ARTH 3650 - History and Theory of Digital Art

(crosslisted) INFO 3660, STS 3650, VISST 3650
(ALC-AS) (CA-AG, LA-AG)

Fall. 3 credits. Student option grading (no audit).

Co-meets with ARTH 6653.

M. Fernandez.

In this course, we will examine the role of electronic and digital technologies in the arts of the late 20th and 21st centuries with emphasis on Europe and North America. Beginning with the cybernetically and systems-inspired work of the late sixties, we will explore early uses of computer technology, including early experiments in synthetic video in the 1970s. An overview of pre-internet telematic experiments will lead to an investigation of net art and later currents of digital art. The ongoing development of behavioral art forms will be a central theme. Critical evaluation of various attitudes concerning technology will be encouraged.