CMC
and the Art Scene
by dangermouse
The scene has been around for more
than ten years now, and in many eyes is still thriving. It is
meeting new grounds, and exploring new areas of the Internet to
produce works of art. This article will attempt to show that the
scene embodies much of what the Internet stands for: Computer
Mediated Communication and the resulting Global Communities.
Computer Mediated
Communication (CMC)
Computer Mediated Communication is all what the Internet is about
- people communicating with each other over a large network of
computers - exchanging pictures, sounds, video, and general small
talk. The underground artscene has embodied this form of communication
since its inception, from the Bulletin Boards to IRC.
Back in the late 80's when the artscene
as we know it was just getting off to a start with players such
as AAA, communication was already rife across the global BBS networks
such as Fido. These message networks were widely used by the scene
to communicate with other group members, announce new releases,
and generally spread propaganda about a doodleboy's mother.
It was a tool which many took for
granted. But ask yourselves this: where would the scene be today
if it wasn't for BBSs and CMC? It simply just wouldn't exist,
meaning most of us would be leading normal, productive lives instead
of spending hours drawing funny little blocks or positioning ascii
characters on a screen.
 The
Internet brought new leaps forward to the artscene in terms of
CMC. Now one could communicate with someone in Europe to get their
art for the next pack via e-mail, or go onto IRC and get the same
file off them there. IRC itself was a major development in the
scene we have today. For the first time many scene goers could
talk in the one "room" to each other, exchanging stories,
humour, and abusive comments.
IRC also brought forward collaborative
art - where two people or more can produce a piece of artwork.
What was special about the art scene though was that these multiple
artists could be anywhere on the globe. One artist could be in
America, and another in Germany. Space between countries now meant
nothing, and that in itself was something special, something for
which the underground artscene
can take pride in.
 Blender
Kombat, a team based art tournament based on the original Blender
competitions is a great example of collaborative art. Two teams
log on to IRC and compete against each other, being allotted a
certain amount of time to draw a single piece of art, as a team.
The unique thing is that one member maybe in Sweden, one in Brazil
and another in America. The example to right shows this concept,
this being an part of entry from a match between the groups Mistigris
and Dark (click
for a bigger version).
The artscene also embraces new forms
of CMC without so much as to asking why they should. People now
setup Real Audio servers and broadcast shows, interacting with
other scene goers on IRC. Those on IRC can effectively program
the show real time (if the show owners listen to them). This form
of CMC dualing might be quite unique to the artscene - it wouldn't
be surprising if it was.
Global Communities
The Internet has many global communities
within it. A global community is really just like your average
community: a collection of people with similar interests interacting
and/or living in the same vicinity. Online communities are just
the same, with like-minded people sharing the same chat room or
usenet group. People become intertwined with each other on the
Net, that's what becomes addictive - the people you know, not
the medium.
From early on 'online communities'
have been a part of the artscene. On the local BBSs you could
find like minded people forming there own little communities or
groups. Many of the early art groups in America formed this very
way, people of similar interests, i.e.. ANSI, from the same area
code forming groups in which they could release their art work.
When the Internet became more prominent
these communities moved also into the IRC arena, populating #ansi,
#ascii, #hirez, and there respective group channels. Area codes
even made there own channels, such as #405 or #408.
IRC channels is where most of these
communities reside. The artscene hasn't really embraced Usenet
groups that much, only with the exception of alt.art.hirez (alt.art.ascii
being unrelated to the artscene).
Within each community there always
those who have more power or influence than others, say the new
family in the town or the 'newbie'. This is certainly true of
the artscene. Channel operators are usually thought of as the
'power holders' or councilors of there communities, and of course
have the power to kick out those who they feel are disrupting
their environment. Those who have been in the artscene for quite
some time also have respect shown towards them, and their views
on matters are taken seriously - they're the elders of the community
after all!
Newbies are not the favourite people
of all time within the artscene. Mostly those who try to join
the online community, or just one aspect of it, and scrutinized
heavily. If one should say the wrong thing or insult someone they
shouldn't have, then their chances of producing art within a group
or being 'accepted' is greatly diminished. A common default name
for newbies within the artscene is 'lamer'.
This dislike or fear (depending on
your point of view) of newbies in itself seems quite ridiculous,
since new artists is what is going to keep the scene alive. From
another stand point, keeping the lamers out is what is going to
keep the scene lively and different - unlike other communities
such as 'teens' (those who reside in #teenchat or #funfactory).
The Bulletin Board still isn't dead.
Many scenesters still operate there own boards. There is still
something magic about logging onto a board which as great ANSI
or ASCII art, something which the web can emulate given enough
time! Attempts at this kind of web/bbs mix of art was tried by
diezynik with mixed success.
In conclusion..
The underground artscene must be
seen as a unique entity, an online community which produces art
on the digital front, either by one's self or with another artist
thousands of miles away. The scene is a community which embraces
new ways of CMC and uses them without consequence, even using
to forms of CMC in parallel, to communicate and make its community
richer and more informed.
The underground artscene is CMC.
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