Net Art

This Pathfinder is no longer being actively maintained by ipl2.

This pathfinder was created to help you find net-specific art which is becoming to be known as Net Art. This pathfinder shows actual sites where you can see Net Art on the web and shows how to search for these sites. It also points out where you can find information in periodicals about interactive art and web design.

Overview | Internet Sources | Searching for net art on the Web | Print Resources

Overview:

First I would like to describe Net Art or net-specific art is. It can simply be explained as artwork that was meant by the artist to be displayed on the Internet. Steve Dietz, a museum creator, has a more detailed explanation of net.art: "Art projects for which the Net is both a sufficient and necessary condition of viewing/expressing/participating." Net Art should be differentiated from art-on-the-web. For example, photographs, sculptures, or paintings that are displayed on the web for viewing should not be considered Net Art since these pieces are meant for viewing in a gallery space or on a wall. The Net in this case does not play a central role. This pathfinder will only deal with art pieces in which the Net is a central role of the art piece.

This Pathfinder was created because finding Net Art can be difficult. As Andreas Broeckmann, a writer on this subject, explains "At this moment, Net Art is certainly in a transitory state, in permanent flux, and it will change and develope as its agents and environment change." This is an exciting time to explore this emerging genre of art, I hope you find this pathfinder helpful.

Internet Sources

A great place to start looking at Net Art is by checking out online collections. These collections are similar to galleries or museums where you view other kinds of art like paintings or photographs.

Hotwired RGB Gallery
http://www.hotwired.com/rgb/
Hotwired's RGB Gallery is an excellent site that has exhibits of current net artists as well as a permanent collection of interactive Net Art. This online gallery not only displays the work but describes how the art was made and what inspired the artist. This would be a great place to start viewing Net Art.

beyond.interface
http://www.archimuse.com/mw98/beyondinterface/
This is an online exhibit curated by Steve Dietz. This exhibit has 24 net art pieces. Within this exhibit are writings by the curators as well as other curators arguing whether this is a legitimate form of art. In addition, it includes the etiology of the term net.art.

ZKP4
http://www.ljudmila.org/nettime/zkp4/
This site is a collection of articles and discussions involving this new genre of net art. Here one can find detailed documents about the continuing evolution and beginnings of net art. This is an excellent site to become educated on this emerging new art form.

Searching the Web for Net Art

The transitory, ever changing nature of Net Art and the fact that it is so new, makes finding net art somewhat difficult. Typing Net Art in a search engine I find does not get you very far. However, typing in interactive web art or just web art will get you some hits, especially in Yahoo!. Yahoo! has a directory that can lead you to other net-specific art. This directory is located at:

Arts: Visual Arts: Web Installations
http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Visual_Arts/Web_Art/Web_Installations/

Print Sources

There are no books that I can direct you to about Net Art. This is not surprising because to really experience Net Art, it needs to be experienced on the web. In this case the medium is really part of the message. A book would not be able to fully render a Net Art piece. Another reason I was unable to find printed material is that Net Art is still in its infancy. It has not received that much attention from the art world...yet. However, many periodicals mention and review Net Art.

Wired
The Conde Nast Publications Inc.
http://www.wired.com

This magazine was created to document the emerging digital culture. Wired covers a broad spectrum of how digital computing is impacting the world, including economy, business, science, and art. Every issue contains a mention of an artist using digital technology for expression. Many sites included in the beyond.interface exhibit were once written up in Wired. This is a monthly periodical and can be found on most magazine racks and newsstands.

Creative Review
Centaur Communications

This is a monthly periodical that dedicates itself to multimedia works including video, photography and the web. It critiques emerging genres of art and highlights new ways of using older mediums of expression. This magazine is an import of the UK but has artists from around the world.

Communication Arts
Coyne &Blanchard, Inc.
http://www.commarts.com

Communication Arts is a graphic design magazine, producing 8 issues a year, that concentrates on showing the reader how graphic design is applied to many different mediums. These mediums include print, public spaces such as buildings and billboards, and websites. This magazine has a special section dedicated interactive design which concentrates on website aesthetics and design.

This pathfinder created by Matthew Martin (atomaton)