Daniel Stringer

Ecological Ethics: Politics and communication in Andrej Tišma's Web.Art

Anyone interested in understanding the political, artistic and ethical situation in the world today could start by looking at the Web.Art of Serbian artist Andrej Tišma. He offers an insight into complex issues with intelligence and creativity particular to his local situation but with international relevance. After experiencing his work you will feel compelled to consider your own circumstance and role in global society. Here I will begin to explain some background concerning the history and context of Tišma’s art followed by examples. His work however is vast and would need more space than is available here for a substantial representation that it deserves.

Tišma has a history of involvement in networked, communications-based art as seen in his mail art from the 70’s and 80’s to his early inclusion and participation in Internet Art projects and histories. He is therefore on these terms a respected producer and commentator on both movements. Tišma’s work follows the tradition of mail art and is part of a strand of Internet Art based on communication, collaboration and democracy rather than another formal and media-installation orientated variety of Internet Art that is also practiced. He is responsive to global events, producing art works reacting to situations concerning international politics, globalisation and the separation of individuals from the political process. The net as a medium allows for alternative opinion to spread as quickly as the media spin so typical of contemporary politics.

 Ecology: geopolitics, society and the Internet

Ecology has been important to Tišma's work dating back to his mail art project 'Nature Gives...' in 1992 which served as a homage to nature and brought attention to catastrophic situations in the world. Since then he has expressed an extended interest in 'ecology', that is, relationships between living things and their environment or as Tišma puts it, “ecology is not only about clean air, water and healthy food but also about clean social relations and ethically clean deeds”.

Globalisation is an example of how these relationships are upset. Vast differences between rich and poor countries result in manipulation and corrupt use of national powers to further increase corporate expansion. This hovers above all and with it comes massive opposition in the form of demonstrations degenerating into riots by extremists and heavy-handed security forces. The enclosed and secret situations whereby ministers and corporate bosses discuss the future composition of the global economy, which in turn effects the lives and well being of many in exploited nations, causes distress amongst citizens excluded from the political process who turn to the streets. Tišma's work acts as a constructive protest, a creative healing process to both the lives of individuals and the sour relations cultivated between rulers and the ruled. His work sets a positive example of how communication and creativity provide the means to comment on ones position in the world.

The role of Art Institutions is also an important issue when considering Web.Art. Their privilege as brokers on art presentation and production is an authority the avant-garde has sought to dismantle. Internet Art, and Mail Art before it, seeks in the tradition of the avant-garde to operate independently of such institutions by producing a direct and immediate art form experienced between the creator and viewer without mediation or censorship. Tišma’s work exploits this situation enabling a critique easily communicated and digested. A networked community exists on the Internet and serves to lubricate artistic practices by providing a context for production and consumption of works.

Web Works

Tišma adopts a particular language suitable for the Internet sometimes appropriated from the targets of his critique or constructed as a game or puzzle imbued with humour and irony, often simple but direct. ‘New World Odour’ (*1) and ‘Adult censored Pics’ (*2) are both works imitating commercial web sites with a difference. The former presents a series of perfumes with cleverly worded marketing slogans and strategic names. For example a scent called IMF is accompanied with the description, “When you are in poor spirits and a bad mood this scent will give you the needed illusion of happiness.” The same goes for U.S.A.,  “it smells a little bit strange, in big amounts even disgusting. So use it very carefully or it could drive away your best friends.” These examples act as a snide but apt remark concerning their practices. Other varieties of perfume are included each with a name mimicking an institution of the New World Order complete with an adequate message. This piece acts as a light-hearted but serious comment on the forces of globalisation.  

‘General Vision’(*3) heads Tišma’s ‘American Nightmare’ (*4) series on the web site. The page is divided into images showing the NATO General Clarke’s head and his military badges.  Firstly users are instructed to test his senses by clicking on parts of his eyes, nose and ears. Images below the face change to depict devastating incidents, artillery and bombers from the military campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999. This symbolically replaces Clarke’s badges of achievement and status with gross acts committed during the war. In ‘testing’ his eyes, nose and hearing, the user is made aware of the senselessness of the acts committed. One is encouraged to imagine what generals actually see and hear and at what level they experience wars conducted at their command.

Within these web works the user is an active component reading and untangling the web specific languages whilst watching Tišma's ideas and beliefs unfold. Questions are raised concerning the users own opinions, confronting and challenging their position. In combining language with structure and ideas Tišma has ensured a successful artwork whereby the viewer leaves the piece but retains the message and purpose of it. In this case the ethical principles, an awareness of ones circumstances and the ability to engage with ones social and political environment. This is marked by Tišma’s personal experience as an individual in a society suffering as a result of the current geopolitical situation.  Only by confronting such difficult issues will it be possible to repair and heal the damaged social ecology. That is the position held by Tišma as understood through his works all of which must be experienced for a complete understanding of his concerns, wit and creativity. ­

1 - http://www.webheaven.co.yu/art/nwo.htm

2  - http://www.webheaven.co.yu/art/adult.htm

3 - http://www.webheaven.co.yu/nato/general.htm
http://artcontext.org/act/01/vision/

4 - http://www.webheaven.co.yu/tisma/webart1.htm

                    (Objavljeno u Internacionalnoj reviji SIGNAL No. 25-26-27, 2003).