Introduction 2/4

Nevertheless, the publication is not meant to create another polarisation of the virtual vis-a-vis the real, as another discussion of old and new media, in which the narrative is shaken once more. Neither does it claim to be visionary, which would only mean neglecting its surrounding terrain and its historical origins. Rather, it documents exemplary and unique research positions within a developing genre. Consequently, the artists' and theorists' contributions focus on practical examples and methodologies. The shared theoretical approach and artistic expertise often foster an imaginative dialogue between the essays, leading to a reciprocal terminology and resourceful definition of the given subjects while linking these hypotheses to the appropriate implementations. The book then serves as a central illustration and case study of the specific discourse on narratives and of a more universal cultural debate on media art.

In this setting, Gloria Sutton opens the discussion with the necessary differentiation of so-called 'net.art' from related practices in the field. She distinguishes early self-referential 'browser art' on a flat screen from more current, socially concerned collaborative forms in which public and digital activities mix in 'an interface-based art practice that uses a technical network to create a social one.' Her investigation reflects that most recent net.art practices have to be newly defined and liberated from the label of a subcategory of digital art. Far more they must be linked to the historical public interventions and multi-layered complexity of early conceptual art.

Erkki Huhtamo approaches the topic from a critical-historical point of view. Centred on Paul DeMarinis' installation The Messenger (1998) as 'a media-archaeological exploration in the guise of an art installation', he dates early networked culture back to the 17th century, focussing on how politics and government influenced technology and created a 'tension between democratic claims and autocratic and centralized uses'. He then captures the most recent artistic positions in Internet art, pointing out that 'culturally and theoretically informed artworks delving into the pre-history of today's telematic culture and pondering its continuous relevance for understanding the media culture in the era of the Internet have so far been exceptions.'
more