Telematic Embrace: Visionary Theories of Art, Technology, and Consciousness by Roy Ascott

Rating:
Summary: Skip this one
Review: E. Shanken writes like a baton twirler with a Ph.D.

Rating:
Summary: Unique and insightful
Review: This collection offers a unique and valuable history of art and technology from the 1960s to the 2000s as chronicled through the brilliant writings of Roy Ascott. A pioneer of cybernetic and telematic art, Ascott is generally recognized as a leading figure in the field of new media. His theoretical writings are inventive, prescient, and provocative, and are required reading for students and professionals who are interested in learning about the ideas that shaped interactivity, media art, and net art.

Shanken's introduction offers an erudite but highly readable and insighful guide to Ascott's work as an artist, theorist, and teacher, placing his many contributions in a broad context of art history, the history of ideas, and the history of technology. At 94 pages, this essay offers one of the most extensive art historical treatments of art and technology currently in print and makes an invaluable addition to the literature.

The book may be a bit pricey, but it is well worth it and this is one volume you'll be glad to have in hard-cover.