Database Aesthetics: Art in the Age of Information Overflow (Electronic Mediations) by Univ Of Minnesota Press

Electronic Mediations

by Victoria Vesna

Database Aesthetics examines the database as cultural and aesthetic form, explaining how artists have participated in network culture by creating data art. The essays in this collection look at how an aesthetic emerges when artists use the vast amounts of available information as their medium. Here, the ways information is ordered and organized become artistic choices, and artists have an essential role in influencing and critiquing the digitization of daily life. Sharon Daniel, U of California, Santa Cruz; Steve Deitz, Carleton College; Lynn Hershman Leeson, U of California, Davis; George Legrady, U of California, Santa Barbara; Eduardo Kac, School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Norman Klein, California Institute of the Arts; John Klima; Lev Manovich, U of California, San Diego; Robert F. Nideffer, U of California, Irvine; Nancy Paterson, Ontario College of Art and Design; Christiane Paul, School of Visual Arts in New York; Marko Peljhan, U of California, Santa Barbara; Warren Sack, U of California, Santa Cruz; Bill Seaman, Rhode Island School of Design; Grahame Weinbren, School of Visual Arts, New York. Victoria Vesna is a media artist, and professor and chair of the Department of Design and Media Arts at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Genres: Research

Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[SY · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.25 stars] Some works have aged surprisingly well. Bill Seaman's world generator still looks pretty wild today. Also excited to see Lynn Hershman-Leeson having a bit of a moment now, her early works are hilarious. I am so ready for a 'vintage new media art' retrospective, but I can't imagine that being fun for the setup team. And so, in retrospect, narrative won the battle hands down I guess? Can't remember the last time I saw somebody getting excited about systems or infographics...

The theory stuff's still good for college teaching. There isn't much else out there on the topic. Also, very good to be reminded that that generation of media artist all wrote about their own works, and did so in such a virtuosic way. It was of course out of necessity.

[Sydnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for graduate school. Well, I read about half of this book we were assigned sections to read. I did not enjoy reading this book though I found it intriguing. There is a lot of information in it about data manipulation and the intersection of art and technology. Also covered, but not deeply, is how data is stored, retrieved and the ideas behind how we perceive the visual representation of that data.

I would in no way describe this book as reading for pleasure nor would I recommend it if someone was just interested in database aesthetics. If you have to read this book, as I did for school, take solace in the fact that you do enjoy reading and that once you finish it, you won't have to ever read it again.

[Kim Lacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Database Aesthetics is obviously for a very niche readership. This project grew out of a 1999 special issue of AI & Society.While I found a lot of the essays useful, they are pretty outdated. Even though DA was published in 2007, there's a large gap about big data/data visualization that would've been a welcomed inclusion in this compilation. I really wanted to find some new ideas, but there wasn't much. There were, however, some pretty interesting exhibits/installations used as examples--if anything, that's something positive to take away from this text.

[Kyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

You'd have to really love database aesthetics - and I do, but I'm not sure you will...

[Robert]

seemed a bit dated.