The works of Nam June Paik were
bold, relevant, and conceptually playful. In observing the world around him,
Paik latched on to the exponentially developing field of technology, and was
able to grow alongside it as an artist. His body of work stands as an insightful
counter-melody to the evolution of technology, as he examined the relationship
between human beings, culture, and up-to-date tech. His ideas and works were
visibly inspired by a comparison of the natural body and machine, as well as
the relationship between the simultaneous development of technology and human
thought and culture.
A great portion Paik’s work was
video art, as he experimented with camera use, editing, sound, and technological
presentation, which allows for a critique of his work in the context of
filmmaking.
In terms of his camera use, Paik’s
work has a very raw and natural feel. Many of his works were filmed with a
messy handheld approach. Some of his camera work is very shaky, moving around
the subject with quick jerky motions and utilizing jarring zooms (both in and
out). Nam’s collaborative works with Charlotte Moorman were very intimate in
nature and were comprised almost entirely of close ups and extreme close ups.
Paik used this raw form of shooting to capture images that usually involved the
human body (more often than not, in the nude). This style of shooting and
subject matter constructed the natural component of Paik’s two-part commentary
(technology and the natural human being).
The technological component of Nam
June Paik’s works was developed through his use of cameras, monitors,
microphones, and other devices, as well as his use of very artificial style of
editing (also achieved through technology). This editing included split screens,
looping, color distortions, and a multi-layering of transparent, super-imposed images.
These effects took the natural subject of the human body and manhandled it in
an overtly technological manner.
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