One could be forgiven for mistaking the launch party for the art and technology partnership between LG and the Guggenheim Museum for a fancy party.
There were people in gold lamé jackets, drag queens, dozens of socialites in stilettos, camp hats, throbbing dance music, multicolored lights, and copious amounts of alcohol. But near the center of the Guggenheim Museum's iconic, cavernous main hall was an unusual exhibit that appealed even to those who had no idea what it was or even why they were there, other than enjoying a noisy New York luxury party. .
The screen, actually six, was from LG. Set up as, naturally, an art installation on a slightly raised platform, the range of 55-inch, 40% transparent OLED screens made, LG says, its world premiere here at the launch event.
For LG Display (a separate entity from its parent company, LG Electronics), making displays flexible and transparent and placing them in unusual configurations is nothing new. The company basically makes art out of these mutable panels. At recent events at CES, I've seen screens roll into boxes, curl into waves, and bend into almost flower-like shapes. Transparent OLEDs are at the forefront of this technology, but have appeared in commercial spaces.
Image 1 of 7
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)Image 1 of 7
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)
Image 1 of 7
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)
Image 1 of 7
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)
Image 1 of 7
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)
Image 1 of 7
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)
Image 1 of 7
(Image credit: Future/Lance Ulanoff)
Image 1 of 7
For the partygoers, though, it was a fun, brief moment of techno interaction. While the words and drawings played on the screens, the participants went behind the screens and, since they already looked like models, posed. When I asked one of them if they knew anything about the displays, they noticed the hashtags running through them: #YCC, which stands for Young Collectors Council (the official name for what is apparently an annual party), and #LGDisplay. , which is self explanatory.
Partygoers stopped by long enough to know that this event was truly about the intersection of art and technology. Guggenheim Chief Curator Naomi Beckwith announced the collaboration, explaining to the still-buzzing crowd that, along with new partner LG, they were launching a new Art and Technology initiative, a 5-year mission to help support young designers who merge art and technology. . in new and exciting ways.
The Initiative will select one artist per year working in these media to receive an honorarium of €100,000.
Beckwith called it "An unprecedented investment in technology as a true artistic medium."
Technology and art have a long history together. It could be argued that even before the advent of the computer, the act of creation has always required innovation in materials, media, and techniques. But we may be at a turning point. The introduction of NFT (Non-Fungible Token), for example, allows artists to create unique digital versions of their art and sell ownership that can be tracked and verified on the Blockchain. It's hard to imagine a deeper fusion of art and technology than this. Unsurprisingly, Beckwith mentioned NFT art, as well as virtual reality, in his comments on what kind of art would support the initiative.
I met a guy, Michael Fischer, who has a Ph.D. from Stanford University. student (also the guy in the gold jacket and sun hat), who starts a Crypto Database company. He found out about the party from a friend and wasn't there to make business contacts. Fischer also seemed to have little use for NFTs. He said something about 90% of crypto gambling being scams, but he is clearly focusing on the 10% that are not.
However, few in the party could describe themselves as LG or even art fanatics. Many of them were part of an anonymous collective of New York partygoers who share information about fancy parties, which often take place at places like The Frick, The Whitney Museum and the Guggenheim. They're all well enough to pay the €350 entrance fee (one woman told me she attends three such parties a week).
Most seemed more interested in each other than the ad or LG's display technology. Still, as the night wore on, many began donning the required face masks and climbing the Guggenheim's winding ramps to peruse the art on the upper floors. They found works by contemporary artists and masters, including Picasso and Monet. None of them used technology to create their art, but I'm sure if the masters were alive today, they would appreciate the efforts of LG and the Guggenheim.
LG Display technology is found in LG Electronics 4K TVs. Check out the best of her new outfits here.