Victor Liu: The life of American machines_
April 2004
Victor Liu: The life of American machines_
The life of American machines_ by Victor Liu features a live stream of “pris,” a virtual machine engaged in the continuous task of rebuilding herself. The project window displays the commands she executes and their output, such as downloading her own source code—which is freely available from various websites—and compiling it into her operating system and programs. In the original version, pris would be running on the Linux operating system, the latest Mozilla web browser, and the latest Apache web server, after several days. Once the rebuild is complete, pris reboots and begins the cycle again, endlessly repeating the same process. Creating an autonomous entity—capable of continuously reconstructing itself on the basis of open-source culture—Liu exposes the fundamental processes of the machines that increasingly run our lives.
The original pris is no longer online, and relied on Java applets that are not accessible. What's available is reconstructed from the Internet Archive.
Victor Liu (b. 1967; Taipei, Taiwan) studied physics, philosophy, and art at the University of California, Berkeley, and devoted himself to creating art in various mediums before focusing on information after moving to New York. His work has been featured in various publications and at venues including PS122 Gallery, New York (2024); FILE Electronic Language International Festival (2003), Brazil; the Boston Center for the Arts; and the Danish Film Institute, Copenhagen. He received an honorary mention in the VIDA 5.0 artificial life competition (2002).
Gate Pages
Every month from March 2001 to February 2006, the Whitney invited an artist or collective to present their work in the form of a “Gate Page” on artport. Each page was meant to function as a portal to the artist’s own sites and projects. The Gate Pages comprise a range of artistic approaches to the format—while some of them are designed as entry points to the respective artist’s website or promote a recently launched work, others take the form of a more complex stand-alone project.
Wherever necessary and possible, these works are made functional through emulation and reconstructions from the Internet Archive. Not all of them have been restored to their original state and their conservation is ongoing. You can also view the original Gate Pages archive to see how they were presented at the time of their creation.
artport
View more on artport, the Whitney Museum's portal to Internet and new media art.