Re: [-empyre-] old discussion, and pieces of history

[nickm@linc.cis.upenn.edu]

Alan,

> I'm fascinated more by the diversity of art practices than anything else
> here -

Yes, so am I. It's really interesting to see the experiences, art, and 
artists that made a big difference in people's lives. Many of my most 
important non-computer influences come from literature -- Julio Cortázar, 
Italo Calvino, and George Perec being a few writers who come to mind. On the 
other hand, I find Vito Acconci's work to be very smart and arresting, but 
he doesn't find a place near the top of my list of influences since I 
learned about him somewhat later and since I don't do performace or 
installation work. So, it's interesting to see what artists of different 
sorts are mentioned.

I do think I can distinguish writers who have influenced the way I think 
about creating interactive computer programs -- May Swenson, members of the 
Oulipo, Robert Pinsky, Steve Meretzky, Stuart Moulthrop, and Adam Cadre 
would be in this category -- from those who helped me understand how 
langauge can be beautifully put together, but who didn't particularly inform 
my new media work. But perhaps it's not so easy for everyone to make this 
distinction, and perhaps I'm being hasty in saying that I can make the 
distinction myself.

By the way, I didn't claim that because an artist influenced someone on 
the empyre mailing list, that artist's work must be new media.

-Nick Montfort                          
 http://nickm.com  nickm@nickm.com
 My new book, Twisty Little Passages: http://nickm.com/twisty

Quoting Alan Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com>:

> 
> 
> When did their work become new media? You'd have to establish
> discontinuities, borders...
> 
> I'm fascinated more by the diversity of art practices than anything else
> here -
> 
> Alan
> 
> 
> On Wed, 7 Jan 2004, Nick Montfort wrote:
> 
> >
> > Alan,
> >
> > > Just want to add here that all of this discussion of works and 
histories
> > > only points to the problematic of new media as a category once again -
> >
> > Really? Does that fact that people have diverse backgrounds and 
influences
> > mean that the field or category of new media doesn't exist?
> >
> > -Nick Montfort
> >  http://nickm.com  nickm@nickm.com
> >  My new book, Twisty Little Passages: http://nickm.com/twisty>
> > _______________________________________________
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> > empyre@lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> >
> 
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