Response to "Video and Intermedia"

One thing that primarily stood out to me in Foster's reading was the idea that video is an extension of ourselves. In this part of the article, Foster references McLuhan's idea of an "anti-environment", which I wanted to learn more about. Through this article, I learned that an anti-environment redefines what art can or cannot be by destroying stereotypes and reminding us that technology can still be considered art. While the medium of video may not fit the classic, assumed definition of "art" so much as a painting or a photograph might, it must still be considered art because someone created such a video with their own thoughts and ideals behind it. Therefore, I agree with both Foster and McLuhan in that an artist is a person "in any field... who grasps the implications of his actions and of new knowledge in his own time". Whether a project is more scientifically inclined, or more humanistically inclined, it is still a piece of art because it reflects an aspect of the person who created it.

Another part of Foster's article that stood out to me was his claim that "video criticizes and video cultures". Video is always socially relevant. This immediately reminded me of the video we watched in class of the man who, in front of a large audience expecting him to play classical music, simply sat in front of his piano and did nothing. We had a short discussion in class about whether or not we could consider this video art. Though at the time I disagreed about the video being a legitimate piece of art, I think Foster's article proves that the video is, in fact, art. That video challenged us to think from different perspectives and imagine how a certain culture in our modern society would react to such a situation. It made us laugh, but it also frustrated us, and we became critical of both the man in front of the piano, and the audience that assumed he would actually be playing it. The video may not a form of "aestheticized communication", as Foster puts it, but it is most certainly "art that communicates", in that it speaks to us and challenges us to think in different ways through both criticism and observation.

(Also, this is Isabel- I'm not sure why my username is UR123, but if anyone knows how I can change that, I would very much appreciate it!)