still from Sip My Ocean, 1996, audio/video installation, Pipilotti Rist
How can we use new media creatively? I think as with any other material, when first introduced there is both a curiosity and fear. To really understand how one can be "creative" with a material, it's necessary to be able to freely experiment and explore the possibilities for a material - what can it do for you? how might it work with your ideas? Although video, film, audio, the internet even are all technologies that are commonplace to us now, not everyone feels comfortable with the idea of using it for their work, within their work, or as a possible medium for their ideas. The issue may lie within the nature of technology - it requires more skills-based exploration (similar to photography) - as opposed to the simple act of scribbling with a crayon, or color with a marker. It is not to say, however, that it's not possible for new media to have that same effect - that we can continue to build on. The other great news about the internet and about technology is that there is a whole community of people, with tutorials and lessons all of their own that can foster and support new ideas. I think to use new media creatively, we must approach it not with trepidation about our own skills within it, but with the same open-mindedness we have about other materials and mediums.
