The mirror of the future is the webcam

Even fans of more classic fare have been seduced by works of webcam art. Daniel Rozin's interactive portraits, for instance, captivated the Catalan collector Julio Sorigué, who normally likes 19th-century works. The artist calls them "reactive mirrors" - their surfaces are made of wooden pieces, silvery spheres or CD fragments that are computer-controlled; a webcam takes the viewer's picture and immediately recreates the image on the 'mirror.'

"The work reflects what is standing in front of it, so fast that it creates a live animation," explains Rozin, who teaches art at New York University.

The possibilities of webcam art are such that the PhotoEspaña photography festival and the Canal Foundation have teamed up to create a competition with a 1,500 euro prize. The jury will look for the entry that displays the greatest originality and best exploits all of this tool's potential. So far over 560 entries have been submitted ahead of the May 27 deadline.

The same kind of enthusiasm is displayed by creators of innovative and poetic work such as John Gerrard, whose portraits can follow the movements of the sun and moon with their eyes; or Carlo Zanni, whose self-portraits were shown at Es Baluard museum in Palma de Mallorca.

The drive of webcam art is such that two other leading festivals, OFFF in Madrid and Barcelona, and Sónar in Barcelona and A Coruña, will address the topic in a joint exhibition, Other Mirrors. Artists including Joshua Davis, Aram Bartholl and Marnix de Nijs will attempt to answer questions such as how does technology portray us? And what elements of our identity - image, movement, character - does it use to do so?