Shane Cooper
Encyclopedia
Shane Cooper is an installation art
ist, specializing in Internet
and interactive art
.
He works in the special effects field, and has contributed work to such films as the Lord of the Rings trilogy
and King Kong
. He has worked with musicians, such as Devo
in Santa Monica
, California
in 1996 and Graham Nash
in Los Angeles
, in 1995.
There are many common themes emphasized in Cooper’s works. Most of them feature interactivity
with the viewer and computer learning
. In many of his works, the actions of the viewer are somehow recorded and later used in the art itself.
displays an anchor
man that looks and sounds real, yet is completely computer-generated. The newscast being shown is generated in real-time, using feeds from various Internet news sources. A remote control
with two buttons, labeled “Truth 1” and “Truth 2”, allows the viewer to choose between two channels: one where the news being reported is true, and one where the facts have been reversed.
In “Reflection” (also known as “Parasight”), the viewer stands in front of a wall that has an image of another person, standing in a similar way as them, projected onto it. When the viewer moves in any way, the image projected on the screen changes to match the new way that the viewer is standing. The result is that the viewer sees their “reflection” on the screen, except that the reflection is in fact the image of a previous visitor. In addition, every viewer is also filmed and added to the database of images that can be projected. In this way, every new viewer adds to the exhibit, and increases the accuracy of the next viewer's reflection.
"Live" (1998) is a simulated chatroom, which is actually full of bots
. The bots learn new conversations from the humans that come into the room, which is another example of Cooper's recurring theme of the viewer leaving an impression on the artwork itself. It also features a “live webcam” that is actually a series of images that repeat over and over, with only the timestamp
changing.
"Caption" (1998) is a black web page
showing only an image
and a string of text. Usually, the pair appears to have a meaning of some sort, making it seem like the text was written specifically to go with the image. However, the image and text are chosen completely at random. (This can be verified by simply reloading the page until the same image appears twice, in which case it will most likely be matched with a different text string.) The project serves to illustrate how the human
mind
will find a link between any two randomly matched items.
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
ist, specializing in Internet
Internet art
Internet art is a form of digital artwork distributed via the Internet. This form of art has circumvented the traditional dominance of the gallery and museum system, delivering aesthetic experiences via the Internet. In many cases, the viewer is drawn into some kind of interaction with the work...
and interactive art
Interactive art
Interactive art is a form of installation-based art that involves the spectator in a way that allows the art to achieve its purpose. Some installations achieve this by letting the observer or visitor "walk" in, on, and around them; Some others ask the artist to become part of the artwork.Works of...
.
He works in the special effects field, and has contributed work to such films as the Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
and King Kong
King Kong (2005 film)
King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
. He has worked with musicians, such as Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
in Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1996 and Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, in 1995.
There are many common themes emphasized in Cooper’s works. Most of them feature interactivity
Interactivity
In the fields of information science, communication, and industrial design, there is debate over the meaning of interactivity. In the "contingency view" of interactivity, there are three levels:...
with the viewer and computer learning
Machine learning
Machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence, is a scientific discipline concerned with the design and development of algorithms that allow computers to evolve behaviors based on empirical data, such as from sensor data or databases...
. In many of his works, the actions of the viewer are somehow recorded and later used in the art itself.
Installation art
In Cooper’s art installation “Remote Control”, a televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
displays an anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
man that looks and sounds real, yet is completely computer-generated. The newscast being shown is generated in real-time, using feeds from various Internet news sources. A remote control
Remote control
A remote control is a component of an electronics device, most commonly a television set, used for operating the television device wirelessly from a short line-of-sight distance.The remote control is usually contracted to remote...
with two buttons, labeled “Truth 1” and “Truth 2”, allows the viewer to choose between two channels: one where the news being reported is true, and one where the facts have been reversed.
In “Reflection” (also known as “Parasight”), the viewer stands in front of a wall that has an image of another person, standing in a similar way as them, projected onto it. When the viewer moves in any way, the image projected on the screen changes to match the new way that the viewer is standing. The result is that the viewer sees their “reflection” on the screen, except that the reflection is in fact the image of a previous visitor. In addition, every viewer is also filmed and added to the database of images that can be projected. In this way, every new viewer adds to the exhibit, and increases the accuracy of the next viewer's reflection.
Internet art
Shane has also created several Internet art works which appear at his personal website."Live" (1998) is a simulated chatroom, which is actually full of bots
Internet bot
Internet bots, also known as web robots, WWW robots or simply bots, are software applications that run automated tasks over the Internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are both simple and structurally repetitive, at a much higher rate than would be possible for a human alone...
. The bots learn new conversations from the humans that come into the room, which is another example of Cooper's recurring theme of the viewer leaving an impression on the artwork itself. It also features a “live webcam” that is actually a series of images that repeat over and over, with only the timestamp
Time code
A timecode is a sequence of numeric codes generated at regular intervals by a timing system.- Video and film timecode :...
changing.
"Caption" (1998) is a black web page
Web page
A web page or webpage is a document or information resource that is suitable for the World Wide Web and can be accessed through a web browser and displayed on a monitor or mobile device. This information is usually in HTML or XHTML format, and may provide navigation to other web pages via hypertext...
showing only an image
Image
An image is an artifact, for example a two-dimensional picture, that has a similar appearance to some subject—usually a physical object or a person.-Characteristics:...
and a string of text. Usually, the pair appears to have a meaning of some sort, making it seem like the text was written specifically to go with the image. However, the image and text are chosen completely at random. (This can be verified by simply reloading the page until the same image appears twice, in which case it will most likely be matched with a different text string.) The project serves to illustrate how the human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
mind
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
will find a link between any two randomly matched items.
Notable exhibitions
- Various items at F.I.L.E. Electronic Language International FestivalElectronic Language International FestivalFILE - Electronic Language International Festival is a New media art festival that usually takes place in three different cities of Brazil: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre and it has also participated in others events around the world...
in São Paulo 1999 - Various items atVisionNetwork in Tokyo 1999
- Remote Control, in net_condition, ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany 1999-2001
- Remote Control, at GFT Creative Lab, Berlin 2001
- Remote Control in Graz, Austria 2001
- Reflection at Intermedium2, ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany 2002
- Reflection at Volkswagen AG in Berlin 2002
- Remote Control in Vectors: Digital Art in our Time, New York 2003
- Remote Control in Experimenta's House of the Future, Melbourne 2003
- Reflection in Ciber:Art Bilbao 2004 in Bilbao Spain
- Remote Control in Reality Show, Aarau, Switzerland, 2005
- Live in Radiodays, De Appel Center for Contemporary Art, Amsterdam 2005
- Remote Control in Kunstfest Weimar, "Masterpieces of Art from the ZKM Karlsruhe Collection", The Bauhaus, Weimar, Germany, 2005
- Reflection at Ottawa School of Art, Ottawa, Canada, 2005
- Feed at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand, 2006
- Feed at MOCA Taipei, Taiwan, 2007
- Relapse at Gallery 155B Ottawa, Canada, 2007
- Remote Control in YOU_ser. Das Jahrhundert des Konsumenten (The Century of the Consumer) Germany 2008
- Echo in Infinite Libraries, Crewest Gallery, Los Angeles 2009
- Life Support in Bouillants #1, Le Diapason (Université de Rennes 1 – Campus de Beaulieu) / Les Bouillants (Vern sur Seiche) / Le Volume (espace culturel de Vern sur Seiche) / La Station VasteMonde à Saint-Brieuc (espace de création dédié à l’art contemporain), France 2009