First Artist: Mehmet Atkins

Reincarnation from Memo Akten on Vimeo.

Reading about the works of Mehmet Akten, it was the description of his work that kept my attention and interest, usually being deterred from digital artists. A source states that Akten’s work “focuses on creating emotional and memorable experiences”. I had never before thought of a digital artist being emotionally compelling, leading me to look further into the works of Atken. Growing up in Istanbul Turkey, the artist was fascinated by the “hack demo-scene” of the 80s. It was this that inspired his interest in programming music and graphics demos. After collecting a Bachelors of Science in Engineering, Atken moved to London where, after a five-year run working for the video gaming industry, created his own studio, the Mega Super Awesome Visuals Company. Mehmet Akten is currently working on personal projects, collaborations, research and commercial projects. The artist “designs and develops tools to explore new forms of interaction and pursue natural approaches to artistic expression via digital domain”. He displays his work through large-scale interactive installations, also broadening his creation from personal art to mobile applications.

"Body Paint" Installation at "Clicks or Mortar", March 2009 from Memo Akten on Vimeo.

The artist creates several different styles of work using digital media. Many of the pieces he creates are interactive, involving the movement of a human to trigger the image of the piece. His work is about creating connections and involving performance art in visual art through a developing form of art: digital media. The programs Akten makes wonderfully display the connections between each motion of the dancer and each beat of the songs with a unique and colorful visual.

Amoeba Dance from Memo Akten on Vimeo.

I enjoy the concept of the artists work. Community art and interactive art ha always been very impressive to me, but things such as video games have always been a poor representations of interactive “art”. To involve those coming into an exhibit featuring his work gives the viewer a chance to be the artist and to experience a part of Akten’s creative mind. All of his works contain a good aesthetic appeal to them. Examining his piece “Body Paint”, specifically “Clicks or Mortar”, one can see the movements of the dancer projected onto the screen. It creates a flow of paint on the canvas that lingers, creating the impression of the dancer. The visual of the body pose that lingers as the dancer creates the next movement inspires an interest in the art and the artist that I had not yet experienced in digital media.

Gold demo from Memo Akten on Vimeo.

Overall, I really enjoy the work of Mehmet Akten. Although I took issue with some music choices and the attire of the dancer, as I feel it distracts from the wall itself, the overall ideas behind his programs are interesting and appeal to not only those interested in digital media, but also those in performance art, community art, and painters themselves.