Class Notes #2
"being digital" [Nicholas Negraponte, Director, MIT Media Lab, 1995]
synopsis , wired articles , MIT Media Lab , digital life (Media Lab)
What does all this mean in 2005?
Is "digital" passé? Is "multimedia" old hat? Have we "converged"?
Do you still have a telephone? a TV? a radio?
Can your fridge talk to your car?
History and Principals of Digital Arts and Technology
What role have the arts, media and entertainment played in the development of digital techologies?
New Media Art (history from Wagner to Scott Fisher)
MultiMedia - From Wagner to Virtual Reality
Books of Interest
Course Text
1. The Language of New Media (Leonardo Books)
by Lev Manovich
Price: $16.47
Product Description:
In this book Lev Manovich offers the first systematic and rigorous
theory of new media. He places new media within the histories of
visual and media cultures of the last few centuries. He discusses new
media's reliance on conventions of old media, such as the rectangular
frame and mobile camera, and shows how new media works create the
illusion of reality, address the viewer, and represent space. He also
analyzes categories and forms unique to new media, such as interface
and database.
Manovich uses concepts from film theory, art history, literary theory,
and computer science and also develops new theoretical constructs,
such as cultural interface, spatial montage, and cinegratography. The
theory and history of cinema play a particularly important role in the
book. Among other topics, Manovich discusses parallels between the
histories of cinema and of new media, digital cinema, screen and
montage in cinema and in new media, and historical ties between
avant-garde film and new media.
Product Details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: The MIT Press; Reprint edition (March 7, 2002)
ISBN: 0262632551
Amazon.com Sales Rank in Books: #30,486
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2. The Digital Dialectic: New Essays on New Media (Leonardo Books)
by Peter Lunenfeld (Editor)
Price: $15.75
Amazon.com
By definition, the notion of the dialectic--that powerful
philosophical tool for understanding the constant ebb and flow of
argument, history, and reality itself--is hard to pin down. And so is
The Digital Dialectic: New Essays on New Media, a smart collection of
mostly academic essays, which aims to identify a dialectic at the
heart of the digital technologies currently reshaping the way we see
and know the world. Just what that dialectic might be varies from
contributor to contributor--as does the quality of the essays, which
originated as presentations at a 1995 conference--but Lunenfeld's
elegant running commentary does a nice job of teasing out their common
concerns.
Grouped in sections with headings like "The Real and the Ideal," "The
Body and the Machine," and "The Medium and the Message," such
sharp-eyed commentators as philosopher Michael Heim, literary critic
N. Katherine Hayles, and new-media auteur Florian Brody grapple with
the complicated give and take implied in those opposing terms. They
use it to elucidate the pros and cons of cybernetics, Net porn,
Neo-Luddism, hypertext, and a host of other ripe cybercultural
phenomena. The parts of this book don't necessarily add up to a
coherent sum, but their shared commitment to living with the
dialectic--i.e., to eschewing the one-sidedness of both utopian and
dystopian visions of the digital--sets an invaluable tone. --Julian
Dibbell--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Product Description:
"This book delivers in grand, thought-provoking style. . . . an
entertaining, unqualified success." -- Geoff Rotunno, Library Journal
The Digital Dialectic is an interdisciplinary jam session about our
visual and intellectual cultures as the computer recodes technologies,
media, and art forms. Unlike purely academic texts on new media, the
book includes contributions by scholars, artists, and entrepreneurs,
who combine theoretical investigations with hands-on analysis of the
possibilities (and limitations) of new technology. The key concept is
the digital dialectic: a method to ground the insights of theory in
the constraints of practice. The essays move beyond journalistic
reportage and hype into serious but accessible discussion of new
technologies, new media, and new cultural forms.
Product Details
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: The MIT Press (February 28, 2000)
ISBN: 0262621371
Amazon.com Sales Rank in Books: #357,149
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3. Information Arts : Intersections of Art, Science, and Technology
(Leonardo Books)
by Stephen Wilson
Price: $22.05
Amazon.com
If art is our most reliable oracle, then the future looks cool,
digital, and expensive. Stephen Wilson's massive Information Arts
compiles notes on and samples of the work of over 200 artists,
organized loosely by scientific discipline. Artists drawing
inspiration from cell cultures, GPS, robots, surveillance databases,
and other technological muses receive a page or two of commentary,
often including their own statements and critical reviews.
The image selection is only adequate and often puzzling--why show a
photograph of an installation meant to be experienced in total
darkness, for example? Still, as a reference and resource guide,
Information Arts is without parallel, especially for the largest
section, covering computer-related or -aided artworks. Deep research,
engaging prose, and copious listings of further information make it
essential for exploring the avant. --Rob Lightner--This text refers to
the Hardcover edition.
Product Description:
A new breed of contemporary artist engages science and technology--not
just to adopt the vocabulary and gizmos, but to explore and comment on
the content, agendas, and possibilities. Indeed, proposes Stephen
Wilson, the role of the artist is not only to interpret and to spread
scientific knowledge, but to be an active partner in determining the
direction of research. Years ago, C. P. Snow wrote about the "two
cultures" of science and the humanities; these developments may
finally help to change the outlook of those who view science and
technology as separate from the general culture.
In this rich compendium, Wilson offers the first comprehensive survey
of international artists who incorporate concepts and research from
mathematics, the physical sciences, biology, kinetics,
telecommunications, and experimental digital systems such as
artificial intelligence and ubiquitous computing. In addition to
visual documentation and statements by the artists, Wilson examines
relevant art-theoretical writings and explores emerging scientific and
technological research likely to be culturally significant in the
future. He also provides lists of resources including organizations,
publications, conferences, museums, research centers, and Web sites.
Product Details
Paperback: 969 pages
Publisher: The MIT Press; Reprint edition (April 1, 2003)
ISBN: 0262731584
Amazon.com Sales Rank in Books: #47,537
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4. The New Media Reader
by Noah Wardrip-Fruin (Editor), Nick Montfort (Editor)
price $48
Review
"The New Media Reader ...is my if-you-can-only-take-one pick for a
computer history vacation suitcase-stuffer." -- Michael Swaine, Dr.
Dobb's Journal
Product Description:
This reader collects the texts, videos, and computer programs--many of
them now almost impossible to find--that chronicle the history and
form the foundation of the still-emerging field of new media. General
introductions by Janet Murray and Lev Manovich, along with short
introductions to each of the texts, place the works in their
historical context and explain their significance. The texts were
originally published between World War II--when digital computing,
cybernetic feedback, and early notions of hypertext and the Internet
first appeared--and the emergence of the World Wide Web--when they
entered the mainstream of public life.
The texts are by computer scientists, artists, architects, literary
writers, interface designers, cultural critics, and individuals
working across disciplines. The contributors include (chronologically)
Jorge Luis Borges, Vannevar Bush, Alan Turing, Ivan Sutherland,
William S. Burroughs, Ted Nelson, Italo Calvino, Marshall McLuhan,
Billy Kl?Jean Baudrillard, Nicholas Negroponte, Alan Kay, Bill Viola,
Sherry Turkle, Richard Stallman, Brenda Laurel, Langdon Winner, Robert
Coover, and Tim Berners-Lee. The CD accompanying the book contains
examples of early games, digital art, independent literary efforts,
software created at universities, and home-computer commercial
software. Also on the CD is digitized video, documenting new media
programs and artwork for which no operational version exists. One
example is a video record of Douglas Engelbart's first presentation of
the mouse, word processor, hyperlink, computer-supported cooperative
work, video conferencing, and the dividing up of the screen we now
call non-overlapping windows; another is documentation of Lynn
Hershman's Lorna, the first interactive video art installation.
Product Details
Hardcover: 837 pages
Publisher: The MIT Press; Bk&CD-Rom edition (February 14, 2003)
ISBN: 0262232278
Amazon.com Sales Rank in Books: #66,751
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5. Digital Multimedia
by Nigel Chapman, Jenny Chapman
Price: $33.00
From Book News, Inc.
Combines an account of technology with an inside understanding of
multimedia content and its practical applications. Coverage begins
with the nature of multimedia, including its cultural and social
context, then proceeds to examination of hardware and software
requirements. Later chapters are devoted to each media type, detailing
how it is represented in digital form and what demands are placed on
computer systems. Advanced chapters look at issues surrounding
scripting and networked multimedia. Includes detailed suggestions for
projects and commentary on design issues raised, plus exercises and
color and b&w images. Information on the authors is not given.Book
News, Inc.®, Portland, OR--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Product Description:
Text, images, sound, video and animation can all be represented in
digital form. When two or more of these digital media are combined
into an integrated whole, with the added element of interactivity
provided by computer systems, we have multimedia.
Digital Multimedia is a core text for undergraduate and masters
courses in multimedia. It combines a broad and deep account of
technology with an inside understanding of multimedia content and its
practical applications. Coverage begins with the nature of multimedia,
including the cultural and social context, before examining hardware
and software requirements for its creation and delivery. There are
chapters devoted to each media type, detailing how it is represented
in digital form and what demands are placed on computer systems. Later
chapters cover design principles and accessibility, XML, SMIL and SVG,
creating interaction through scripting and networking media. There are
end-of-chapter exercises as well as suggestions for substantial
projects and a detailed glossary of terms.
A prologue by Professor Brent MacGregor of Edinburgh College of Art
examines the creative challenge presented by these new media.
Visit the booksite at: http://www.digitalmultimedia.org for examples,
product reviews, a collection of multimedia related Web links, and
more.
Product Details
Paperback: 698 pages
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; 2nd edition (March 26, 2004)
ISBN: 0470858907
Amazon.com Sales Rank in Books: #42,285
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6. Internet Art (World of Art)
by Rachel Greene, Thames, Hudson
Price: $11.53
About the Author
Rachel Greene is Editorial Coordinator and a director of Rhizome.org,
an online resource and platform for new media art, and a curatorial
fellow at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York.
Product Description:
The diverse forms of Internet art and the tools and equipment used to
create them are discussedand placed within the wider cultural context.
When the Internet emerged as a mass global communication network in
the mid-1990s, artists immediately recognized the exciting
possibilities for creative innovation that came with it. After a
century of unprecedented artistic experimentation, individuals and
groups were quick to use the new technologies to question and
radically redefine the conventions of art, and to tackle some of the
most pressing social, political, and ethical issues of the day.
Covering email art, Web sites, artist-designed software, and projects
that blur the boundaries between art and design, product development,
political activism, and communication, Internet Art shows how artists
have employed online technologies to engage with the traditions of art
history, to create new forms of art, and to move into fields of
activity normally beyond the artistic realm. The book investigates the
ways Internet art resists and shifts assumptions about authorship,
originality, and intellectual property; the social role of the artist;
issues of identity, sexuality, economics, and power; and the place of
the individual in the virtual, networked age.
Throughout, the views of artists, curators, and critics offer an
insider's perspective on the subject, while a timeline and glossary
provide easy-to-follow guides to the key works, events, and
technological developments that have taken art into the twenty-first
century. 200 illustrations, 100 in color.
Product Details
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Thames & Hudson (June, 2004)
ISBN: 0500203768
Amazon.com Sales Rank in Books: #7,978
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7. Digital Art (World of Art)
by Christiane Paul
Price: $10.17
From Publishers Weekly
Where many of her bigger-budgeted, theoretically enthralled
predecessors have failed, Whitney Museum of Art curator Paul does an
impressive job of compressing the activity of a huge field, in which
there are no obvious heroes and no single aesthetic line, into a
readable pocket-sized book. She is especially deft at laying the
groundwork for such diverse practices as "telepresence" (beaming an
artist's activities or daily life via telephone to other parts of the
world), "browser art" (the creation of alternative browsers to
navigate and present Web data) and "hacktevism"-political art, often
aimed at corporations, that can include viruses and less pointedly
destructive forms of maverick programming. With its beginnings in
video and sound art, digital art grew exponentially in the '90s, and
all the major players are here: from the Barcelona-based Web art team
jodi (Joan Hemskeerk and Dirk Paesmans) to New York's Asymptote
architectural team (founded by Hani Rashid); and from Robert
Lazzarini's 3D anamorphic skulls to Eduardo Kac's weird experiments
with animal genetics (he once bred a glow-in-the-dark rabbit). In
fact, so much art is covered that Paul is often forced to contain her
discussion of an artist's (or team's) entire body of work to a few
sentences; the most information is found in the capacious captions
accompanying the many illustrations. Flaws include a flat prose style
and recourse to abstract postmodernisms to explain the meanings of
some works, but in general Paul doesn't get lost in this language
(endemic to digital culture), and so her parroting of these phrases
doubles as a sort of reportage of a burgeoning new art culture, one
that is independent of the gallery system and infused with the spirit
of innovation.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description:
Digital technology has had a major impact on the production and
experience of art during the past decade and a half. Not only have
traditional forms of art such as printing, painting, photography, and
sculpture been transformed by digital techniques and media, but
entirely new forms such as net art, software art, digital
installation, and virtual reality have emerged as recognized
practices, collected by major museums, institutions, and private
collectors the world over.
Christiane Paul surveys digital art from its appearance in the early
1990s up to the present day. Drawing a distinction between work that
uses digital technology as a tool to produce traditional forms and
work that uses it as a medium to create new types of art, she
discusses all the key artists and works. The book explores themes
addressed by and raised by the art, such as viewer interaction,
artificial life and intelligence, political and social activism,
networks, and telepresence, as well as issues such as the collection,
presentation, and preservation of digital art, the virtual museum, and
ownership and copyright. 180 illustrations, 100 in color.
Product Details
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Thames & Hudson (July 28, 2003)
ISBN: 0500203679
Amazon.com Sales Rank in Books: #8,164
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8. Virtual Art: From Illusion to Immersion (Leonardo Books)
by Oliver Grau
Price: $30.24
From Scientific American
The computer's ability to immerse a user in virtual image spaces "is
not the revolutionary innovation its protagonists are fond of
interpreting it to be," Grau writes. "The idea of virtual reality only
appears to be without a history; in fact, it rests firmly on
historical art traditions." Grau (lecturer in art history at Humboldt
University in Berlin, associate professor at the Kunstuniversität Linz
in Austria and leader of the German Science Foundation's project on
immersive art) traces the lineage of virtual reality as far back as
the frescoes of a villa in Pompeii. Many illustrations amplify the
argument.
Editors of Scientific American
Product Description:
Although many people view virtual reality as a totally new phenomenon,
it has its foundations in an unrecognized history of immersive images.
Indeed, the search for illusionary visual space can be traced back to
antiquity. In this book Oliver Grau shows how virtual art fits into
the art history of illusion and immersion. He describes the
metamorphosis of the concepts of art and the image and relates those
concepts to interactive art, interface design, agents, telepresence,
and image evolution. Grau retells art history as media history,
helping us to understand the phenomenon of virtual reality beyond the
hype.
Grau shows how each epoch used the technical means available to
produce maximum illusion. He discusses frescoes such as those in the
Villa dei Misteri in Pompeii and the gardens of the Villa Livia near
Primaporta, Renaissance and Baroque illusion spaces, and panoramas,
which were the most developed form of illusion achieved through
traditional methods of painting and the mass image medium before film.
Through a detailed analysis of perhaps the most important German
panorama, Anton von Werner's 1883 The Battle of Sedan, Grau shows how
immersion produced emotional responses. He traces immersive cinema
through Cinerama, Sensorama, Expanded Cinema, 3-D, Omnimax and IMAX,
and the head mounted display with its military origins. He also
examines those characteristics of virtual reality that distinguish it
from earlier forms of illusionary art. His analysis draws on the work
of contemporary artists and groups ART+COM, Maurice Benayoun,
Charlotte Davies, Monika Fleischmann, Ken Goldberg, Agnes Hegedues,
Eduardo Kac, Knowbotic Research, Laurent Mignonneau, Michael Naimark,
Simon Penny, Daniela Plewe, Paul Sermon, Jeffrey Shaw, Karl Sims,
Christa Sommerer, and Wolfgang Strauss. Grau offers not just a history
of illusionary space but also a theoretical framework for analyzing
its phenomenologies, functions, and strategies throughout history and
into the future.
Product Details
Hardcover: 360 pages
Publisher: The MIT Press; Revised edition (January 17, 2003)
ISBN: 0262072416
Amazon.com Sales Rank in Books: #110,737