Digital Pioneers: Rediscovering the Innovative Art of the Computer Age
Light & Motion vs. Lines of Code: A Conflicted Journey Through Art’s Early Digital Landscape
This ambitious exhibition shines a light on the fearless artists who embraced computers during their nascent years, long before the internet became synonymous with cat memes and online squabbling. These pioneers were driven by a utopian vision – harnessing technology’s potential for good and exploring its artistic possibilities.
The show starts strong, showcasing a breathtaking exploration of light and motion. Vera Spencer’s 1954 punch card collage, a brilliant example of modernist minimalism rendered through circuit board aesthetics, is a standout. Steina and Woody Vasulka pushed the boundaries of TV screens with their multi-screen geometric displays, offering a thrilling, immersive experience. Even Richard Brautigan’s 1967 poem, envisioning humanity under the care of “machines of loving grace,” sets a hopeful, futuristic tone.
Then, the exhibition pivots towards the genuinely radical: computer art. Suddenly, the medium itself becomes the message. Charles Csuri’s 1967 digital drawing, a groundbreaking depiction of a human figure, felt impossibly futuristic. Harold Cohen’s AARON, a computer program that generated colorful, almost childish paintings, challenged viewers’ understanding of artistry itself. Lillian F. Schwartz’s mind-bending, strobing imagery from 1972 further demonstrated the transformative power of code.
Here, we’re presented with something genuinely new.
Suzanne Treister’s prescient video game stills, created in the early 90s, anticipate contemporary video game art by decades, while Samia Halaby’s swirling, undulating geometric abstractions push the boundaries of what artists could achieve using technology. Rebecca Allen’s hypnotic videos explore the beauty of generative art, and Eduardo Mac’s minimalist, 8-bit masterpieces demonstrate a profound understanding of the relationship between code and visual expression. These artists, working with clunky Amigas, Minitels, and custom software based on fractal mathematics, were true pioneers.
The exhibition’s heart lies in this exploration. Computer art, in its infancy, was purely experimental, driven by a thrilling mix of artistic vision and a desire to push technological boundaries.
This is where the show falters. By blurring the lines between light and kinetic art with digital art, the exhibition loses its focus. While sharing some thematic overlap, the intentions of each diverge drastically. Kinetic and light art, while using technology, primarily focus on manipulating the viewer’s perception.
Computer art, on the other hand, fundamentally questions the nature of art itself, utilizing the computer as both tool and subject. It’s a crucial distinction that the exhibition fails to fully address.
It’s a shame because it diminishes the impact of the computer art, which feels truly groundbreaking and relevant today, despite its origins in a more hopeful era. These artists, unburdened by the cynicism of today’s internet culture, saw technology as a force for good, a way to connect humans, create beauty, and explore the unknown. Their work, often overlooked, deserves to be celebrated, not simply presented as another itemOakland Museum of California, June 10-September 3, 2023in a museum collection. It’s a reminder of the profound impact computers can have, not just on art but on how we understand and interact with the world around us. Maybe someday we’ll rediscover that optimism.
How did artists’ perspectives on the potential of technology evolve during the early days of digital art?
## Digital Pioneers: A Conversation with Emily Carter
**Today we’re joined by Emily Carter, art historian and curator of the new exhibition “Digital Pioneers: Rediscovering the Innovative Art of the Computer Age.” Emily, welcome to the show.**
**Emily:** Thank you for having me.
**This exhibition seems to highlight a fascinating tension between two artistic approaches. Could you tell us more about that?**
Emily: Absolutely. The show charts a fascinating journey through the early days of digital art. Initially, artists were captivated by the potential of new technologies like television and punch cards to manipulate light and motion. Works like Vera Spencer’s punch card collage and the immersive multi-screen displays of Steina and Woody Vasulka exemplify this approach. There’s a sense of wonder and exploration here.
**And then comes the shift towards computer art?**
**Emily:** Precisely. Artists like Charles Csuri, Harold Cohen, and Lillian F. Schwartz began to directly engage with the computer as a creative tool. This marked a profound shift. Suddenly, the code itself became the brushstroke, the algorithm the expression. Harold Cohen’s AARON program, for instance, generated paintings seemingly independent of human intervention, raising fundamental questions about authorship and the nature of art itself. [[1](https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/d/digital-art)].
**It seems like there’s a utopian undercurrent to this early experimentation–a belief in technology’s potential for good.**
**Emily:** You’re right. Many of these artists were deeply optimistic about the future, believing that technology could be harnessed to create a more beautiful and equitable world. Richard Brautigan’s poem envisioning “machines of loving grace” captures this sentiment perfectly.
**Looking ahead, what do you think the legacy of these digital pioneers will be?**
**Emily:** Their influence is undeniable. You see echoes of their work in contemporary digital art, VR experiences, video games – even the way we interact with technology on a daily basis. Their vision and daring experimentation laid the groundwork for an entire artistic landscape.
**Thank you so much for sharing your insights, Emily.
