快猫短视频

Information Arts by Stephen Wilson, MIT, 拢34.95, ISBN 026223209X

WHICH of the following were developed by artists, and which by technologists
or scientists? A system allowing users to control the movement of a subject鈥檚
body remotely; a device that is sensitive to hugs; and a strain of mice bred to
munch computer cables. The fact that the answer isn鈥檛 obvious is the key to the
appeal of Information Arts by Stephen Wilson. The intellectual space
opened up by new information technologies, above all else, led to a flowering of
weird and wonderful collaborations and cross-discipline dressing.

Wilson, professor of conceptual and information arts at San Francisco State
University, has bravely tried to survey the entire intersection of the arts and
the sciences. He namechecks more than a thousand artists in 900 pages. Some get
a couple of pages, but most only a sentence sketching one of their works.

But what counts as 鈥渁rt鈥�? Wilson鈥檚 job title is revealing. Art too low or too
traditional is out, but aren鈥檛 disco, electric funk and all their
descendants鈥攆rom trance to nu garage鈥攕ome kind of information art?
Professionally engaged in a head-on conflict between cultural criticism and
science鈥檚 general claim to special knowledge, he is sometimes uncritical of
artists鈥� and technologists鈥� particular claims. But make sure your library has a
copy for stimulating reference.