Leonardo

Ten Key Texts on Digital Art: 1970-2000

Author(s): Lev Manovich
Source: Leonardo, Vol. 35, No. 5, Tenth Anniversary New York Digital Salon (2002), pp.
567-569+571-575
Published by: The MIT Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1577262
Accessed: 13-06-2016 21:03 UTC
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://about.jstor.org/terms

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted
digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about
JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Leonardo, The MIT Press are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Leonardo

This content downloaded from 190.224.160.106 on Mon, 13 Jun 2016 21:03:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

Ten Key Texts on Digital Art:

1970-2000
LEV MANOVICH

catalogs, which act as key reference points in the field of modern

art. How many visitors to Bitstreams (the Whitney Museum,

2001) and 010101: Art in Technological Times (SFMOMA, 2001)
This article highlights ten major written works that

knew that thirty years ago the major art museums in New York

reflect the brief history of digital art. The lack of

and London presented a whole stream of shows on the topics of

public knowledge on digital art is largely due to a

lack of standard text. While seen by most as a relative-

ly new art form, several exhibitions are mentioned

here dating from the late 196os to the early 1970s,

all of which have had a major impact on the development of the field. Authors and editors chosen for

art and technology? Together, these shows were more radical and

conceptually interesting in terms of new media than current

attempts. The following are some of these shows: Cybernetic
Serendipity (ICA, curated by Jasia Reichardt, 1968); The Machine

as Seen at the End of the Mechanical Age (MOMA, curated by

the list include Gene Youngblood, jasia Reichardt,

K.G. Pontus Hulten, 1968); Software, Information Technology: Its

Cynthia Goodman, Friedrich Kittler, Michael Benedikt,

Meaning for Art (Jewish Museum, New York, curated by Jack

Minna Tarkka, Peter Weibel, Espen Aarseth, and

Burnham, 1970); Information (MOMA, curated by Kynaston

UlfPoschardt.

McShine, 1970); and Art and Technology (LACMA, curated by

Maurice Tuchman, 1970).
While a number of online exhibitions were organized by Steve

Dietz at the Walker, recent exhibitions at the Z Lounge at the

sW ^ orking on my assignment to select written works con-

New Museum in New York City (curated by Anne Barlow and

sidered important to the history of digital art, culture,

Anne Ellegood), the shows and events curated by Christiane Paul

and technology turned out to be quite difficult. In

at the Whitney, and Jon Ippolito's curatorial work at the Guggen-

contrast to other art fields, the memory of the digital art field is

heim, are all sophisticated. They are also small-scale affairs. In

very short, while its long-term memory is practically absent. As a

terms of recent large-scale museum surveys, only the exhibition at

result, many artists working with computers, as well as curators

SFMOMA (2001) can be compared to those of thirty years ago. It

and critics who exhibit and write about these artists, keep rein-

was an ambitious attempt to sample the whole landscape of con-

venting the wheel over and over again. While other fields usually

temporary culture in order to present how artists and designers

have certain critical and theoretical texts which are widely known

across a number of disciplines engage with computing on a variety

and which usually act as starting points for new arguments and

of levels: as a tool, as a medium, as iconography, and as a source

debates, the digital art field cannot compare. No critical text on

of new perceptual, cognitive and communication skills and habits.

digital art has achieved a familiarity status that can be compared

In comparison, the show at the Whitney was a truly reactionary

with the status of classic articles by Clement Greenberg and Ros-

affair. Here was a show on new media art that did not include any

alind Krauss (on modern art), or Andre Bazin and Laura Mulvey

computers or interactive works. Instead, new media was reduced

(on film). So what does it mean to select written works considered

to flat images on the walls: stills presented as digital prints, or

important to the history of digital art? The field did produce

many substantial texts that were important at particular historical

Lev Manovich, Associate Professor, Visual Arts Department

points, but since these texts are not remembered, they have no

University of California at San Diego

bearing on current developments.

If you think that I am overstating my point, consider the fol-

lowing example: Think of important museum shows and their

? 2002 ISAST

9500 Gillman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0327, U.S.A.

E-mail: manovich@ucsd.edu
Web site: www.manovich.net

LEONARDO, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 56567-575, 2002 567

This content downloaded from 190.224.160.106 on Mon, 13 Jun 2016 21:03:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

moving images presented with projectors

Art, 1971; Expanded Cinema, 1970; Digital

Vivian Sobchack, Peter Weibel, Slavoj

or plasma screens. The descriptions of the

Visions, 1987).

Zizek, Erkki Huhtamo, Margaret Morse,

Alex Galloway, Matt Fuller, and many oth-

works were positioned within the familiar

and well-rehearsed narratives and cate-

(3) Since the annual festivals and exhibi-

ers (and these are just the people who

gories of standard 20th century art text-

tions such as Ars Electronica, ISEA, and

write or are available in English transla-

books. In short, new media was

SIGGRAPH played a key role in develop-

tion; internationally, the list of brilliant

neutralized, diluted, and rendered harm-

ment of the field, I included a couple of

commentators on techno-culture goes on

less, similar to the way commercial culture

representative catalogs from the particular-

and on) [3].

now takes over most of the new radical

ly important meetings (ISEA 1994, Ars

cultural developments, from hip-hop to

Electronica 1995).

techno.

I think that each of the four theoretical

books I selected has something unique

about it. Benedikt's best-selling collection

In contrast, just reading the titles of the

(4) I then added the first publication from

is exemplary in bringing together theorists,

exhibitions that took place thirty years ago

the ZKM Center for Art and New Media's

artists and computer designers, or early

you can see that they experimented with

Artintact series (artintact 1, 1994). Early

cyberspaces such as Habitat, and somehow

forces the designers to write clear and the-

new categories and dimensions of the

on, ZKM solved the two key problems of

emerging techno-culture. In terms of the

the digital art field, distribution and criti-

oretically sophisticated descriptions of

works and projects presented, the muse-

cism, in a particularly elegant and efficient

their projects and research programs. The

ums similarly were not afraid to invite new

way. Every year since 1994 ZKM pub-

best of the anthologies and conferences on

technologies and new types of artistic prac-

lished a CD-ROM/book. The CD-ROM

digital arts and new media culture try to

tices within their spaces [1]. For example,

would contain three interactive art projects

create such a mix, but few succeed in

doing it the way Cyberspace: First Steps did.

The Machine as Seen at the End of the

while the book would present critical texts

Mechanical Age presented works by 100

about each of the projects (today ZKM

artists, including commissioned collabora-

continues this successful format with a

media theorist after McLuhan, and in his

tions between artists and engineers under

new series which uses DVD-ROM instead

master opus Discourse Networks he was

Kittler is probably the most important

the umbrella of EAT. (Compare this to the

of CD-ROM). By following the book for-

able to accomplish another difficult con-

current practice of United States art muse-

mat and teaming up with a major German

vergence trick: bringing together the best

ums to commission "Net art," which then

book publisher, ZKM assured that Artitact

of what the United States called "critical

can be safely "tucked away" on museum

would be distributed through the standard

theory" (in his case it is Lacan and Fou-

Web sites instead of in the actual galleries.)

book distribution channels. (It only took

cault) with his own brilliant ideas about

The Software exhibition included a num-

the Whitney eight years to catch up: the

the effects of communication networks

ber of works which used a PDP-8 comput-

Whitney 2002 Biennial catalog similarly

and media recording/storage/access tech-

er in the museum. Meanwhile, the content

included a CD-ROM attached to the front

nologies on culture. Again, this is a kind of

of the exhibition reflected the information

cover [2]).

convergence that many attempt, but prob-

and communication revolution on a con-

ably only Kittler has succeeded so far.

ceptual level by presenting a number of

(5) While digital art does not have a canon

projects which asked viewers to participate

of critical texts about the art itself, most

culture where the new logic of digital com-

in particular communication scenarios con-

artists and curators in the field are familiar

puting always shows up significantly earli-

structed by artists Vito Acconci and Hans

with at least some theoretical texts dealing

er than in other fields are computer games

Haacke.

with the larger topics of digital technology,

and electronic music. While I know next

culture, and society. In fact, I think that a

to nothing about popular electronic music,

term memory in the digital art field, just

number of such theoretical texts are equiv-

I found DJ Culture to be a brilliant mix of

ten texts would not be enough to recon-

alent to canonical critical texts in other art

broad social, cultural, and technological

struct its rich fifty-year history. Here is the

fields. Since I was limited to a total of ten

history and a provocative theoretical spec-

Given the systematic absence of long-

selection algorithm I ended up following:

Many would agree that the two areas of

texts, I could only include a small sample

ulation. Many books and anthologies on

of such theoretical works. I chose Discourse

electronic music put you to sleep with too

(1) Given my limit of ten texts, I decided

Networks by Friedrich Kittler (1985,

much detail about this or that piece of

to be a little subjective and give weight to

English edition 1990); Cyberspace: First

technology, but DJ Culture manages to

texts that were particularly important to

Steps, edited by Michael Benedikt (1991),

stay focused on the concepts. In his writ-

me when I first learned about digital art.

DJ Culture by Ulf Poschardt (1995,

ing, Munich-based Ulf Poschardt also suc-

English edition 1998); and Cybertext by

cessfully integrates a "remix"-inspired style

(2) Given that the digital art field does

Espen Aarseth (1997). But I could have

of exposition with a more standard histori-

not really have a set of canonical criti-

also selected books by Katherine Hayles,

cal structure that keeps you on track

through this "think" book.

cal texts, I instead selected a few texts

Sherry Turkle, W.J.T. Mitchell, Paul Vir-

which acted as key reviews of the field

ilio, Peter Lunenfeld, Jay David Bolter,

Finally, in his thin but dense Cybertext,

during different decades (The Computer in

Pierre Levy, Geert Lovink, Norman Klein,

Espen Aarseth offers a particularly elegant

568 Lev Manovich, Ten Key Texts on Digital Art: 1970-2000

This content downloaded from 190.224.160.106 on Mon, 13 Jun 2016 21:03:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

solution to the key question of digital arts

and culture: how to separate new and old

media. Although he is concerned with

any works by my Southern California colleagues:

Hayles, Lunenfeld, Klein, and Sobchack. Why am I
being so naive? New Yorkers curate and publish themselves all the time.

texts, his approach can be extended to oth-

er media, providing a fresh paradigm for

thinking about the relationships between

Lev Manovich (www.manovich.net) is an

the old and new media. Read this book if

Associate Professor in the Visual Arts

you missed it! (I don't want to do his com-

Department at the University of Califor-

plex and clear arguments injustice by trying

nia, San Diego, where he teaches courses

to summarize them in two sentences here.)

in new media art and theory. He is the

In the end, it is probably for the best

author of The Language of New Media

that the arguments in digital arts do not

(The MIT Press, 2001), and Tekstura: Rus-

always return to the same few "master"

sian Essays on Visual Culture (Chicago Uni-

texts over and over again, the way it often

versity Press, 1993), as well as fifty-plus

happens in the art world and in the

articles, which have been published in

humanities. As Norman Klein once put it,

twenty-plus countries. Currently he is

"to paint with a computer is to paint with

working on a new book, Info-aesthetics,

a machine gun," meaning that a digital

and a digital film project, Soft Cinema.

computer is unprecedented in being the

key engine of modern economy, the key
control and communication technology of

modern societies, and also the key repre-

sentational machine. Given this unprecedented convergence, any serious reflection

on the social and cultural dynamics of our

time has to engage with digital computing.
The fact that the theoretical texts which

address the general issues in techno-culture

-a new functioning of space and time,

info-subjectivity, new dynamics of cultural

production and consumption, and so

on-are more important to digital artists and
designers than digital art criticism per se is

ultimately very healthy. It means that the

people in our field have a keen interest in

how computerization affects society and

culture at large rather than just being con-

cerned about the narrow history of their

own field. So while we should all be more
familiar with this history than we currently

are, we should not turn it into a fetish.

REFERENCES
1. For more information on these shows and other
important milestones in the fifty-year history of com-

puter and telecommunication art, see the excellent

Telematic Timeline produced as a part of the show
curated by Steve Dietz (http://telematic.walkerart.org/
timeline/).

2. In 2002, Hatje Cantz Publishers published The

Complete Artintact 1994-99 CD-ROMagazine on

DVD-ROM.

3. I decided not to include in my final "Top 10" list

Lev Manovich, Ten Key Texts on Digital Art: 1970-2000 569

This content downloaded from 190.224.160.106 on Mon, 13 Jun 2016 21:03:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

7':!p. I '. ' Gene Youngblood

_ 1j'"' ,5j jJjj ' . Expanded Cinema

-. Introduction by Buckminster Fuller

(New York: E.P. Dutton, 1970)

The Computer
in
A rt Jasia ReiclUt
inr rt
:::

...............

e--bw*

.......

.....................................................

'. .......
11' IXo@
II...

Jasia Reichardt

The Computer in Art

(London: Studio Vista, 1971)

Lev Manovich, Selections 571

This content downloaded from 190.224.160.106 on Mon, 13 Jun 2016 21:03:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

Cynthia Goodman

Friedrich A. Kittler

Digital Visions: Computers and Art

(New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1987)

Discourse Networks

(Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1990)

Original German edition, 1985

572 Lev Manovich, Selections

This content downloaded from 190.224.160.106 on Mon, 13 Jun 2016 21:03:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

Michael Benedickt

Michael Benedikt, ed.

ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe

Cyberspace: First Steps

(Cambridge: MIT Press, 1991)

Artintact i: Artists' Interactive CD-ROMagazine

(Stuttgart: Cantz, 1994)

Lev Manovich, Selections 573

This content downloaded from 190.224.160.106 on Mon, 13 Jun 2016 21:03:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

mP*-:i Minna Tarkka et al., eds.

The 5th International Symposium on Electronic Art Catalogue

(Helsinki: ISEA, 1994)

WE1C11 E T1 THE WIRED MWOHl

WIELCOME TO THIE WIIRED WIORLD

@rs electronica 95
SPRINGER-VI*OA WIEN NEW YOEK

Peter Weibel et al., eds.

Mythos Information: Welcome to the Wired World
Ars Electronica 1995 Festival Catalog

(Vienna and New York: Springer-Verlag, 1995)

574 Lev Manovich, Selections

This content downloaded from 190.224.160.106 on Mon, 13 Jun 2016 21:03:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

Espen Aarseth

Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature

(Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997)

IU CILTUIn

ULF PISCNAI

Ulf Poschardt

DI Culture

(London: Quartet Books, 1998)

Original German edition, 1995

Lev Manovich, Selections 575

This content downloaded from 190.224.160.106 on Mon, 13 Jun 2016 21:03:58 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms