Internet art

Net art is an umbrella term for artistic work in networks or networks. This includes defined as an artwork social networks, the artistic use of analog networks as originally in mail art, and artistic works that use digital network services like the World Wide Web or other communication networks such as mobile communications.

• 7.1 Reception and globalization
• 7.2 German-speaking

Term environment

• Internet style is in the Anglo - American world, a course used term From about 1982 increasingly referred to the global network of computer networks as the Internet. The literal translation of "Internet Art " is often simply as "art, which can be seen on the World Wide Web" understood in German. The German literature prefers the term net.art (See list of references ).

• Net art used as a term in German, usually mean net art as artistic work with digital networks and Internet services like the World Wide Web. Among artists, the term is considered as an abbreviation for international net art.

• Net.art, in this notation, is a kind of hallmark of a certain group of artists who use websites and Internet since 1994 as artistic material and tools. When group members are usually called Vuk Cosic, Joan Heemskerk and Dirk Paesmans ( Jodi.org ), Alexei Shulgin, Olia Lialina, Heath Bunting. The group was described by Tilman Baumgärtel, Josephine Bosma, Hans Dieter Huber and Pit Schultz, partly as a parody of an avant-garde movement.

Definitions

Net or network

Network and network are distinguished in German. The term network tends as electricity or telephone network to describe a technical aspect. Network is the German term for " net-like structure " (see Wahrig 1968). However, the English term is often wrongly assumed network where network is the better translation.

In a figurative sense " net-like structure " or networks, for example, social structure, relational structure and Psychological relationships with many variables, or the thought itself change such structure or networks and reproduce under favorable conditions by their own rules, which are almost linear, rather chaos theory comprehensible. Network can therefore in social science texts, as well as in art with networks, be the apt term.

Although it comes to networking in all cases, it may be essential to the understanding of media theory, to distinguish between net art and art networks. Where, complex relationships between objects and people at the same time describe as a movable, three - and multi-dimensional grid, or as a social network that uses technology to assist in these different perspectives are complementary.

Since both view angles are also set in relation to theoretical network and network terminology, a broad field that nurtures the creative variations of artistic work by linguistic and theoretical misunderstandings opens. The inflation of the terms " network " and "network" suggests to consider whether derived expressions are useful:

Network paradigm believes in "Art on the Net" a pattern idea how the network is designed technical or organizational or could be, in order to thus establish net art can. The supposedly similar term network paradigm in "Art with networks " makes sense only applicable with elaborate media-theoretical background ( such as Manuel Castells in The Information Age ).

Net art and art networks

• Art on the net as Digital media arts, computer networks or Internet service required such as mailboxes or websites as an indispensable means of interaction and image, sound and text generation. It is not important whether the art is created by one or more persons, but that significant aspects and statements of the works can be experienced only in conjunction with a computer network. At present, the usual arrangement computer keyboard screen / projector, Internet connection -peer / server or similar. Other arrangements are possible or be practiced, such as cellular networks can be used for mobile -media art.

• Art on the net as collectively - virtual art work operate tele- communicative networked nodes that work together on a visual or auditory work. Your network technology can be analog or digital. Participants bring their contributions mostly consciously, but may be voluntarily or involuntarily skimmed through programs in digital networks. Many net artists have made interactivity in their projects to the condition. With the additional use of databases and log files can be arbitrary states of a comprehensive income pursuing that constantly remains changeable by the active visitors to the respective project page. The offer to contribute texts must usually be protected against misuse by spamming.

• Art changes with networks or creating networks. Whether she uses technical communications networks or other communications networks as a means to an end, there must not be decisive. So Joseph Beuys founded organizations that have become long-lived social networks of ideas, communication, and work contexts emerged as conceptual and artistic works. According to this understanding of art are the contributions of Tim Berners -Lee to the emergence of the World Wide Web, both intelligently applied network science and globally momentous artistic intervention of a creative networker who extended an existing network visually critical. In addition to individually or jointly occurring network artists, see etoy, therefore, there is networkers who reject to act artistically, but even create major networks.

Net art is sometimes simultaneously bound to networks and networks: Mail Art was created by artistic initiatives in a creative process based on technical networks of postal and telecommunications services and existing social networks as a social, communicative and artistic network and developed according to their own, sometimes even self- formulated laws on. If participants telematic networks through constant communication processes create networks and continue to change, for example, an " online community " can thus become networkers.

Art on the net, however, is not a net art. It uses the network (the Internet ) as any other media. These include projects and works analog or digital art that are presented on websites, in principle, but without the WWW would be possible. An artistic approach to network or network does not find it or place only in a superficial way. Net art is not present in: Applied Art with websites; Images of artworks on websites; Use of the term, net art 'or' net art ' of status. Similarly, network relationships between artists not automatically net art: you have to create a work of art to be more than marketing vehicle, advantage filesharing or address networking.

Analog and Digital

Serves the artistic work or artistic process in dealing with digital networks and a corresponding network paradigm, it is located, digital net art ' in the strict sense.

In contrast, net art is not always digitally with networks. You may also be created based on analog social or abstract principles, even when digital media are used here as tools. Such net art can be experienced already participant interaction in analog telematic networks.

For the digital net art, however, the participant or networkers needed devices, displays, websites and other technical means. Many phenomena that only with the Internet sites (WWW - World Wide Web) has been known, however, observed in analog telematic networks already. In a simple network of participants who send each other postcards, virtuality may well arise, for example by artificial persons are imagined to develop the personality and comparable retroact an avatar to communication.

Marshall McLuhan's phrase "The Medium is the Message " is important for network art and its interpretation. Even if a network seems to work regardless of the type of the used technical networks and media technologies, form and content are influenced every message and presentation of the technical fundamentals of the medium and thereby alter the reality. As the transition from letterpress to electronic networks affects the transition from analog to digital information processing social change, because digital technology is based on a technology-dependent encryption and decryption process, whose mastery requires a knowledge society and far-reaching social consequences.

Forms of net art

• Mail art or mail art uses all available networks for their network. The resultant in the 1960s, globally accessible postal system, in which almost all telecommunication facilities were built as public services, was originally social change intention on the one hand to the artistic object, on the other hand, the means for artistic processes in building upon networks, network art diverse kind brought forth. So there were some early self-proclaimed Mail Art postmen and couriers, as a sort of mail art performers, deliver up the mail art. Today there is mail art, for example as an e- mail Article as sophisticated parallel or special form applies Correspondence Art ( Art of correspondence). Correspondence refers at the same time, within the meaning of Pop Art, trivial on the representational correspondence but in the sense of the hidden theme of the " New York School of Correspondance " Ray Johnson, also on theoretical or spiritual ( non-) correspondence.

• Web Art is Art Digital Network, which also has an artistic work with websites on their pure design, for example by addressing the conditions for perception and manipulation on the Internet artistically. Web Art always has to do with digital net art, but only on a case by case with artistic networks. It uses the same interface with the web browser such as commercial web design.

• Webcomics are comics that are published primarily or exclusively via the Internet. Must be distinguished from comics that are produced for the pressure and by the way on the Internet. The transitions can be smooth.

Social change

In the early days of digital networks for their changeability artistic networker was easy to experience because they were makers and users in personal union. Analog or digital net art was often by notions of social change, social science theories, social utopias and literary models inspired. With the emergence of Internet culture, the critique of the existing and the enthusiasm for social and technical options adopted new forms (see communication guerrilla, guerrilla media, telematic society Vilém Flusser ). Critical experimental arrangements in areas such as perception, media and society are not unusual for net art. So it may be network art of using social or cultural traditions of the Internet for projects outside the technical structure of the Internet for changes.

Net artists often interested in the deconstruction aesthetic, digital and social codes, but Medial net art can also refer to all the other phenomena of communication networks.

Networks are without a positive mental participation of the participants is not permanent, under certain circumstances, annoying and inconvenient network strategies artistic but be consistent. Thus, in the international scene of artists of the network is considered " creative power hack " as an act of political and aesthetic resistance. For the artists, it is not uncommon to be net activists and ' hacktivist '. The presentation of a computer virus at the 49th Venice Biennale was typical in this respect, not a criminal act, but the calculated work of network artists. Artistic activities of this kind fall again in danger of being misinterpreted and criminalized.

Net art is part of a movement for the free exchange of information, software and ideas in the face of commercialization of the network. Arts and electronic civil disobedience (electronic civil disobedience and hacktivism ) overlapped. The responsible use of destructive aesthetic, digital or social codes in the context of civil disobedience and the freedom of art the egocentric art propaganda of Neoismus heard as well as the uncertainty of Internet users through artistic interventions in access to the World Wide Web, such as web pages ( Web Art ) that promote a critical awareness in dealing with the media.

The current forms of net art are associated with changes in the telecommunications, social interaction and perception in the media society. Net art can reflect these changes, be involved, and sometimes anticipate developments.

Virtual personalities

Already in the mail art network virtual personalities were generated by network communication. In propaganda actions of the Neoismus are personalities in which everyone can participate, have been propagated. The personality fills through the network of its participants networker with virtual life. Have appeared as an artificial personality, they can not develop a more controllable by the original makers communicative life of its own. The common on the Internet and in virtual worlds concept of the avatar was already anticipated by such figures in artistic analog networks. So into a major search engine such as entering " Karen Eliot " in a thicket of websites where there are possibilities to communicate with Karen Eliot, or even act as Karen Eliot. The multi- personality reproduced, among other things as a nom de plume or pen name for many users. Karen Eliot spread like Monty Cantsin or Luther Blissett ( collective pseudonym) collective pseudonym and multiple virtual personality than initially in analog artistic networks, was included in the first artistic unused mailbox systems, and finally conquered all appropriate Internet services.

Legal consequences

Due to their explicitly non-commercial character to net art projects move in a legal vacuum. No one, for example a personal right to the product when it comes to useful results in projects which have literary, musical or graphic works to the goal. Both the initiator and the participants in such a project has to live with this fact: All results are public domain. Even in the presence of log files themselves could not be reconstructed, whom the IP addresses that were subsequently assigned to.

Completely unresolved is the issue of transience virtual net art objects whose detectability is directly dependent on the availability on the Internet, ultimately So from the maintenance of projects by net artists, the direct ( and, ideally, administrative ) access to the offering server. A subsequent reconstruction is usually impossible.

History

Reception and globalization

Emerged in the 1960s, influenced by conceptual art and New Realism, originally conceptually and procedurally oriented networks, such as the mail art and Correspondence Art Network. This analog "art with networks " and " Art on the Net" was art history is not easy to grasp: After achieving a procedural artwork in communicative processes although there were by-products, such as sent items, letters, cards and mail art catalogs, and also documents the social reception in artists' archives, but little in the art marketable. Therefore, the history of art was made by today's standards late and initially superficial. When and where the complex term " net art " is used wisely in art theory and art history, therefore, remains debatable.

Mailart, Happening and Fluxus translated conceptual or real, local or global, networked ahead communicating and active participants, and networkers. One of the first initiators of such networks include artists such as Ray Johnson, who used his communication contexts for partly real and partly virtual exhibitions; Yves Klein and Ben Vautier, the post- scandals staged; Ken Friedman, whose exhibition " Omaha Flow Systems " (1972) had the character of a communication and event network. Robert Filliou coined in 1968 with George Brecht the term " Fete Permanente / Eternal Network " ( The Permanent Ceremony / The Eternal Network ), which was indicative of the time the cultural situation and culture is related to the idea and development of a non-military Internet. The actions and publications of Filliou mark a Wendedpunkt for artistic networker. At least from this point on is art with networks of art history perceptible.

Already these forms of net art based Apart from networks such as electronic mail networks a matter of course, such as telephone and fax. Net art was far ahead of emergence of the World Wide Web of Web sites related to the significant especially for the digital picture and sound generation digital art digital net art; first of all networked computers to individual research institutions, then the growing Internet. In the first telematic art projects (see telematics) that were based on digital networks, are initially only briefly emerged networks as works of art. In the 1980s, followed by the artistic use of mailbox systems. It created more complex, based on a digital network technology networks that were politically significant inter alia, how the Zamir Network (see digital courage, formerly FoeBuD ). Websites have been a little later, often discovered by new players, as visually and acoustically, but also as socially and politically usable medium. It can be called as one of the main reference points to about 2000 The Thing (initiator and operator: Wolfgang Staehle ), and as early Weave and net art artist Olia Lialina and Heath Bunting ( irational.org ).

German-speaking

Precursor for the onset of net art include: the postcard exchange of artists of the bridge until 1913; in relation to communication theory and aesthetics also Max Bense and the Stuttgart group / school from the beginning of the 60s. The organizations of Joseph Beuys ( as an art with networks ) or Robert Adrian X with ARTEX ( as digital net art ) made ​​social and technical networks for artistic networks deliberately subservient.

Net art, often referred to as mail art, was in a divided Germany, where cross-border, an examination of postal censorship, also a visited network, the artists and networkers from many countries, brought together there just because of the departure restrictions of the GDR. There were artistic networker who crossed to transport as couriers between East and West the limits of power blocks to Mailart. So could despite obstruction by " state agencies " even individual between mail art networkers and actors of samizdat connections.

One of the first known examples of German -language digital net art website sero.org / handshake / from 1993/1994 was ( now turned off).