New media, interactivity, and 21st century aesthetics

In many media, techniques in commercial design are foreshadowed in the art world. Graphic design has roots in early 20th century print making and poster art, big budget movies repurpose many techniques from art films, and now interactive products are starting to borrow techniques and styles from new media art.

New Media artists have spent the last four decades exploring the aesthetics of modern technology and interaction and it’s effects on human behaviour, relationships, and evolution. Our work in UX, interaction design, and information architecture is rooted in the intersection of technology and culture. The way we understand the world has been changed forever by networks, computers, and media, just as our culture changes the evolution of these technologies. Artists have playfully tested these relationships and boundaries in ways spectacular, disturbing, and amazing.

Join Matt Nish-Lapidus, a practicing new media artist and designer, to explore the history and language of new media and interactive art, how it relates to our work today, and what we can learn from the seminal works of important artists and innovators including David Rokeby, Stelarc, and Steve Mann.

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