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Web Relic, the Animated GIF, Becomes Medium for Art

by Terrence O'Brien on December 23, 2009 at 08:28 AM

Web Relic, the Animated GIF, Becomes Medium for Art
More often than not, animated GIFs are reserved for quick chuckles. Cat portals, face palms, and even the occasional girl punch, are this limited media format's bread and butter. But the current crop of digital artists are turning to this former Net-annoyance to create Web-based art.

Sites like Rhizome, 8-Bit Today, and Nasty Nets dig through the deepest recesses of the Internet to find these oddball creations. Many of these artists go by aliases that recall the early days of message board handles and instant messaging screen names (e.g., Videogramo and Out 4 Pizza), and host their works at sprawling Web pages that are part portfolio, part art installations. Others opt to use their real names, and even occasionally find their works in respected galleries. Michael Bell-Smith, for instance, has been featured at the New Museum in New York.

Many pieces of animated GIF art are abstract designs, while others relish in their dated appearance -- incorporating '80s and '90s goth and cyberpunk influences as well as classic video game elements. Results often careen wildly from creepy and unsettling to oddly beautiful, but one thing is for sure: these looped images are worlds away from your average guinea pig nom-race. [From: Fast Company]

Tags: animated gif, animated gifs, AnimatedGif, AnimatedGifs, art, gifts, top

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