Publication details
Dějiny softwarového umění. Několik historií, několik počátků
| Title in English | The History of Software Art. Several Beginnings, Several Histories |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Sešit pro umění, teorii a příbuzné zóny |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Keywords | software art; conceptual art; digital art; software; computer virus; destruction; instructions |
| Description | This paper introduces an artistic movement known as software art that was born almost twenty years ago. The art movement doesn't use software as a mere tool for creating of art but working with software itself as an artistic material and full-fledged means of expression. This paper describes the complex history of the art movement and its various historical roots. Although at first glance, it may seem that software art is completely new art praxis, we can find several historical predecessors of software art in the world of art. The first art movement that deeply influenced software art was conceptual art. Conceptual art shares several fundamental characteristics with software art such as the shift from physical object to abstract idea or creating instructions for realization of artworks. Software art is also inspired by destructive tendencies in art (for example Dadaism, destructive performances, Body Art) because the destruction is one of its most important strategies realized through the performance of computer virus. However historical roots of software art don’t come exclusively from widely recognized art movements but can be identified in some artworks of early digital art. In the last section of the paper, we describe a revisionistic approach to the writing of software art history. In this case, software art is not put into art history as a continuation of the coherent story of art but takes on the role of active participant in the creating of our present. Software art is seen as a new opportunity for critical reflection contemporary art and society that are deeply influenced by ubiquitous software. |
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