The Prehistories of New Media: 1965 to the Present jonCates - Assistant Professor (Film, Video and New Media) Art History Theory and Criticism SPRING 2005 ARTHI 2511 1 PM - 4PM MON //description This course presents a series of inquiries and conversations about the origins of the theories and practices collectively referred to as New Media. From Marshal McLuhanÕs use of the phrase Ònew mediaÓ in the 1960s to later usages by video artists in the 1970s and 80s, to those working in the network and computer cultures of the 1990s and in currently emerging discourses, New Media includes a set of contested, multiple, and modular histories as well as an implicit impulse to discard the past. While arising from the parallel, overlapping and resistant codes of experimental media art culture and socially engaged technology, New Media has become both simultaneously clearer and more ambiguous. This course explores the many precedents, exceptions, disputes, and connections that constitute the prehistories of New Media. //dates the course will be a nodal network as is the net of Indra + will reflect itself in the facets of a timond in the following 15 interdependent self-reflexive timonds, conceptual constellations or academic modules: 2005.01.31: 00. ntros, McLuhan + new media 2005.02.07: 01. cut-up, sample + remixology 2005.02.14: 02. grids gone wild 2005.02.21: 03. random access memories ++ declare_intentedTopic.txt DUE 2005.02.28: 04. realtime 2005.03.07: 05. coordinates systems + critical cartographies 2005.03.14: 06. codebases 2005.03.21: 07. looping=TRUE ++ midSemester.txt DUE 2005.02.28: 08. artwarez + instruction sets 2005.04.04: 09. COMports: channels, paths, ports + net(art)workings 2005.04.11: 10. 3 * cyber: cybernetic, cyborg + cyberpunk 2005.04.18: 11. playAble: [art as game/game as art] 2005.04.25: 12. finalPresentation.txts 2005.05.02: 13. CRIT WEEK 2005.05.09: 14. finalPresentation.txts //requirements All students are required to write 2 new media txts addressing a topic relevant to the course. the 2 new media txts (both addressing the same topic) will consist of the following [components/stages]: midSemester.txt ++ the finalPresentation.txt. both txts must integrate the weekly readings, screenings + discussions as well as student initiated independent research. the 2 new media txt are to be interpreted by the students + will be evaluated on the basis of personal investment, theoretical + art historical criticality + creativity. i encourage experimentation with form but require all students to declare the intended topic of the 2 new media txts before beginning the development of the txts. once agreed upon, the topic will remain the same throughout the process. declare_intentedTopic.txt will be DUE on 2005.02.21 + most be sent via email to: jcates@artic.edu as well as posted to the class portal. the midSemester.txt must consist of 5-7 pages of txt + will be DUE 2005.03.21 @ the beginning of class. the finalPresentation.txt should be grow from + develop the ideas + approaches in the midSemester.txt. in class presentations of the finalPresentation.txt are required + should range in time from 10 to 20 minutes. students will present the finalPresentation.txt and have a short discussion w/the class. for half the class finalPresentation.txts will be DUE on 2005.05.02 and for the other half 2005.05.09. the designation of DUE dates of 2005.05.02 or 2005.05.09 will be determined by semi-random chance operations. throughout the research phases of the 2 new media txts, students will journal, blog, create diary or sketchbook entries [+/or] other such collections of [thoughts/references/notes]. in the case of digital practices such as blogs, vlogs, etc students will make the uri's of these known to the class. in the case of analog or physical practices, students will make these available to the Professor for review on the Professor's request. //quizzes quizzes will be given weekly on the outside assignments given the previous week. outside assignments will consist of readings, screenings + participation in various new media projects. //attend ++ contribute attendance and punctuality are required. 3 absences == NO CREDIT. 2 lates == 1 absence. 6 lates == NO CREDIT. attendance records will be kept and made available on the portal. //intentionality i will give weavings of alternative structures that tie together interconnections + vasty tingleTangles of ideas + evidence in a manner described by Ted Nelson in his 1974 publication Computer Lib/Dream Machines. these art hystorical projects will configure multiple prehystories of new media + facilitate conversation. new media will be considered as technosocial field of artistic activity + agency interwoven with recent futures + nearby pasts of film art and video art. these socially embedded technologies will be discussed in relation to the development of the "countercultural" + continually arrived @ through contested, multiple, modular, subjective + personal hystories. //timonds the following timond[Outlines/Shadows], [conceptual/celestial]Expansion + academic module summaries will provide examples of projects to be discussed + outsideAssignments that will be given: 00. ntros, McLuhan + new media //view.scr title: The Medium is the Massage dvr: Marshall McLuhan, Quentin Fiore + Jerome Agel date: 1967 publisher: Columbia Records format: [book/vinyl LP audio recording] //outsideAssignment title: New Media from Borges to HTML dvr: Lev Manovich (introduction from:) title: The New Media Reader editors: Noah Wardrip-Fruin + Nick Montfort publisher: The MIT Press date: 2002 format: txt title: errata erratum dvr: dj spooky date: 2002 format: [web art/remix/sculpture musical] uri: http://www.moca.org/museum/digital_gallery/pmiller/ 01. cut-up, sample + remixology //view.src: title: Anemic Cinema dvr: Marcel Duchamp date: 1926 format: film title: Towers Open Fire dvr: Antony Balch, William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin + Ian Sommerville format: film runtime: 00:10:00.00 //outsideAssignment: title: A means of mutation subtitle: Notes on I/O/D 4: "The Web Stalker" dvr: Matthew Fuller date: March 1998 format: txt 02. grids gone wild //view.src: title: Matthew Fuller interviewed by jonCates dvr: criticalartware date: 2004 format: [video/interview] title: WebStalker dvr: I/O/D date: 1997 format: [web browser/Director projector] //outsideAssignment: title: Utopian Laser TV Station dvr: Nom June Polk date: 1966 format: txt title: fileroom dvr: Antonio Muntadas date: 1994 - present format: [artware/installation/exhibition] uri: http://www.thefileroom.org/ 03. random access memories //view.scr title: Random Access dvr: Nam June Paik date: 1963 format: [artware/installation/audioEngine] title: 201: a space algorithm dvr: Jennifer + Kevin McKoy date: 2001 format: artware uri: http://www.mccoyspace.com/201/ //outsideAssignment title: The Fantasy Beyond Control dvr: Lynn Hershman (chapter from:) title: Illuminating Video: An Essential Guide to Video Art pages: 267Ð273 publisher: Aperture/BAVC date: 1990 format: txt 04. realtime //view.scr title: Participation TV dvr: Nam June Paik date: 1982 format: [installation/system/artware/hardwareHack] //outsideAssignment title: Questioning the Frame hyperthreads dvrs: Coco Fusco + various date: 2004 format: discourse 05. coordinates systems + critical cartographies //view.scr title: They Rule dvr: Josh On date: 2001 - present format: [artware/map/system] uri: http://www.theyrule.net/ //outsideAssignment title: Cinema as a Code (chapter from:) title: The Language of New Media dvr: Lev Manovich publisher: The MIT Press ISBN: 0262632551 date: 2000 format: txt 06. codebases //view.scr title: Permutations dvr: John Whitney Sr. format: film date: 1967 runtime: 00:07:00;00 title: Hallucination dvr: Jim Campell date: 1988 - 1990 format: Red-Green-Blue LED works uri: http://www.jimcampbell.tv/ //outsideAssignment title: "Delusions of Dialogue: Control and Choice in Interactive Art" dvr: Jim Campbell format: discussion date: 1996 uri: http://adaweb.walkerart.org/context/events/moma/bbs4/discussion_4.html 07. looping=TRUE ++ midSemester.txt DUE //view.scr title: Report dvr: Bruce Conner date: 1963 - 1967 format: film title: The Eternal Frame dvr: Ant Farm + T.R. Uthco date: 1976 format: video runtime: 00:22:12;00 //outsideAssignment title: Artware - Art, Software and conceptualism dvr: Saul Albert date: 1999.08 format: txt uri: http://twenteenthcentury.com/saul/artware.htm 08. artwarez + instruction sets //view.scr title: Violin Power dvr: Steina date: 1969 - present format: [video/artware/audio-visual/realtime/performance] uri: http://www.vasulka.org/Steina/Steina_ViolinPower/ViolinPower.html //outsideAssignment title: Software dvr: R. Buckminster Fuller + Raindance Corporation date: Spring 1970 format: interview transcription uri: http://www.radicalsoftware.org/volume1nr1/pdf/VOLUME1NR1_0007.pdf 09. COMports: channels, paths, ports + net(art)workings //view.scr various COMports including: Radical Software, Rhizome.org, nettime, criticalartware, RunMe, etc... //outsideAssignment title: Art, Power, and Communication dvr: Alexei Shulgin date: 1996 format: txt uri: http://sunsite.cs.msu.su/wwwart/apc.htm 10. 3 * cyber: cybernetic, cyborg + cyberpunk //view.scr title: Last Angel of History dvrs: John Akomfrah + Black Audio Film Collective format: video date: 1995 //outsideAssignment title: Untitled Game and Ego Image Shooter dvr: Anne-Marie Schleiner date: 2002.03.13 format: [txt/game art review] uri: http://www.opensorcery.net/2reviews.html title: Untitled Game dvr: Jodi date: 2002 format: mod, gameArt uri: http://www.untitled-game.org/ 11. playAble: [art as game/game as art] //view.scr title: fijuu dvrs: delire + pix date: 2004 format: [3D audio/visual performance engine/artware/gameArt/expandedCinema] uri: http://fijuu.com/ 12. finalPresentation.txts 13. CRIT WEEK == NO CLASS 14. finalPresentation.txts the complete + updated courseware will exist online + all students will be responsible for keeping themselves informed of changes. Prehistories of New Media: 1965 to the Present will utilize the School of the Art Institute's portal: http://go.artic.edu as well as: http://www.artic.edu/~jcates this syllabus is protected by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/