We are always seeing continuous and smooth transformations in CG, even
on the web, with shockwave, java, etc… and yet it is precisely the
very visible breaking down of images into component pixels which gives
the sensation of mutable memory in "Adelaide"–a new work for the net by
artist/curator Simon Faithfull.

Adelaide exists on what will eventually be the new web site of the
Chisenhale Gallery, London. The Chisenhale website "ch2" is currently
being produced by e-2: who are Simon Faithfull, Peter Moore, and Mark
Brown–"bringing together the respective skills of an artist/curator, an
Internet producer and a graphic designer." e-2 also run
"Container-Ship," a commissioning web project dedicated to net based
art. Last week I asked Simon about Adelaide, e2, ch2, and future
commissions…

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Aurora Lovelock: What inspired Adelaide?

Simon Faithfull: Mouse drawings (or now track-pad drawings) have been
part of my practice for a while. Peversly, I enjoy using an antiquated
drawing program as this, with its pixilated line, brings to the surface
the building blocks, almost texture, of a digital image. I enjoy the gap
between the personal nature of "doodles" and the anonymous "bitty"
recording of this information. A large part of drawing in a conventional
sense has been to do with the pencil line being an authentic and unique
record of the artists hand. In this case, even though the track pad does
faithfully translate this act into low grade digital information, there
is of course now no authentic original.

In Adelaide I wanted to highlight this further. By simply shrinking and
re-expanding the image in a series of stages, it loses information at
every step–coming ever closer to one fat pixel. Does this final pixel
contain an essence of the original drawing?

To form Adelaide I simply arranged these images so that on clicking one
moves through the series, each image dissolving into its digital
constituents and then slowly reforming into the next drawing in the
sequence. Although each consecutive image is summoned by the viewer, he
or she can not go back and so is not able to control the ebb and flow of
the digital myopia–not knowing for sure which is the final "complete"
image until it has in fact gone.

As such, Adelaide comes to deal with the fragility of memory. I've been
interested in how a part of the driving force behind technology has been
an attempt to augment our own internal hard disks. The drawings hint at
a narrative, but one which in fact never quite solidifies. The drawings
hang in the limbo of cyberspace in a way that seems to mimic how half
remembered scenes hang in the folds of our memory.

AL: it is interesting that the work explores the basics of drawing and
the digital image, and yet it has this enjoyable absurdity too.

SF: most of my work does (i hope), I guess the other thing that I should
say is that Adelaide was concieved as an accompanying piece to my show
"Hertford Union" in the chisenhale physical space and so shares some of
that piece's gloomy absurd humour

AL:how long have you been making art using computers?

SF: tricky… I got over tecnophobia whilst doing an MA at reading
94/96. I found this anagram generator which spawned 20 anagram aliases
of my name which became the basis for an going piece of work. Since
leaving I've published various books using the pixal drawings but this
is the first time I've made a web based piece.

AL: when you refer to "hints of narrative" do you think that it is a bit
like a computer game–pixels versus the hand of the artist? The
pixelized shapes have a dynamic quality, i can imagine making a drawing
and the pixels deciding not to co-operate ;)

SF: i think that's what I like, the fact that they are trying so hard to
understand each other and failing

AL: Who are E2?

SF: e-2 is a digital arts production group, its remit to develop
innovative arts projects within electronic media. Working with
organisations and individual artists, e-2 seeks to develop the Internet
and other digital media as spaces for contemporary art and culture.

e-2 originally grew out of the ongoing digital arts project
Container-ship which was commissioned by a Japanese arts organisation
NMP. e-2 has recently received funding both from the Arts Council (for a
next round of Container-ship commissions) and London Arts Board for a
collaboration with Chisenhale Gallery to produce another curated digital
space (called "ch2").

AL: do you see cyberspace as a repository; a dynamically updating,
changing environment, or both?

SF: both. cyberspace is definitely a dynamically updating medium which
of course has to be addressed. If, however, the work is any good it
should still have meaning when the technology has moved on and left it
behind. C-ship was conceived almost as a Marie Celest in cyber space. As
such it begins with a post dated feel–it would be good if it builds to
be not only a collection of interesting art but also becomes a document
charting the passing waves of web development. Ultimately there will
come a time when c-ship will sink beneath the waves–but not quite yet.

AL: can you tell me anymore about the next containership commissions?
When are they expected to be online?

SF: we're currently completing a project by Susan Collins called
Cruisin' which should be launched in late spring:

Susan Collins, "Cruising": Building upon her piece In Conversation,
Collins' project Cruising further explores issues of interaction in
digital space. Choosing to view the commission as a site-specific
project, Collins has inhabited Container-ship with a roaming chat-space.
On entering this space one encounters both other visitors and an
on-board cast of five "intelligent" programmed characters. These
characters ask and respond to questions, generally engaging the visitor
in idle chat fuelled by the tedium of the mid-ocean. Ultimately, it is
unclear who is real and who is digital. In its addictive nature,
Cruising examines our need for human interaction and how in cyber-space,
we sometimes require little to satisfy this need.

the next round will be Anna Best and Janice Kerbal in the summer 99

AL: can you tell me anymore about "ch2"? When will it be online? can you
talk about the kind of space it will be? will you be involved in a
curatorial role?

SF: There will be two commissions coming online in September and
December 99. Unlike c-ship the space will only contain one piece at a
time and they will only be online for a short period after which they
will never appear on the web again. ch2 is a collaboration between the
two bodies so yes I am involved in the curation, as are the chisenhale
in the design of the space.