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Aesthetics of Interaction in Digital Art

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An art-historical perspective on interactive media art that provides theoretical and methodological tools for understanding and analyzing digital art. Since the 1960s, artworks that involve the participation of the spectator have received extensive scholarly attention. Yet interactive artworks using digital media still present a challenge for academic art history. In this book, Katja Kwastek argues that the particular aesthetic experience enabled by these new media works can open up new perspectives for our understanding of art and media alike. Kwastek, herself an art historian, offers a set of theoretical and methodological tools that are suitable for understanding and analyzing not only new media art but also other contemporary art forms. Addressing both the theoretician and the practitioner, Kwastek provides an introduction to the history and the terminology of interactive art, a theory of the aesthetics of interaction, and exemplary case studies of interactive media art. Kwastek lays the historical and theoretical groundwork and then develops an aesthetics of interaction, discussing such aspects as real space and data space, temporal structures, instrumental and phenomenal perspectives, and the relationship between materiality and interpretability. Finally, she applies her theory to specific works of interactive media art, including narratives in virtual and real space, interactive installations, and performance—with case studies of works by Olia Lialina, Susanne Berkenheger, Stefan Schemat, Teri Rueb, Lynn Hershman, Agnes Hegedüs, Tmema, David Rokeby, Sonia Cillari, and Blast Theory.

381 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Shane.
389 reviews9 followers
September 25, 2017
Thorough research in the literature of art theory, play and interactive media, coupled with some well thought out case studies, but this book fails to develop on its promise of a theory of aesthetics of interaction, while also missing out on some key areas (feminist theory, site specificity) that seem relevant to a lot of interactive artwork. Well researched and a good anthology, but unfortunately incomplete.
Profile Image for Kevin McDonagh.
257 reviews57 followers
January 25, 2015
A good overview of the evolving arts. Very well researched with interesting opinions on the environment.
Lots of good Artists mentioned.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

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