Paul Kaiser & Shelley Eshkar

Paul Kaiser and Shelley Eshkar are digital artists whose collaborations combine motion-capture with dance, sometimes in the form of installations and other times as projections for the stage. Their work embraces the artistic views and ideals I believe New Media art embodies. The duo’s work is very much infused with technology and personalized computer programs, but it does not exude from it. Most of Kaisers’ and Eshkars’ work has a painterly free flowing or realistic feeling. This may be because much like myself Kaiser and Eshkar research explores several mediums such as literary sources, human motion, and everyday images/routines to gain inspiration and direction for projects.

The work titled “Pedestrian” is the main piece that lured me to Kaisers’ and Eshkars’ work. I was entranced by the miniature realistic looking characters and unusual camera view of the animation. “Pedestrian” is an animated video loop that is usually projected on the floor or wall. The video places the viewer as an omniscient observer, suspended in space panning over urban street scenes and parks were the viewer can witness the movements of the city’s inhabitants.
This is similar to other New Media artist works in that it contains the sense of surveillance or invading ones privacy. Kaisers’ and Eshkars’ “Pedestrian” examines human routine, behavior, and mentality of crowds in an urban setting successfully because of the previous research performed for projects to have the best possible outcome. The combination of trompe l'oeil illusion and realistic nature gives the piece a reflective or dream quality.