Apart from being a beautifully-done mixed-media piece, there is alot of symbolism in Evelien Lohbeck's 'Noteboek'; the notebook,usually a diary or a personal belonging, becomes 'hyperlinked' to millions of possible opportunities, such as youtube, a mirror,a scanning device, and even a way to make toast. Something useful for only one task, notably writing, becomes a multi-task swiss-army knife, representing the consumer world we live in. Just like cell-phones that are also gameboys, mp3's, and camera, the notebook is no longer a personal aspect of one's life, but a means of discovery, a pragmatic way of living.
What amazed me was not just drawing a youtube web-page on a notebook; it was playing a scene from real life on the hand-drawn youtube web-page, adding to the layers of depth and complexity of this work. It echoes Edgar Allen Poe's "A dream within a dream", and our fascination for 'layers of reality'(one huge pop culture example of this is the Matrix).
What struck me even more was a certain vanity in using the notebook to such ends; what could be used to write an essay, or read your old childhood love letters becomes a pointless, entertaining tangent on Youtube, a self-absorption in front of a mirror, and a new albeit sad way to make lunch.
This de-romanticizing of particular items in our lives comes from piling too many functions into one confused, almost purposeless mega-product. The feel of a pan-handle as you cook is gone, and the marvelous studying opportunities online are ironically vanquished by YouTube.
However, much of this work was painstakingly done by hand, and I was very glad to have seen a new and interesting example of convergence culture.
Apart from being a beautifully-done mixed-media piece, there is alot of symbolism in Evelien Lohbeck's 'Noteboek'; the notebook,usually a diary or a personal belonging, becomes 'hyperlinked' to millions of possible opportunities, such as youtube, a mirror,a scanning device, and even a way to make toast. Something useful for only one task, notably writing, becomes a multi-task swiss-army knife, representing the consumer world we live in. Just like cell-phones that are also gameboys, mp3's, and camera, the notebook is no longer a personal aspect of one's life, but a means of discovery, a pragmatic way of living.
ReplyDeleteWhat amazed me was not just drawing a youtube web-page on a notebook; it was playing a scene from real life on the hand-drawn youtube web-page, adding to the layers of depth and complexity of this work. It echoes Edgar Allen Poe's "A dream within a dream", and our fascination for 'layers of reality'(one huge pop culture example of this is the Matrix).
What struck me even more was a certain vanity in using the notebook to such ends; what could be used to write an essay, or read your old childhood love letters becomes a pointless, entertaining tangent on Youtube, a self-absorption in front of a mirror, and a new albeit sad way to make lunch.
This de-romanticizing of particular items in our lives comes from piling too many functions into one confused, almost purposeless mega-product. The feel of a pan-handle as you cook is gone, and the marvelous studying opportunities online are ironically vanquished by YouTube.
However, much of this work was painstakingly done by hand, and I was very glad to have seen a new and interesting example of convergence culture.