Cory Arcangel: Pro Tools opens Thursday at The Whitney. Here are some interviews in advance:
I Sing the Gadget Electronic, New York Times
“There’s something inherently absurd about people sitting in front of their TVs and controlling a virtual 3-D representation of themselves bowling a ball down a lane,” he said. In modifying his games so that their characters are destined to fail, he said, he’s used advanced technology to unspectacular ends, so “all you’re left with is a repeated, infinite letdown.”
Futurism, The New Yorker
We had an Atari early on, but we never had a Nintendo. I’d watch my friends play when I went to their houses, but that’s it. I think that’s why my pieces are about watching, not interacting.”
The Joys of Obsolescence, New York magazine For the series “Photoshop Gradient Demonstrations,”Arcangel took the titular computer files—rectangles of color, fading from one tone into the next, intended as guides for graphic artists—and ordered them made into the enormous, gallery-quality color photographs known as C-prints. You might mistake them for Ellsworth Kelly–ish paintings until you realize that the gradients are standard-issue with the software, with no inherent artistic content. “I realized that it doesn’t make sense to only use old stuff, because everything’s gonna be old at a certain point,” says Arcangel. “In twenty years, my C-prints might look tacky. In 40 years, they might be kitschy.”