Media Art in Germany

Dossier Media Art in Germany

It is a difficult undertaking to survey the diverse forms and styles of media art. The genre was ignored by aesthetic theory for decades and even experts find hard it to define.

This dossier takes a ramble through the history and future of media art. It presents major artists and their work, schools, awards and festivals, and gives a few tips on links and further reading.

For this updated and considerably expanded version of the dossier on the development of media art in Germany, Peter Zorn was awarded the “Golden @” by Voeux de l’Internet in January 2007.

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    Introduction

    Lutz Dammbeck: Mediencollage Herakles, 1983; Foto: Barbara Berhold-Metselaar, Copyright: Lutz Dammbeck / VG Bild Kunst, Bonn, 2011

    Introduction to the Development of Media Art in Germany

    It is a difficult undertaking to survey the diverse forms and styles of media art, for it is a genre that was ignored by aesthetic theory for decades and that even experts find hard to define.More ...

    History

    Still from Allegretto (1936-1943), 35mm film by Oskar Fischinger; Copyright: Fischinger Trust, courtesy Center for Visual Music

    From the Beginnings of Experimental Film to the Turbulent Seventies

    The avant-garde’s preoccupation with moving pictures in film began shortly after the First World War.More ...
    Matthias Müller, Alpsee, 1994; Copyright: Matthias Müller

    From the 1980s to Today: Video Killed the RadioFilm Star

    Since the eighties, the attention of video artists has been turning more and more to the use of cinematic techniques.More ...
    Sylvie Boisseau/Frank Westermeyer, Der freie Mensch; Copyright: Boisseau/ Westermeyer

    Video / Film in the New Millennium

    Artists, Preservation, NetworkingMore ...

    Tendencies

    Web 2.0

    Opportunities and dangersMore ...
    Logo Mikro e.V.; Copyright: Mikro e.V.

    Go digital - online!

    Artists discover the World Wide WebMore ...

    Go Digital-Interact!

    Advances in computer technology and the spread of the personal computer have given artists the opportunity of letting viewers interact with art works.More ...

    Sound Art and Music Visualisation

    From Image to Sound and vice versaMore ...
    Michael Snow: “Wavelength” | Photo/©: Michael Snow

    Time Is On My Side – The Factor of Time in Time-Based Media

    The term “time-based arts” refers to the factor of time, which plays as important a role in many works of media art.More ...
    “Plastikman World Tour 2010” | Photo/©: www.plastikman.com

    Life is Life Liveness!

    Let this modified title of a chart stormer of the 1980s serve as the heading for the area of live broadcast and the feedback of storage media and live performance.More ...
    Bettina Ellerkamp and Jörg Heitmann “killer.berlin.doc” | Photo/©: home productions GmbH

    Criss and Sometimes Cross:
    Cross-Media

    Cross-media today means the symbiosis of TV stations with the Internet and projects that implement the inherent possibilities of the Net in interactive and participatory forms.More ...
    Debbie Groben: “Dramatic Chipmunk” | Photo/©: Debbie Groben / FreakingNews.com

    When Media Become “Social”: Social Media

    Within a century, the medial availability of the means of production and distribution has swelled into a mass phenomenon.More ...

    Copyright and Censorship

    Anti-ACTA-Demo, Dortmund 2012 | © Tobias M. Eckrich; CC-BY-3.0

    Fight for your Rights – Copyright and Alternatives

    The net is not infinite, and it’s not free. Dependencies are created as a result of technical conditions, but also as a result of copyrights.More ...
    “Zone*Interdite” (i.e. prohibited area) Christoph Wachter & Mathias Jud, Exhibition view, Wilhelm Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen 2009 | © Christoph Wachter & Mathias Jud

    Don’t censor me! – Internet Censorship and Other Hassles

    Aside from the copyright problem, we also have the issue of free access to information. Put simply: who can see what in the Internet? The Web is by no means as consistent as one might think.More ...

    Festivals, Awards, Schools

    Logo EMAF; Copyright: EMAF

    Festivals, Awards, Schools

    Germany has a wide range of festivals, awards and schools in the field of media art.More ...

    Prospect

    Maya Deren: Meshes of the Afternoon © Tavia Ito/Re:Voir vidéo

    Chill-Out: Games and the Effects of the Internet

    In conclusion, I should like to make a few observations about the situation and future of media art.More ...