Unsorted – 2004
Edited by Arie Altena & Taco Stolk
Published by Sonic Acts Press
Design by goodwill
Book, black & white, English text
Art reflects the society which gave birth to it. It is therefore not surprising that many new art forms have emerged in recent years (from computer art to neo-conceptualism and from business art to genomic art) which in form and content are rooted in the information society: the information arts. These information arts often defy several paradigms on which traditional art forms are based. Therefore we have to pose the question if there are other models of categorization that provide us with a better insight in the arts. The traditional images of the skilled craftsman or the individual artistic genius do not fit information artists very well. They pose themselves as directors, mediators or researchers, and often organise themselves in collectives.
To many young artists, these paradigm shifts come naturally. They react creatively on the society in which they live. It can be foreseen that the art world will evolve in directions which fit the new arts. This will however only happen when we develop new insights on the differences and similarities of these arts. Unsorted contributes to the emerging discussion in this field. Rather than having the pretensions of sorting it all out, this publication discloses some of the relevant questions. It focusses on the characteristics of the information arts – on the level of the work of individual artists and collectives, as well as on the level of their mutual relations.
Unsorted is also a guide to the festival Sonic Acts 10, that takes place from 23 – 25 September 2004 in Paradiso, Amsterdam.
With contributions by Mitchell Whitelaw, Lev Manovich, Stephen Wilson, Arthur Elsenaar, tobias c. van Veen, goodwill, Taco Stolk (ed.), Arie Altena (ed.). design goodwill.
