About Blink! Light, Sound and the Moving Image:

The focus of "Blink! Light, Sound and the Moving Image" at the Denver Art Museum is on high-tech art created in the last 30 years. Jill Desmond, the curator of the exhibit, said the artists are "bringing life to static objects using video." As an example, "Looker II" is a electronic artwork with two video clips of human eyes confronting the viewer.

Another artwork that stretches the concept of interactive art is "Chamber," a site-specific installation that consists of a computer program that projects video on 10 channels to an entire room.

The artwork by Charles Sandison "will be continuously modifying itself and changing itself," said Christoph Heinrich, the director of the Denver Art Museum.

Technology and Art:

One of the hardest challenges for "Blink!" was the rapid pace of technological obsolescence in the past three decades. "Blink!" may be one of the last places to find an old-fashioned television set, and the video montage of rotary phones in "Telephones" may invoke nostalgia.

"We had to buy what I think were the last 20 CRT monitors in the United States," said Koven Smith, director of technology for the Denver Art Museum. The monitors are part of the installation for "Still Men Out There" by Bjørn Melhus, a statement on the fictionalization of war that uses sound clips from Hollywood films synced to CRT monitors.

Conservation of Digital Art:

Although a relatively new field, digital art still requires conservation. Sarah Melching, the director of conservation at the Denver Art Museum, pointed to "Electronic Fish" by Nam June Paik.

The artwork features a wooden television console, and originally picked up analog signals from television stations and played sounds in the background with a cassette player.

Upgrading the 1986 artwork for the 21st century required installing a digital media player to replace the cassette player, as well as a tuner to pick up digital television signals. "I think we've been very faithful to Paik's artwork," said Melching.

QR Code Readers:

"Blink!" also incorporates the latest high-tech trend with QR codes embedded in some descriptions of the artwork. The two-dimensional bar code can be scanned by smart phones, which will then take users to a website with more information about the piece.

"This show presented a unique opportunity to break in new technology," said Smith. According to Smith, the museum can track how many visitors scan the QR code. Android phones already come enabled with a reader, and iPhone users can download a free reader such as BeeTag.

Museum Location, Hours and Admission:

Location:
Denver Art Museum
100 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy
Denver, CO 80204
720-865-5000

Hours:
Tues. - Thurs. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Fri. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sun. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
"Blink! Light, Sound and the Moving Images" is included in regular admission. The Denver Art Museum is closed on Mondays.

Admission:
Colorado Residents: Adults $10, Seniors/Students $8, Youth $3
Out-of-State Residents: Adults $13, Seniors/Students $10, Youth $5
Admission for children under 5 is free for residents and non-residents alike.
Admission is free for Colorado residents of all ages the first Saturday of every month.