New review on "Imagery in the 21st Century" in LEONARDO. Imagery in the 21st Century
by Oliver Grau, Editor; with Thomas Veigl The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2011 424 pp. illus. 132 b/w. Trade, $40 ISBN-10: 0262015722. Reviewed by Amy Ione Director, The Diatrope Institute Berkeley, CA 94704 USA As I began this review I began to think that the refrain “we are surrounded by images today” has lost its impact (despite my being among the guilty users of it). On the one hand, it seems that many of us notice the imagery. Yet, on the other hand, as we increasingly engage with our visual culture certain norms for our critical investigations are also developing. I’m not sure where this leaves us. To be sure, the nature and complexity of our image-abundant culture is extraordinary. Images are no longer sparse and highly treasured. Rather, we have visual social media, scientific imaging tools, and even static objects like paintings populate the ever-changing screens of our mobile and desktop devices. Even those among us who have resisted some of the broad spectrum of electronic options (think Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, thousands of television channels, digital games, and virtual worlds) cannot escape this new world. Posters and window displays offer smartcodes that invite us to connect with the Internet and learn more about whatever the sign is promoting. Always on, complete with sound, are television screens in airports, restaurants and the array of imaging devices that bring us news, sports, entertainment, whatever. Given the state of the “image” today, critical examination of channels of media and communication are needed. Imagery in the 21st Century, edited by Oliver Grau with Thomas Veigl, presents a number of perspectives on this theme, highlighting the inroads of media into art and science. It is a valuable contribution to the topic. http://leonardo.info/reviews/apr2012/grau-ione.php# -- Other Info: Furtherfield - A living, breathing, thriving network http://www.furtherfield.org - for art, technology and social change since 1997 Also - Furtherfield Gallery& Social Space: http://www.furtherfield.org/gallery About Furtherfield: http://www.furtherfield.org/content/about Netbehaviour - Networked Artists List Community. http://www.netbehaviour.org http://identi.ca/furtherfield http://twitter.com/furtherfield _______________________________________________ NetBehaviour mailing list NetBehaviour@netbehaviour.org http://www.netbehaviour.org/mailman/listinfo/netbehaviour
