Sundance Film Festival: New Frontier interactive art reaches past Main

Despite his crazy Internet art remixes and new media endeavors, Joseph Gordon-Levitt still loves tradition.

And for the child star who started acting at age 7, gained popularity with the late '90s romantic comedy "10 Things I Hate About You," and recently starred in the indie hit "(500) Days of Summer," tradition is about heading to a darkened movie theater on the weekend to soak up a full-length feature film.

Though technology constantly influences art for change, Gordon-Levitt said he appreciates all art, for the creative spirit is as old as time.

But Gordon-Levitt also has an itch for progress, pushing media arts forward as a participatory action for all people rather than an observable entity for the elite.

"What happened to the music industry is happening to film, whether we like it or not," Gordon-Levitt said. "My goal is to break down those previous barriers and open it (media art) up as something anyone can participate in."

Like-minded, unconventional cinematic artists from around the world have come together in pursuit of interactive art at Sundance Film Festival's New Frontier on Main. Part lounge, part art gallery, New Frontier on Main exhibits 12 artists' performances and installations, including Gordon-Levitt's new production company and collaborative media arts Web site, hitRECord.org.

The site allows visitors to submit their own footage, pictures, music and art to create cohesive multimedia projects.

For Gordon-Levitt's Sundance edition of his company, Sundance-goers can stop by his multimedia workshop, upload their art or remix other works of art, and then watch the process come together in a short multimedia work to be screened at the end of the festival.

"I think this is going to result in unprecedented cool works of art," Gordon-Levitt said. "Production can happen so much faster online and with so many people contributing."

Already, Gordon-Levitt has produced a short film called "Morgan M. Morgansen" — with a witty script written by a woman in Ireland, illustrations and photographs by hitRECord.org contributors, and acting done by Gordon-Levitt and his friend Lexy Hulme, a dancer from "(500) Days of Summer."

This mix of work done by "RegularJOE" (the hitRECord name for Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and true "average joes" of the World Wide Web is just the collaboration Gordon-Levitt said is essential to media art progress.

An equally audience-driven installation piece by Los Angeles artist and robot-maker Eric Gradman is on display in a neighboring exhibit at New Frontier on Main.