Abstract

The Media Art landscape of recent years is being increasingly seized by a phenomenon which has yet to receive any significant research, classification or analysis: the use of historic media configurations as an integrated part of contemporary media art installations. Internationally renowned artists like William Kentridge, Olafur Eliasson, Zoe Beloff, Jeffrey Shaw, Maurice Benayoun, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, create optical experiments, panoramas, phantasmagoria, perspective theaters, camera obscura, anamorphoses, magic lanterns, etc.

Never before has the world of images changed so fast in such a short span of time. Historical development of images between innovation, reflection and iconoclasm achieve new global linkage and complexity in the 21st century. Digital images became ubiquitous and key tools within the global reorganization of work, but these transformations hit society to a large extent unprepared.

• Oliver Grau is Professor for Image Science/Media Art at Danube University. Translated in 12 languages, publications include: Virtual Art, MIT Press 2003; MediaArtHistories, MIT Press 2007; Imagery of the 21st Century, MIT Press 2010. He also developed: virtualart.at and gssg.at

Full text (PDF) p.  88-89