Piotr Szyhalski's web project, Ding an Sich: The Canon Series, is comprised of more than ten animations that represent a response to Ding an Sich, or The Thing Itself, borrowing from Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.
The title and philosophical ground for the work refers to the concept of the "Thing Itself" defined by Immanual Kant in his "Critique of Pure Reason" as the reality of the thing--the essence beyond the knowledge of appearances. Ding an sich is unknowable through certainly existing, providing a unique angle for the contemplation of art in general, and specifically the relationships between artists, audiences, and the work itself
.--Piotr Syzhalski
Szyhalski uses the model of a musical score for his online animation, a work performed by the viewer. The voices of other artists, Joseph Beuys, John Cage, and Susan Sontag among others, can be heard as the canons unfold. For Szyhalski the inclusion of these voices connects back to Ding an sich, to the "role of other artists and their work as leader voices initiating cultural canons." The overlay of richly textured images and sound in each canon pulls the viewer into this virtual space of contemplation.
Artist and designer Piotr Szyhalski came to the United States in 1990 from his native Poland to teach at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He currently is on the faculty of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. His website The Spleen has been featured in The New York Times, Wired Magazine and Rolling Stone.