Ray Beldner ATC Lecture at UC Berkeley

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âThe fact that everything is possible on the Internet reveals mankindâs true essence, the aspiration towards freedom.â âPierre Lévy, âCollective Intelligence: A Civilizationâ

The ubiquity of computers and access to the Internet has put the greatest libraries, image databases, and interactive tools at the fingertips of most artists working today. As a result, traditional artistic practice is exploding as artists explore the potential of these new technologies and incorporate them into their working methodologies.

In his talk, sculptor Ray Beldner describes the vital role the Internet plays in his own creative process. He presents examples of work in which he has mined porn websites, looking for âfine art,â and used online language translation programs like a game of telephone, to remake some of JFKâs greatest speeches to hilarious and ironic effect. He has even dabbled in the poetry of Google searches to create âFlarfâ verse, which he reads. These everyday uses of the Internet are only a few examples of how the web has liberated artistsâ understanding of âfoundâ materials and is leading to the greatest expansion and democratization of creative practice in our history."

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