Miroslaw Rogalla

About

"A central concept of my artworks is 'freedom of speech.' My understanding of freedom and democracy is not only "rights"and "privileges" ­ the traditional definition in the USA ­ but also of responsibilities.
Interactive Media give audiences the "right" to work on the content and even on the form of the work; it also entails, in the shift of emphasis from artist to (v)user*, a shift of responsibility for the work. The participant's interactions therefore become integral to the work to the extent that the (v)user takes up that responsibility, chooses the amount of time and involvement each cares to give, and is rewarded accordingly. In this way creativity can be shared, and is integral to the work, but only when the (v)users learn, not just the interface mechanisms, but the principles of democratic responsibility for their actions as well.
This extends, in my most recent work, to have responsibility for the mutuality of social interactions, both with others in the same geographical space and now with (v)users linked via computer-mediated communication networks in remote locations. The intent of my works has grown from the individual¹s responsibility for his/her experience to the social construction of the work by multiple (v)users ­ a more complex model of democratic artistic experience ­ and finally towards the practical construction of an utopian network, in which the possibilities and demands of global media democracy can be explored. "

The themes of Miroslaw Rogala's work --personal identity, the duality between nature and technology, freedom and democracy -- can be incorporated into (v)user --viewer/user-- interactive spaces in ways that raise questions and reveal hidden relationships. Within the appropriate context and aesthetics, (v)user interactivity becomes a method through which an artist can connect conceptually and sensually with his audience.
There is a process inherent in the creation of an artwork that extends over a period of time. It is important to distinguish between a visual work produced on a canvas and the artistic process involved in creating interactive, large-scale participatory works in public environments. The process for interactive interfaces includes the use of varying and multiple forms of media, collaboration with other artists, performers, software and hardware developers, and keeping abreast of technologies.

Keywords: nature, technology, (v)user and (v)users, interactivity, boundaries, collaborations, media installations, hardware, software

from the artist's homepage

CV
2000 - 2001 Associate Professor, Brooklyn College / City University of New York; Director, PIMA/ Integrated Media Arts Progra
2000 Ph. D. in Interactive Arts, CAiiA-STAR Centre for Advanced Inquiry in the Interactive Arts, University of Wales , Newport , Wales
1994 - 1995 Artist in Residency Fellowship at ZKM in Karlsruhe, Germany (The Center for Art and Media Technology)

Karlsruhe , Germany ,
1983 MFA in Video, The School of the Art Institute in Chicago
1979 MFA in Painting, The Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow , Poland
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