interest, that continues to motivate and inspire him after leaving the comfort of his previous profession. He is also an exceptionally talented artist with an intuitive grasp of conceptualized art. He wrote an interesting thesis discussing the theoritical meaning of artistic expressions, especially in mediums like Photography which used to present a sense of authenticity, in the digital age Here. An abstract of his thesis is at the end of the post, if you are interested.

Exhibits & Works:

• “Connectivity: Across Time_Across Earth” (Los Angeles; Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, February 8-March 3, 2007)

• “Digital ‘04: Tomorrow” (New York; New York Hall of Science, September 5-December 10, 2004)

“My work investigates the approaches in image making made possible through the reliance on digital technology to presage the vision of tomorrow. Computation reveals what has previously been hidden to our naked eyes or traditional methods. This revelation of the new, I believe, is what bridges us to the future giving us a hint of what is to come tomorrow.”

• “DIALOGUE: art, technology, imagery” (Laurel, MD; Montpelier Cultural Arts Center, September 8-October 28, 2004)

“More traditional approaches are also seen/heard in the dialogue. Akihiko Miyoshi translates a computerized diagram of a flock of birds into acrylic paint in ‘This Is What It Sounds Like’.”

Thesis Abstract:

“My MFA thesis show, After the Last Picture Show, depicted my inquiry into what pictures and images are today. In this thesis, starting from the formalist tradition of fine art photography, I deconstruct photography into elements based on the classical dichotomy of form and content and discuss how the photographic image has dislodged itself from its material base. Subsequently, I question the objective of art in an age in which images are information, and in which information is instantly exchanged. I use authenticity as the guiding light in my art and attempt to confront the doubts that linger in our simulation-based society. Further, I start an inquiry into the relationship between the computer and art. I attempt to provide an observation of the computer in terms of itself as opposed to the more frequent approach of analyzing it as a medium to simulate exisiting tools. I argue that the essence of the computer is abstract, and I describe the conflict between this abstract nature of the computer and the physicality that art demands. Finally, I conclude by describing what I think of authenticity with regards to art.”