Media art issues

Technological and aesthetical issues

Media art includes projects exploring technological and aeshetical of emerging tools and standards, such as video, computer, mobile devices, internet, software, code, computer games, streaming, GPS, sound production devices, or robotics. These projects usually focus on the manuevre limitations, stereotypes of perception, or aesthetics of these tools.

Social, cultural, legal and political issues

Looking at the media art and culture mailing lists, conferences and festivals, the current discussions are held on various topics, such as public domain and accessibility of data, software, and devices, democratisation of electromagnetic spectrum (open spectrum), social web (or web 2.0), protection of personal data and identity, and human rights. Projects dealing with these social, cultural, legal and political issues stemmed from media art field and still can be considered as a part of it.

Public domain and accessibility of data, software, and devices

• Topics: intellectual property, copyright, copyleft, creative commons, licensing, open source, free software, digital rights management, etc.
• festivals: Make Art Poitiers, Haip Ljubljana, Piksel Bergen, hack meetings
• Ars Electronica: A New Cultural Economy. The Limits of Intellectual Property, 2008, [1]
• more: public domain and accessibility of data, software, and devices

Protection of personal data and identity

• Topics: surveillance, CCTV, biometrics, privacy, conspiracy, etc.
• Transmediale: Conspire.., 2008, [2]
• Ars Electronica: Goodbye Privacy, 2007, [3]
• more: protection of personal data and identity

Democratisation of electromagnetic spectrum

• Art and Communication: Spectropia, festival, 16 - 19 October 2008, Riga, [4]
• Waves - The Art of the Electromagnetic Society, PHOENIX Halle Dortmund, exhibition, 10 May - 29 June 2008, [5]
• Art and Communication: Spectral Ecology, 2007, [6]
• Art and Communication: Waves, festival, 24 - 26 August 2006, Riga, [7]
• Open Spectrum FAQ, [8]
• Open Spectrum Foundation, Amsterdam-Prague, [9]
• Open Spectrum UK
• articles, [10]
• Robert Horvitz, Open Spectrum: Ideas and Actions, presentation, CIANT Gallery, 23 October 2007 - an introduction to recent radio-based art. http://www.volny.cz/rhorvitz/ciant.ppt
• more: democratisation of electromagnetic spectrum

Social web, web 2.0

• Impakt: YourSpace. Social structures, subcultures and identities in Society 2.0, festival, Utrecht, 2008 [11]
• Culture 2.0: Web 2.0 & Cultural Sector, conference, Amsterdam, 2007 [12]
• more: social web

Human rights

• Keywords: tactical media, ..
• more: human rights

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• Ars Electronica: Simplicity. The Art of Complexity, 2006, [13]
• Transmediale: Basics, 2005, [14]

Hybridisation

• Ars Electronica: Hybrid. Living in Paradox, 2005, [15]

Utopia

• Paraflows: Utopia, festival, 2008, [16]
• Reheat: Utopie und Sommer, sound art festival, 2007, [17]
• Ars Electronica: Timeshift. The World in Twenty-Five Years, 2004, [18]
• Transmediale: Fly Utopia!, 2004, [19]

Globalisation

• Topics: security, war, conflicts..
• Ars Electronica: Unplugged. Art as the Scene of Global Conflicts, 2002, [20]
• Transmediale: Play Global!, 2003, [21]
• Ars Electronica: INFOWAR - information.macht.krieg, 1998, [22]

Gender, genetic engineering, biotechnology

• Topics: cyborgs
• Ars Electronica: Next Sex. Sex in the Age of its Procreative Superfluousness, 2000, [23]
• Ars Electronica: Life Science, 1999, [24]
• Ars Electronica: Fleshfactor. Informationsmaschine Mensch, 1997, [25]
• Ars Electronica: Genetic Art - Artificial Life, 1993, [26]

Public space

• Transmediale: Go Public!, 2002, [27]

DIY

• Transmediale: Do it yourself!, 2001, [28]