Electronic art
Electronic art names work in which electronic technology is the medium rather than the frame or the subject. It emerged in the mid-1960s, when artists began collaborating with engineers: Experiments in Art and Technology (1966) paired figures like Robert Rauschenberg with Bell Labs engineers, and the 1968 exhibition Cybernetic Serendipity in London surveyed the new field. From Nam June Paik's manipulated television sets to sound environments, video walls, robotics and later software-based and networked pieces, the category spans any art whose materials are circuits, screens and code. Because it is defined by technology rather than by a shared look, electronic art is an umbrella: its works can read as sculpture, performance or image-making, united by electronics as the substance of the work.
Defining characteristics
- Electronic hardware or software is the artwork's medium, not merely its tool
- Time-based presentation: loops, signal noise, live feeds and changing states
- Light and sound emitted by screens, speakers and circuits rather than pigment
- Interactivity: the viewer's input or presence changes the work
- Collaboration between artists, engineers and technicians is often part of the process
Key figures
- Nam June Paik (1932-2006) — Pioneer of video art and the manipulated television as sculpture
- Billy Klüver (1927-2004) — Engineer who co-founded Experiments in Art and Technology in 1966
- Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) — Co-founder of E.A.T. whose combines and performances fused art with technology
Example works
- Magnet TV — Nam June Paik (1965)
- TV Garden — Nam June Paik (1974)
Sources
- Electronic art - Wikipedia encyclopedia