Waves and Code
Waves and Code
Posted October 8th, 2007 by Armin Medosch
"Waves and Code" is a working title for a book on an emergeing theory of media art. This goes back to initial discussions with Franz Xaver at the time when he was curator of the Medienkunstlabor Graz. We agreed that the field of media art had failed to generate solid foundations for any theory of media art and that a new start was necessary. We thought that any such new start should try a materialistic approach and build a theory from the bottom up by engaging with the properties of the media involved. We identified two primary media of media art, electromagnetic waves and code. This 'book' documents some of the research conducted since. Rather than being a coherent, linear text in a first phase it is more likely to become a series of collected essays and research materials. It is also my attempt to make first use of the module 'book' in the drupal content management system.
Introduction
"Waves and Code" is a working title for a book on an emergeing theory of media art. This goes back to initial discussions with Franz Xaver at the time when he was curator of the Medienkunstlabor Graz. We agreed that the field of media art had failed to generate solid foundations for any theory of media art and that a new start was necessary. We thought that any such new start should try a materialistic approach and build a theory from the bottom up by engaging with the properties of the media involved. We identified two primary media of media art, electromagnetic waves and code. This 'book' documents some of the research conducted since. Rather than being a coherent, linear text in a first phase it is more likely to become a series of collected essays and research materials. It is also my attempt to make first use of the module 'book' in the drupal content management system.
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Waves and Code
the text 45rpm is a essay I worte and you Lindsay made very helpful comments. Here, what I did, I put it under a top level book title of Waves and Code.
The first few lines which I put here is really the minimum that can be said about this research project, that's really just how it started. But the topic of waves and code is certainly bigger than this 45rpm text and also bigger than me or what I can do. So yes, this is in the way also a n effort at a collaborative open book. If you want to enter specific research topics either about waves or code and /or other thing towards a bottom-up materialistic theory of media art, then be welcome, just start and make your own mistakes and document them or talk nabout them.
because that's the other point i am trying to make, I could easily fill up this cms with lots of my texts but what would that be for. so for me the collaborative effort of building this site is actrually at the forefront of my mind. therefor i would like to leave space for others to shape this space as well. because in the end, what motivates me is also the idea of scalability and self-sustainance. I could be impatient and start promoting this site. It would probably collapse. so it is about creating that collaborative culture there first, that people can learn and maybe others become editors and so on and so forth.
i am currently reallyinterested in developing the grammar of this site, thats the most interesting for me. at the same time content wants also to be made. i have textwork to do. so hopefully we can develop this slowly but surely. i dont k now if i have found the best way of communicating those site building issues.
I also mean to write simple howto for the not so technical user what exists here and how to make use of it. and sometimes I just feel like writing into this top field on the homepage, where it says 'the nextlayer aims at --' "we will soon begin", just that, in big red letters, on a green grass background-
But realistically we are not yet there, so lets all work ont his together
a.
Mistakes
Mistakes are great things, like a film it is simply a mis take, where the camera is not quite focussesd on the right part of the action to let the story flow. The collaborative angle therefore sounds great to me as a few minds working together is usually better than one. Is the text 45rpm here as a starting point, and are you planning to start from afresh? If so do you have a rough outline for you project as regards a theoretical framework for investigation? I for one would be interested in collaborative editing...but also in the investigative side of things. As you may know i am trying to set up a kind of dialogue/residency at the Satellite Centre here in Dundee...?
Lindsay
more than that
But it is not just that I can create a book, this can also be done collaboratively. It is possible now to define collaborators on a book who have all editing rights. Somebody else can come and edit a page and with the button 'create rivision' (under 'publishing options') create a new version without the old one being destroyed. with the new 'diff' function changes can be compared like in a wiki. Thus, we can collaboratively edit, annotate, categorise, and reference. The functionality has grown a lot in recent weeks, quite subtle things in themselves but now hopefully those new options will get used more cause the backbone of important fucntionalities is there. however, a lot can still e done, but it would be good to see those new things more used so that it is not just me trying this and making mistakes
Book
I must of looked at this entry when you first posted it and not when it was finished as I did not see the bit about a 'non linear' book. How interesting to incorporate other mediums and formats into a thing that may be called a book. Will be nice to see your 'ways of doing', your mistakes, and your notes as well as your outcome.
Lindsay