Conclusion
With scientific precision Kandinsky described characteristics of point, line and plane in his book Point and Line to Plane. The goal of Kandinsky’s theory was “to find the living [and] to make its pulsation perceptible”. Kandinsky tries to engage the sight, emotion and mind of the public by using point, and line. That means creating a dialog between the viewer and the art work by using “perceptual signs”.
“Perceptual signs” evokes actions: to interpret meaning, to generate attention, to begin investigation of the world, and yourself. One of the definitions of interactivity explains this process as discovering “perceptual signs” and converting them into actions.
Visual perception plays an important role in finding and understanding “perceptual signs”. Susanne K. Langer explains that vision is dynamic and therefore we see movement that follows through design. We see movement when we look at forms that are not moving. Moreover, according to Susanne K. Langer we enter a virtual/imagined space when we look at the artwork. The nature of visual perception allows us to discover perceptual signs and to see and to feel the potential of action.
Kandinsky created a visual language that encodes our abstract world. This visual language allows making the liveliness of the line and point perceptible. He gave us a tool to create a new “living organism” out of primitive organisms (the point and the line). Arjen Mulder writes that Kandinsky figured out how the line operates in the two dimensional force field and interactive art continues its research.
How can media art be seen in the light of Kandinsky’s theory of interactivity?
In the book Point and Line to Plane Kandinsky gives examples of the point and the line in other forms of art than the painting. These examples are compared with today’s media art projects that explore the same forms of art.
Firstly, according to Kandinsky the point and the line can be used to translate music into graphical expression. Today’s media art explores these possibilities further. Some characteristics of point and line described by Kandinsky are instantly visible in examplesgiven. Project Messa di Voce translates sound into composition of points. In these project inner tensions of points makes them independently behave and release recorded sound. This characteristic of the point refers to Kandinsky’s idea of a smallest living organism – the point. Project Chorus created by United Visual Artist reveals another property of the point – the point’s ability to give birth to the line. Narrative 2.0 created by Matthias Dittrich allows people to experience music in a visual way. Artist translate music piece into lines. In this project lines give notion of time and space. Each projects described earlier grasps a part of characteristic that point and line have.
Secondly, Kandinsky writes that in the dance, the whole body and every finger draws lines. Moreover, the brief state of immobility of a dancer can be locked upon as point. These ideas of translating dance into graphic expression are visible in media art projects. Project Echo created by United Visual Artists translates dance performance into abstract forms. These forms are created out of points. As this performance is figurative, the point serves perfect to express every composition created by dancers. Project No Time to Fly is a good example of a translation of dancer’s movements into animated lines. Armin Weber created digital adaptation to a dance performance. He used motion tracking technology and then translates data into animated lines. This and two other examples discussed in a chapter Line in media art depict Kandinsky’s idea that dancers draw lines with body and every finger.
Thirdly, Kandinsky sees the line in nature. He shows schematic construction of his observations and elaborates that it is important to an artist to see how lines combine and form structures. These observations are visible in media art were artist simulate nature’s structures. Simulation allows creating something new by using laws of nature. Theo Jansen is developing animals that are able to survive unassisted. He uses genetic algorithm to optimize the lengths of bones (linear structures). Andy Lomas explores relationship between natural organic forms and their relationship to mathematical rules. In the project Aggregations artist explores shapes that are gradually grown by simulating paths (construction lines).
Fourthly, Kandinsky finishes his theory with describing the plane. The most important is that Kandinsky describes the plane as a living being. He explains that when the basic plane receives the right elements (the point, the line and its derivative) in a right order, this primitive living organism is transformed into a new living organism. Media art explores this “living” as well. Motion Phone creates an ability to communicate with each other with animated abstract forms. It shows how Kandinsky’s visual language can be applied in visual conversation. Users of this application can express his/her ideas by using form, rhythm and composition.
Finally, there is a part in Kandinsky’s theory that could hardly be applicable in media art. Kandinsky writes that method how the point, the line and the plane are created gives specific characteristics to them. For example, the point can be created with pencil by soft touch or hard expressive collision with the plane. That would give different characteristic to the point. Media art uses other methods to create the point. Earlier described, media art examples create the point, the line and the plane with algorithm. The material plane is also different from the one that is described by Kandinsky. Media art uses screens or space instead of material plane known to Kandinsky.
Kandinsky and media artists explore how the point, the line and the plane operate and what messages they transmit. In the given examples media art uses most of characteristic of the point, the line and the plane. Media art adds something more to what Kandinsky calls “the living”. In some described cases media art creates controls that allow users see how interactivity works.