The art of James Paterson

Mastery of Macromedia's Flash application has become something of a status symbol among the young men and women forging the ever-growing World Wide Web. In some ways, it marks the We b's elite, those able to transcend the quiet simplicity of tables and text and transform the Web's sputtery ASCII information flow into a pixel-based riot of color and movement.

Web artist James Paterson is at the head of the pack. His site - which will soon be migrating to the presstube.com address, without leaving the Halfempty family of web producers - is a rich archival collection of Flash productions previously showcased in a variety of locations, including ha lfempty.com (Paterson's self-described "mothership") and Urban Desires.

Paterson's work (and the effect of the site as a whole) is nothing short of stunning, particularly for users accustomed to smooth dotcom commercial animation or the plain vanilla text-and-.jpgs look favored by so many online content publishers.

Paterson's work transforms the Web from something static to something kinetic - his Flash presentations are, at various times, reminiscent of kabuki, stand-up comedy, performance art and professionally-staged dance productions.

And while some of his productions use sophomoric (and/or scatological) humor in ways that don't entirely work, the site houses some breathtakingly smooth combinations of animation and music. They tackle a wide range of topics including sex, Kermit the Frog, sex, motherhood, sex, abstract explorations of color and movement, love, sex, and wronghole relations.

Techno accompanies Paterson's animation in ways that are neither incidental nor accidental - it's well coordinated with the onscreen action, and its dynamic feel greatly punches up the impact and quality of his pieces. The music is crisp and enjoyable, and it's combined with the site's contents in ways that are both deliberate and careful.

But one thing, and one thing alone, really sets the site apart, and that's the distinct feeling that a single guiding creative spirit deliberately forged it from start to finish. Paterson's animation style, once sampled, is unmistakable for anything el se on the Web. While its flowing, shimmering, playful and roughly-sketched feel bears a resemblance to the cartoons of Bill Plympton, it's rougher, more a bstract and less predictable.

Technical and stylistic details aside, Paterson does what artists are supposed to do - he communicates by creating his art, capturing real humor - and real emotion. "Lovestory" is perhaps his best and most affecting piece. A story of long-distance love and the Internet, it tells a moving tale that may be familiar to some habitual users of the Web. Many of his intro pieces are also quite effective, with Paterson's patented blend of minimalist (but dynamic) animation pairing off with his tried-and-true t echno beats to create brilliant little bits of dynamic eye candy.

As the Web matures, independent artists are being held to higher and higher standards by increasingly sophisticated users, and art collectives are becoming increasingly important tools for getting independent artists the recognition and community they deserve.

Look for James Paterson to be in the thick of things.

— James Norton (jim@flakmag.com)