Software art

Alex McLean, forkbomb.pl, 2001. Software. Online.

Perpetual Self Dis/Infecting Machine, custom made computer infected with Biennale.py by 0100101110101101.org and Epidemic, 2001. Online.

Also artistic software, critical software, experimental software, speculative software, software-based art.

Term

"Software Art ... incorporates projects in which self-written algorithmic computer software (stand alone programmes or script-based applications) is not merely a functional tool, but is itself an artistic creation." (Transmediale 2001)

"[S]oftware art could be generally defined as an art of which the material is formal instruction code and/or which addresses cultural concepts of software." (Florian Cramer, 2002)

"[A]t the basis of each piece of software there are definite algorithms, but if conventional programs are instruments serving purely pragmatic purposes, the result of the work of artistic programs often finds itself outside of the pragmatic and the rational." (Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, 2002)

"Software culture is the living culture of programmers and users, as active participants in a world of or mediated by software. In its heart it circumscribes the field of intensive immaterial production, if on the level of coding, use, speculation or critical reflection and at the periphery every aspect of human life which is somehow driven or controlled by software. Software art is reflecting the realities and potentials of this culture." (Pit Schultz, c2002)

Repositories

• Runme, a software art repository. Launched in Jan 2003. Developed by Amy Alexander, Florian Cramer, Matthew Fuller, Olga Goriunova, Thomax Kaulmann, Alex McLean, Pit Schultz, Alexei Shulgin, and The Yes Men. In summer 2003 Hans Bernhard and Alessandro Ludovico have joined the expert team.

Works

Works highlighted on Transmediale (2001-04) and Read_me (2002-05) festivals

• mez breeze, Re (ad.htm, 2002. Honorable mention at Read_me festival 1.2, 2002. [1] [2] [3]
• Jonah Brucker-Cohen, The Story of BumpList: From Experiment to Community, 2003. Honorable mention at Transmediale 2004 Software Art award. [4] [5]
• The Carbon Defense League, re-code.com, 2003. Nominated for Transmediale 2004 Software Art award. [6]
• CooLer, WinGluk Builder, 2002. Honorable mention at Read_me festival 1.2, 2002. [7]
• Chris Csikszentmihályi, DJ I Robot, 2001. Shortlisted for Transmediale Artistic Software award, 2001. [8] [9] [10]
• Mark Daggett, DeskSwap, 2002. Main award at Read_me festival 1.2, 2002. [11] [12]
• Frédéric Durieu, Puppet Tool, 2002. Received Transmediale 2003 Software Art award. [13] [14]
• Daniel Hahn, Dietmar Schiffermüller, roman rétrograde, 2001. Received Transmediale 2002 Software Art award. [15] [16]
• Dorothea Johne/Alex Zahn, Der Schlaf der Vernunft / Dreaming Neural Network, 2001-02. Received Transmediale 2003 Software Art award. [17]
• Eldar Karhalev, Ivan Khimin, ScreenSaver, 2001. Main award at Read_me festival 1.2, 2002. [18] [19]
• Yunchul Kim, (void)traffic, 2003. Honorable mention at Transmediale 2004 Software Art award. [20]
• LAN, Tracenoizer: Disinformation on Demand, 2001-03. Received Transmediale 2002 Software Art award. Honorable mention at Read_me festival 1.2, 2002. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]
• LAN (Annina Rüst), SuPerVillainizer (Conspiracy Client), 2002. Received Transmediale 2003 Software Art award. [26] [27] [28]
• Joan Leandre, retroYou r/c, 1999-2001. Received Transmediale 2002 Software Art award. [29] [30] [31]
• Golan Levin, Audiovisual Environment Suite, 1998-2000. Shortlisted for Transmediale Artistic Software award, 2001. [32]
• Robert Luxemburg (Sebastian Lütgert), The Conceptual Crisis of Private Property as a Crisis in Practice, 2003. Nominated for Transmediale 2004 Software Art award. [33]
• Alex McLean, animal.pl, 2002. Received Transmediale 2003 Software Art award. [34]
• Alex McLean, forkbomb.pl, 2002. Received Transmediale 2002 Software Art award. [35] [36]
• Max Moswitzer, Margarete Jahrmann, nybble-engine-toolZ, 2000-04. Honorable mention at Transmediale 2004 Software Art award. [37] [38]
• Netochka Nezvanova, Nebula.M81, 1999. Shortlisted for Transmediale Artistic Software award, 2001. [39] [40]
• Shusha Niederberger, Niki Passath, Michael Wlodkowski, exegaze, 2003. Received Transmediale 2003 Software Art award. [41] [42]
• Joshua Nimoy, Textension, 1999. Main award at Read_me festival 1.2, 2002. [43] [44] [45]
• Daniela Plewe, Ultima Ratio, 1998-2000. Shortlisted for Transmediale Artistic Software award, 2001. [46] [47] [48] [49] [50]
• Projekt Gnutenberg (Sebastian Lütgert, Florian Cramer), txtz ware, 2002. Received Transmediale 2003 Software Art award. [51] [52]
• RSG, Carnivore, 2002. Honorable mention at Read_me festival 1.2, 2002. [53]
• Radical Software Group, Alex Galloway, How to Win 'Super Mario Bros', 2003. Honorable mention at Transmediale 2004 Software Art award. [54]
• Antoine Schmitt, Vexation 1, 2000. Shortlisted for Transmediale Artistic Software award, 2001. [55]
• Schoenerwissen (Marcus Hauer and Anne Pascual), Minitasking, 2002. Received Transmediale 2003 Software Art award. [56] [57]
• socialfiction.org (Wilfried Hou Je Bek), .walk, 2003-04. Nominated for Transmediale 2004 Software Art award. [58] [59] [60]
• Vladislav Tselicshev, Portret of President, 2002. Honorable mention at Read_me festival 1.2, 2002. [61] [62]
• Adrian Ward/Signwave, Auto-Illustrator, 2001. Shortlisted for Transmediale Artistic Software award, 2001. [63] [64] [65] [66]

Artists, theorists, initiatives

• 0x00WE15E7
• Amy Alexander
• Burak Arikan
• Eric Butler
• Code31
• Geoff Cox
• Florian Cramer
• Annet Dekker
• Eleonora Oreggia
• Matthew Fuller
• Olga Goriunova
• GOTO10
• Graham Harwood
• I/O/D
• Jaromil
• Jodi
• Michael Kargl
• Chris King
• Golan Levin
• LISA
• Make Art
• Aymeric Mansoux
• Nancy Mauro-Flude
• Alex McLean
• Moddr
• Mongrel
• Netochka Nezvanova
• Julian Oliver
• OpenLab
• Radical Software Group
• Readme
• Rethread
• Runme.org
• Warren Sack
• Gordan Savičić
• Antoine Schmitt
• Alexei Shulgin
• Bengt Sjölén
• Winnie Soon
• Marloes de Valk
• Danja Vasiliev
• Adrian Ward
• Marius Watz
• Matsuko Yokokoji
• Simon Yuill

Events

This chronology does not include events primarily concerned with computer art and internet art or more broadly with digital art and new media art.

read_me festival 1.2 video documentation, Moscow, 18-19 May 2002, 4h32m. Source.

2001

• Transmediale 2001: DIY (do it yourself!) festival conference, Berlin, 4-11 Feb 2001. This year the festival introduced an award for "artistic software", the first award given and solely dedicated to software art. Awarded through 2004: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004.

2002

• Kontrollfelder - Programmieren als künstlerische Praxis exhibition, HMKV, Dortmund, 5 Apr-5 May 2002. Curated by Andreas Broeckmann and Matthias Weiß; organized by art.net.dortmund.de and transmediale, Berlin. [67]
• Generator exhibition, Spacex Gallery, Exeter, 1 May-22 Jun 2002; Spaces at Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool, 14-29 Sep 2002 (video); Firstsite, Colchester, 8 Feb-29 Mar 2003. Curated by Geoff Cox and Tom Trevor.
• read_me festival 1.2: Software Art / Software Art Games, DOM Cultural Center, Moscow, 18-19 May 2002. Directed by Sergey Teterin; curated by Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin; organized by State Center for Museums and Exhibitions 'ROSIZO' and Macros-Center. Video, Photos. [68]
• I love you - computer_viren_hacker_kultur exhibition, Museum of Applied Art, Frankfurt/Main, 23 May-13 Jun 2002; later as part of Transmediale festival, Berlin, 31 Jan-5 Feb 2003; Museum of Contemporary Art, Novi Sad, 22 Jun-4 Jul 2006; Museum of Contemporary Art, Belgrade, 11-24 Jul 2006.
• CODeDOC online exhibition, Whitney Museum, New York, launched Sep 2002; later as part of Ars Electronica Festival, Linz, 2003. Curated by Christiane Paul.
• Electrohype 2002 exhibition, Carolinahallen & Malmö Konsthall, Malmö, 23-27 Oct 2002.

2003

• Software Art: A curatorial fiction or a new perspective? conference, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, 4 Feb 2003. Part of Transmediale festival.
• Read_Me 2.3 Software art festival, Media Centre Lume, Helsinki, 30-31 May 2003. Curated by Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin.
• Ars Electronica: CODE: The Language of our Time festival, Linz, 6-11 Sep 2003. Booklet. Reviews: Manovich (Nettime), Engeli (Leonardo).

2004 and later

• Read_Me 2004 software art festival, University of Aarhus & Jutland Academy of Fine Arts, Aarhus, 23-27 Aug 2004. Organised by Amy Alexander, Olga Goriunova, and Alexei Shulgin. Review: Luining (Crumb).
• Readme100: Temporary Software Art Factory. 4th international Readme festival on software art and culture, HMKV, Dortmund, 4-5 Nov 2005. Organised by Inke Arns, Olga Goriunova, Francis Hunger and Alexei Shulgin.
• After the Net exhibition, Centre del Carme, Valencia, 5-29 Jun 2008; Peninsula Arts Gallery, Plymouth, 12 Sep-23 Oct 2009; Tecnologico de Monterrey Toluca, Mexico, 3-5 Mar 2010. Curated by Joasia Krysa (KURATOR).
• Funware conference and symposium, Nov 2010-Jan 2011. Curated by Olga Goriunova; produced by aaaan.net (Annet Dekker and Annette Wolfsberger).

Publications

Read_me: Software Art & Cultures, 2004.

Florian Cramer, Words Made Flesh, 2005, Log.

Olga Goriunova (ed.), Readme 100: Temporary Software Art Factory, 2006, Log.

Aymeric Mansoux, Marloes de Valk (eds.), FLOSS+Art, 2008, Log.

This bibliography does not include texts primarily concerned with computer art and internet art or more broadly with digital art and new media art.

Books, Catalogues, Journal issues

• rtfm. Eine Kompilation von Texten, Netz-Fundstücken, Beschreibungen und Gebrauchsanweisungen für die Ausstellung 'Kontrollfelder. Programmieren als künstlerische Praxis', 2002. (German)
• Read_me Festival 1.2: Software Art/Software Art Games, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Moscow: Macros-center, 2002. With 4 CDs containing 72 works. [69]
• I love you - Computer, Viren, Hacker, Kultur, ed. Franziska Nori, Frankfurt am Main: Museum für Angewandte Kunst (MAK), 2002, 114 pp. Catalogue. (German),(English)
• Software Art: eine Reportage über den Code, ed. Gerrit Gohlke, Berlin: Künstlerhaus Bethanien, 2003, 68 pp. Based on the Software Art conference. Texts by Inke Arns, Tilman Baumgärtel, Florian Cramer, Gerrit Gohlke, Karl Heinz Jeron. [70] (German)/(English)
• ReadMe 2.3 Reader: About Software Art, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Helsinki: NIFCA, 2003, 87 pp. [71]
• Ars Electronica: CODE: The Language of our Time, Linz: Ars Electronica, 2003. Catalogue.
• Artificial.dk: "Software Art", intro. Andreas Broegger, Sep 2003-Aug 2004. Special section with a series of interviews.
• Read_me: Software Art & Cultures, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Aarhus: University of Aarhus, 2004, 396 pp. TOC. Conference proceedings and exhibition catalogue. [72]. Review: Knight (Leonardo).
• Florian Cramer, Words Made Flesh: Code, Culture, Imagination, Rotterdam: Media Design Research, Piet Zwart Institute, Willem de Kooning Academy Hogeschool Rotterdam, 2005, 140 pp. [73]
• Curating Immateriality: The Work of the Curator in the Age of Network Systems, ed. Joasia Krysa, Autonomedia/I-DAT, 2006, 288 pp.
• Readme 100: Temporary Software Art Factory, ed. Olga Goriunova, Dortmund: Hartware MedienKunstVerein, 2006.
• FLOSS+Art, eds. Aymeric Mansoux and Marloes de Valk, Poitiers: GOTO10, and London: Mute, 2008, 320 pp.
• Geoff Cox, Antithesis: The Dialectics of Software Art, Aarhus University, 2010, 232 pp. Based on author's PhD thesis, 2006.
• Digital Artists’ Handbook, folly and GOTO10, 2009, 228 pp.
• Form+Code in Design, Art, and Architecture: "Code", eds. Casey Reas, Chandler McWilliams, and LUST, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2010, 176 pp.
• Art ++, ed. David-Olivier Lartigaud, pref. Anne-Marie Duguet, Orléans: HYX, 2011. Introduction. [74] (French)
• Warren Sack, The Software Arts, MIT Press, 2019, 400 pp. [75]

Book chapters, Papers, Theses, Articles, Statements

• Tilman Baumgärtel, "Experimental Software", 2000. Paper presented at the Art+Communication conference, Riga, 26 Aug 2000.
• Geoff Cox, Alex McLean, Adrian Ward, "The Aesthetics of Generative Code", 2000. Paper delivered at the Generative Art 00 conference, Milan, Dec 2000. [76]
  • "L'esthétique du code génératif", trans. D. Suboticki, in Art ++, ed. David-Olivier Lartigaud, Orléans: HYX, 2011. (French)
• Florian Cramer, Ulrike Gabriel, John F. Simon Jr., "Artistic Software Jury: Full Statement", Berlin, Feb 2001. Statement on the Transmediale 2001 Artistic Software award. Works.
• Florian Cramer, Ulrike Gabriel, "Software Art", 15 Aug 2001, PDF; repr. in DIY Media: Kunst und digitale Medien: Software, Partizipation, Distribution. Transmediale.01, eds. Andreas Broeckmann and Susanne Jaschko, Berlin: Berliner Kulturveranstaltungs, 2001, pp 29-33 [77], repr. as "Software Art and Writing", American Book Review 22:6, Sep-Oct 2001 [78]; repr. as "On Software Art", in Rhizome, 20 Sep 2001. Written 15 Aug 2001.
• Tilman Baumgärtel, "Experimentelle Software. Zu einigen neueren Computerprogrammen von Künstlern", Telepolis, 28 Oct 2001. (German)
• Florian Cramer, "Der selbstausführende Entwurf: Software und Softwarekunst", 24 Jan 2002. (German)
  • "Concepts, Notations, Software, Art", 23 Mar 2002, PDF; repr. in Read_me Festival 1.2, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Moscow, 2002.
  • "Kontsepty, sistemy zapisi, programmnoye obespecheniye, iskusstvo" [Концепты, системы записи, программное обеспечение, искусство], in Read_me Festival 1.2, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Moscow, 2002. (Russian)
• Golo Föllmer, Robert O'Kane, Antoine Schmitt, "Jury Statement", Berlin, Feb 2002. Statement on the Transmediale 2002 Software Art award. Works. [79]
• Olga Goriunova, Alexei Shulgin, "Artisticheskoye programmnoye obespecheniye dlya chaynikov, i, zaodno, mysli o novom mirovom poryadke" [Артистическое программное обеспечение для чайников, и, заодно, мысли о новом мировом порядке], in Read_me Festival 1.2, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Moscow, 2002. (Russian)
  • "Artistic Software for Dummies and, by the way, Thoughts About the New World Order", in Read_me Festival 1.2, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Moscow, 2002.
• Matthew Fuller, "Behind the Blip: Software as Culture (some routes into 'software criticism', more ways out)", Nettime, 7 Jan 2002; repr. in Read_me Festival 1.2, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Moscow, 2002.
  • "Za signalom na ekrane: Programmnoye obespecheniye kak kultura" [За сигналом на экране: Программное обеспечение как культура], in Read_me Festival 1.2, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Moscow, 2002. (Russian)
• Florian Cramer, "Contextualizing Software Art", [18 May] 2002.
• Amy Alexander, Cue P. Doll, Florian Cramer, RTMark, Alexei Shulgin, "Read_Me Festival 1.2 Jury Statement", May 2002. [80] [81]
• Thor Magnusson, Processor Art: Currents in the Process Oriented Works of Generative and Software Art, 2002, 116 pp. Thesis.
• Hernando Barragán, "Software: ¿arte?", in Hipercubo/ok/: arte, ciencia y tecnología en contextos próximos, eds. Andrés Burbano and Hernando Barragán, Bogotá: Comité de Investigaciones de la Facultad de Artes y Humanidades, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de los Andes, 2002, pp 188-195; repr. in El medio es el diseño audiovisual, ed. Jorge La Ferla, Manizales, CO: Universidad de Caldas, and Buenos Aires: Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2007, pp 583-587; repr. in Artes y medios audiovisuales: Un estado de situación II, ed. Jorge La Ferla, Buenos Aires: Nueva Librería, 2008, pp 135-139. [82] (Spanish)
• Amy Alexander, Margarethe Jahrmann, David Rokeby, "Jury Statement", Berlin, Feb 2003. Statement on the Transmediale 2003 Software Art award. Works.
• Olga Goriunova, Alexei Shulgin, "QuickView on Software Art", in ReadMe 2.3 Reader, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Helsinki: NIFCA, 2003. Survey; participants: Amy Alexander, Florian Cramer, Matthew Fuller, Thomax Kaulmann, Alex McLean, Pit Schultz, The Yes Men.
• Florian Cramer, "Zehn Thesen zur Softwarekunst", 23 Sep 2003, PDF; repr. in SoftwareArt: eine Reportage über den Code, ed. Gerrit Gohlke, Berlin, 2003, pp 6-14. (German)
  • "Ten Theses about Software Art", 23 Sep 2003, PDF.
  • "Dix hypothèses au sujet de l'art logiciel", in Art ++, ed. David-Olivier Lartigaud, Orléans: HYX, 2011, pp 102-111. (French)
• Ivan Stehlík (mim), "Software.art = Umenie programovať?", 3/4 Revue 14, Bratislava, 2003. (Slovak)
• Geoff Cox, Casey Reas, Kate Rich, "Jury Statement", Berlin, Feb 2004. Statement on the Transmediale 2004 Software Art award. Works.
• Andreas Broegger, "Software Art - an introduction", Copenhagen, 24 Sep 2003.
• Andreas Broeckmann, "On Software as Art", in Sarai Reader 2003: Shaping Technologies, New Delhi, 2003, pp 215-218.
• Christiane Paul, "Software Art", section in Paul, Digital Art, London: Thames & Hudson, 2003, pp 124-125; 3rd ed., 2015.
• Rachel Greene, "Generative and Software Art", ch in Greene, Internet Art, London: Thames & Hudson, 2004, pp 152-164.
• Simon Yuill, "Code Art Brutalism: Low-level Systems and Simple Programs", Apr 2004; repr. in Read_me: Software Art & Cultures, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Aarhus: University of Aarhus, 2004.
• Geoff Cox, Alex McLean, Adrian Ward, "Coding Praxis: Reconsidering the Aesthetics of Code", in Read_me: Software Art & Cultures, eds. Olga Goriunova and Alexei Shulgin, Aarhus: University of Aarhus, 2004, pp 160-174. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the symposium Programmation-Orientee Art, University of Paris: Sorbonne, Mar 2004.
• Inke Arns, "Read_me, run_me, execute_me. Code als ausführbarer Text: Softwarekunst und ihr Fokus auf Programmcodes als performative Texte", MedienKunstNetz, 2004. (German)
  • "Read_me, run_me, execute_me: Code as Executable Text: Software Art and its Focus on Program Code as Performative Text", trans. Donald Kiraly, MediaArtNet, 2004.
  • "Read_Me, Run_Me, Execute_Me: Malaise dans le logiciel ou 'C’est la performativité du code, idiot!'", in Art ++, ed. David-Olivier Lartigaud, Orléans: HYX, 2011, pp 143ff. (French)
• Josephine Bosma, "Constructing Media Spaces: The novelty of net(worked) art was and is all about access and engagement", MediaArtNet, 2004.
  • "Die Konstruktion von Medienräumen. Zugang und Engagement: das eigentlich Neue an der Netz(werk)kunst", trans. Nikolaus G. Schneider, MedienKunstNetz, 2004. (German)
• Andreas Broeckmann, "Runtime Art: Software, Art, Aesthetics", 24 May 2004.
• Inke Arns, "Code as Performative Speech Act", Artnodes, Barcelona: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Jul 2005.
• Geoff Cox, "Generator: The Value of Software Art", in Issues in Curating Contemporary Art and Performance, eds. Judith Rugg and Michèle Sedgwick, Bristol: Intellect, 2007, pp 147-162.
• Andreas Broeckmann, "Software Art Aesthetics", Mono 1, Porto: FBAUP, Jul 2007, pp 158-167. Written 10 Dec 2006.
  • "L’esthétique du Software Art", in Art ++, ed. David-Olivier Lartigaud, Orléans: HYX, 2011, pp 91ff. (French)
• Geoff Cox, "Software Art Has No History", 2007. Paper given at re:place conference, Berlin.
• Simon Yuill, "All Problems of Notation Will be Solved by the Masses", Mute, 23 May 2008.
• Jussi Parikka, "Ethologies of Software Art: What Can a Digital Body of Code Do?", in Deleuze and Contemporary Art, eds. Zepke and O’Sullivan, Edinburgh University Press, 2010, pp 116-132.
• Olga Goriunova, "L'histoire de Runme.org, répertoire de Software Art", in Art ++, ed. David-Olivier Lartigaud, Orléans: HYX, 2011, pp 113ff. (French)
• Jana Horáková, "Softwarové umění: programování excesu", Musicologica Brunensia 47:2 (2012), pp 23-47. (Czech)
• Monika Szücsová, Softwarové umenie: genealógia, história, jazyk, Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2015, 71 pp. Master's thesis. (Slovak)
• Daniel Temkin, "Language Without Code: Intentionally Unusable, Uncomputable, or Conceptual Programming Languages", Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts 9(3): "xCoAx 2017", pp 83-91.
• Matthew Plummer-Fernandez, The Art of Bots: A Practice-based Study of the Multiplicity, Entanglements and Figuration of Sociocomputational Assemblages, London: Goldsmiths, 2018, 218 pp. PhD dissertation.

See also

• Software - Information Technology: Its New Meaning for Art exhibition, 1970.
• Computer art, Net art
• Hacktivism, Code poetry, Live coding, Demoscene
• Software studies
• FLOSS