Constant Dullaart, therevolvinginternet.com, 2010, animated page in domain name.
Screen capture by Katy Hamer, courtesy of the artist, 2012

Constant Dullaart is an artist based in Berlin, Germany and originally from the Netherlands. He has a performance schedule for May 24th, 2012 at 7pm at the New Museum in New York, sponsored by Rhizome. Dullaart makes work that is, shall we say, unexpected. So much so, that one may think that what they are looking at shouldn’t be happening. Unlike painting as a medium or three-dimensional media forming an actual structure or objects, Dullaart chooses to base the majority of his work in the virtual realm. He arrives at, what are to some extent, “happy accidents’ in coding that allow him to change the dynamic of a familiar image. Often, he purchases domain names of various websites whether they are .org, .com, etc., which could be mistakenly typed in, resulting in the web user arriving at one of his pieces.  The effect can be quite disarming, but not in a way that feels dangerous, surreal is a better description. One such example is the therevolvinginternet.com. When one enters the destination website, he or she is greeted with what looks like a Google search engine, rotating in a clockwise direction, accompanied by The Windmills Of Your Mind by Dusty Springfield. The effect is marvelous, as it takes the Internet user directly out of their comfort zone placing them front and center into an artwork. Dullaart raises the question of art vs. manipulation and begs the viewer to reconsider the proposed comfort and regularity they expect to find on the World Wide Web.

Constant Dullaart, therevolvinginternet.com, 2010, animated page in domain name.
Sceen capture by Katy Hamer, courtesy of the artist, 2012

Another work which raises a question within the realm of the Internet is wavingocean.com a web based gif with the ocean becoming a malleable, organic entity, moving in ways that are completely unnatural and unfamiliar for water. In the piece, the horizon becomes a Möbius strip. The water meets the sky, sans waves, in a rolling form that stretches towards pre-determined edges of the screen.  The effect, while less dizzying than therevolvinginternet.com is still other-worldly and unexpected. It’s in this moment of a delightful mix of anxiety and expectation when Dullaart is at his best.

Constant Dullaart, http://wavingocean.com, 2010, animated gif in domain name.
courtesy Collection Pieter Sanders and Gabriella Sancisi
Screen shot by Katy Hamer, courtesy of the artist, 2012

For his upcoming debut performance at the New Museum in New York, titled Terms of Service, the artist has chosen to remain somewhat hush hush. The piece will loosely deal with the new Terms of Service user agreements that are circulating through social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook.  What has been revealed is that Dullaart will be present, projecting the desktop of his computer screen in real-time on one of the gallery walls, may be playing or learning to play piano and there has been some rumor that he will give away the password to his own Facebook account, while keeping the account active. Stay tuned!

The performance is set for May 24th, 2012 at 7pm.
www.constantdullaart.com
www.newmuseum.org

Organized by Lauren Cornell, Executive Director of Rhizome and Adjunct Curator of the New Museum, the New Silent Series receives major support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. This program is made possible in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Additional support provided by the Mondriaan Foundation.

Constant Dullaart, HEALED_Eyjafjallajokull, 2011, 60x80cm 1/1
Image courtesy of the artist, 2012

More soon!
xo