In a 2006 Time Out magazine group interview conducted by Lauren Cornell, another crucial figure in the development of Post Internet art, Marisa Olson speaks about her work not being “on the Internet,” but, rather, “after the Internet… the yield of my compulsive surfing and downloading.” Here are some key exchanges between Cornell and Olson from the interview:
LC: When artists started working online, the internet wasn’t nearly as assimilated into everyday life as it is now. Popular culture is clearly influenced by e-mail, blogs, ebay and social software like myspace. Do you use these platforms in your work?
MO: In between my jobs, art and personal life, I’m online nearly 24/7. I think my recent work and that of many of my peers puts this consumption on display. I frequently work in blog format. In American Idol Audition Training Blog, I documented my attempt to become a contestant on the TV show. I was simultaneously indulging in and critiquing media culture.
LC: Does internet art need to take place online?
MO: No. What I make is less art “on” the Internet than it is art “after” the Internet. It’s the yield of my compulsive surfing and downloading. I create performances, songs, photos, texts, or installations directly derived from materials on the Internet or my activity there.
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Olson delineates Internet art from Post Internet art. Internet art is on the Internet; post Internet art is after the Internet.