I saw a digital art piece in Chicago last week that made me rethink everything about the medium

It was a huge screen showing a cityscape that changed with the weather data from that exact spot. Last month, I would have called that a gimmick. But three years ago, I was just making simple character sketches in Procreate and thought that was the peak. This piece, called 'Breathing Grid', used real-time info to shift colors and shapes, and it felt alive in a way a static image never could. It made me realize how much digital art can be an experience, not just a picture. Has anyone else seen something recently that totally shifted what they think art can be?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarahb592mo ago

Wait, you saw it in Chicago last week? That piece was in a gallery here like five years ago. Are you telling me it's been running on a loop in the same spot this whole time? That's kind of wild. Does it feel different now with all the new weather data, or is it basically the same show? I guess the data changes, but man, that's a long time for one piece to just be running.

tessa8682mo ago

That sounds amazing, but calling your old Procreate sketches the "peak" is selling yourself short. A good character sketch has its own kind of life, it's just a different feeling. The breathing cityscape is a cool experience, but a well-drawn character can make you feel connected to a person who doesn't even exist. Both are totally valid, one isn't better than the other. It's just a different tool for a different job.

evah401d ago

Oh totally, that's such a good point. I had a similar thing happen with a charcoal drawing I did years ago, just some random girl's face, but people kept saying it felt more alive than my newer digital stuff. There's just something different about those raw sketches that hits different, ya know?