Contemporary Art and Cybernetics: Waves of Cybernetic Discourse within Conceptual, Video and New Media Art
Leonardo, 2012, v. 45, no. 1, pp. 57-63
This paper aims to highlight the interplay of technology and cybernetics within conceptual art. Just as Lucy Lippard has illustrated the influence of information theory within 1960s conceptual art, this paper traces the technological discourses within conceptual art through to contemporary digital art-specifically, establishing a correlation between Katherine Hayles's mapping of first-, second-and third wave cybernetic narratives and, respectively, 1960s-1970s conceptual art, 1970s-1990s video art and new media art. Technology is shown to have a major influence on conceptual art, but one often based on historical, social and cybernetic narratives. This paper echoes Krzystof Ziarek's call for a Heideggerian poiesis and Adorno/Blanchotnian "nonpower" within conceptual art and advocates Ziarek's notion of "powerfree" artistic practices within new media and transgenic art.
ITEM 2012.020 – available for viewing in the Research Centre
Videos, Artworks and Artists Cited
Information: No Theory (1969) – Christine Kozlov
TV Cross – Nam June Paik
TV-Buddha – Nam June Paik
Live/Taped Video Corridor – Bruce Nauman
Self Portrait Made with Chuck Close Filter – Scott Blake
Vuk Cosic
Blackness for Sale(2001) – Keith Obadike
Michael Daines
My Ghost – Jeremy Wood
aLife – John F. Simon
Genesis(1999) – Eduardo Kac
Sculpting No.1 – Arakawa
4'33" – John Cage
Peter Kennedy
Fountain – Marcel Duchamp
Sol LeWitt