Art, Time and Technology

Description

Art, Time Technology examines the role of art in an age of 'real time' information systems and instantaneous communication. The increasing speed of technology and of technological development since the early 19th century has resulted in cultural anxiety. Human kind now appears to be an ever-smaller component of dauntingly complex technological systems, operating at speeds beyond human control or even perception. This perceived change forces us to rethink our understanding of key concepts such as time, history and art. Art, Time and Technology explores how the practice of art, in particular of avant-garde art, keeps our relation to time, history and even our own humanity open. Examining key moments in the history of both technology and art from the beginnings of industrialisation to today, Charlie Gere explores both the making and purpose of art and how much further it can travel from the human body.

Charlie Gere is Reader in New Media Research at Lancaster University and is the author of Digital Culture

'This is the first book that critically situates the technologies of real-time computing within the broader discourses of visual and media history. From Jack Burnham to John Cage, Leroi-Gourhan to Marshall McLuhan, and Les immateriaux to Stanley Kubrick, Gere challenges us to consider the role of the entire apparatus of communication in the ongoing construction of art as information processing system.' Barbara Maria Stafford, author of 'Devices of Wonder: From the World in a Box to Images on a Screen' 'I have read Art, Time, and Technology with permanent and increasing admiration, pleasure, and excitement. Charlie Gere's book is without any doubt a major contribution to the field of "art and technology" (and sometimes even "art and science") studies, which it innovates in very stimulating ways ... one can only admire the breadth of the author's interests and the depth of his insights.' Leonardo Journal and Online 'In a field dominated by literature consisting of collections of disjointed papers, a book written by a single author and thoughtfully constructed is a treat.' The Art Book, Vol 15, Issue 3, August 2008