Old and New Media

By Miao Xiaochun

Translated by Hao Yanjing

The expression form of works done by new media is different from that of traditional ones. I think the relation between the traditional and new media is not necessarily that we have to choose one against another, but there could be inheritance and further development. I can reproduce a form in the art history by digital means. Outwardly, there may be some similarities between the two, but inside they are worlds apart.

For example, I am always interested in Chinese ink painting, but I didn’t find a way to work it out in computer until now. By digital ink, the Chinese ink painting features both delicate drawing and freehand splash. Previously, delicate drawing required thin silk or rice paper with alum coating, which is not good for freehand splash; splash brushwork, on the other hand, chose unprocessed rice paper, on which you are unable to outline the object with exquisite lines. You can not sell the cow and drink the milk. The digital ink, however, makes that possible, driving me excited.

What makes me even more exhilarated is that this possibility can go on continuously. .It only requires energy, time and enough enthusiasm.

3D digital Ink and Wash Painting

My obsession with “Line” is perhaps rooted in the high regard I hold for traditional Chinese painting. Nearly all the collective art experiences from around the world have at some point gone through a stage in which “line” constitutes the dominant form of expression. However, with traditional Chinese painting it seems that far more emphasis is placed on the incomparable expressive power of the line, because it is at the same time so concise yet it can eloquently express the essence of anything in its totality.

For the past three years since 2005, I have sat in front of my computer every day, working with 3D software to build models and using all these models to construct a 3D virtual world. Points are connected to form a line, then lines to form a surface, and then the whole thing is re-rendered into a seemingly real object. Then one day I thought ‘why not use the lines directly to make an art work?’ These lines depict the contours of an object’s fundamental shape and also reveal the beauty of form. I am particularly excited about printing these lines on Xuan paper in order to simulate the beauty of traditional line drawing, but achieving it with a modern inkjet printer and ink instead of using a traditional Chinese brush and ink.

3D drawings differ from the traditional line drawings because the latter depict only the visible aspect, as it would be seen from the viewer’s perspective. Anything that is obstructed from view or not directly in the viewer’s line of sight is not necessarily shown. Whereas objects in 3D line drawings are, in effect, transparent as the viewer can gaze through them to what is behind them.

Because of the nature of software and computer calculations used in 3D drawing, all the contours of the objects are visible, regardless if they are at the back of an object or concealed behind other objects. This yields a transparent and three-dimensional appearance. Even with a face in profile, viewers will be able to see both eyes, not just the one on the side of the viewer. This, in a way carries a taste of Cubism, reminiscent of Picasso’s paintings, portraying both eyes on the same side of a profile portrait. But for computers and software, all this is just a matter of course; there is no requisite reason or –ism, it is purely something essential.

The beauty of traditional line drawing, Cubism from the early last century and technological wonders of the 21^st century encounter unexpectedly, running into each other!

Drawing

Originally, drawing is a study of natural form and structure. In that case, the improvisation and incompleteness of drawing will be discarded after the work is done. Nowadays, however, we come to realize that drawing can also be an independent expression.

In my work, drawing is only necessary in expression instead of function. Now that we can draw a picture facing the natural world, we can do the same in the virtual world. The only difference is that it is a process of retroaction in the latter case. Every sketch has a computer diaphragm around it which indicates that the image is formed in the computer before being drawn, so that my drawing is opposite to the traditional ones, despite of using the same tool- a pen or a pencil.

Embroidery

When 3D software is used to make a piece of work, the first step is to form a surface by gridlines. Different colours distinguish various objects. With colorful gridlines changing before my eyes, especially when lines of different color lap over each other, the image is just like the embroidery. One day I made up my mind to fix the variably colored gridlines in accordance with traditional forms of hand embroidery.

I am not clear to what extent has the computer replaced handicraft. But at least in the above way, my embroidery combines the computer with handicraft. The work is quite time-consuming and energy-consuming, because the women workers have to embroider all the gridlines generated by the computer.

Sculpture

The fact that all my works are done by 3D software means that, with a proper output way, all virtual 3D forms can become real—the sculpture in traditional meaning. This is 3D printing technology, used to be applied to industrial modeling, which I think can also serve arts.

I did not discover all charms of this idea completely yet, but I am convinced that it absolutely deserves further experiment. .