内容説明
Since Ars Electronica's inception, the evolution of the artistic, historical, and theoretical works presented has been documented in a series of publications that remain crucial to any understanding of media art. Drawing on the abundant and inventive resources of those publications and on Ars Electronica's archives, this anthology collects the essential works that form the core of a contemporary art long dismissed as too technical or inaccessible. The book includes a critical introduction, full bibliography, and texts and artworks from the key figures in the field. Among the many contributors are Robert Adrian, Roy Ascott, Jean Baudrillard, Heidi Grundmann, Donna Haraway, Kathy Huffman, Friedrich Kittler, Knowbotic Research, Myron Kruger, Laurent Migonneau, Sadie Plant, Florian Rtzer, Paul Sermon, Carl Sims, Christa Sommerer, Woody Vasulka, Paul Virilio, Peter Weibel, and Gene Youngblood.
This is the inaugural book in the new series Electronic Culture: History, Theory, and Practice.
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The essays are divided into three areas--history, theory, and practice--and range in topics from an essay Robert Moog presented in 1984 called "MIDI--What It Is and What It Means to Electronic Artists" to the Critical Art Ensemble's "Slacker Luddites" presented in 1995. There are excerpts from Otto Piene's writings on his Sky Art and a brief description of Karl Simm's interactive "evolutionary" art, in which pieces of computer code "propagate" to form new images in a form of "survival of the aesthetically fit." Steve Mann discusses his work in Humanistic Intelligence that "challenges the notion of environmental intelligence and ubiquitous surveillance machines" and focuses on wearable devices such as his wireless Web cam that makes "smart people" rather than "smart rooms."
The authors include artists, cultural philosophers, theorists, and educators in computer science and artificial intelligence and researchers in virtual reality, telecommunications, and media. While casual readers may find the sparsely illustrated, scholarly writing too technical and theoretical, those in the community of digital/electronic arts will be happy to have this convenient collection. --Angelynn Grant
Topics covered: Essays from Ars Electronica festivals (1979-1999), covering history, theory, and practice of digital/electronic arts and technology in society and culture.
