<nettime> webpaintings history part 2

["valery.grancher" <valery.grancher@wanadoo.fr>]

1- Prehistory of webpaintings:

On early 80's and 90's some artist has dealt with computer concept and
screen both on visual level and conceptual level. They did it at least ten
years before internet age !

Artist Like Rainer Ganahl and Miltos Manetas have started very soon to
deal with computer iconology and environment. Miltos has more dealt with
the video game, the computer entertainment revolution and its iconology.  
Rainer Ganahl has more focused on language concept regarding computer by
using the interface metaphor:

Rainer has used the guidelines metaphor* He has dealt with it at the age
when France was connected to network through minitel !!! (early 80's) For
sure rainer Ganahl is according to me a crazy genius who has opened this
door in visual art.

Surf on these links to see how terrific are these pieces !
-http://www.ganahl.info/magers1990.html on 1990 with catalog and reviews
-http://www.ganahl.info/dma_dallasmuseumofart.html 1992 view of an 
installation at Dalllas Art museum

You may check also his first ever one person show only on the web at 
thing.net:
1992 NY - trash can and other computer items
-http://www.ganahl.info/nordan92.html
1996: "les ateliers" in Marseille, France
-http://www.ganahl.info/lesatelier96.html
Kwangju Biennial, Korea, 1997 commissioned by Harald Szeemann
-http://www.ganahl.info/s_ex_kwangju.html

Without Rainer Ganahl, the idea of using computer iconology directly in
visual art would never emerge !

On 1995 another artist called Philip Pocock has printed out a whole
website for 'photography after photography' show. On 1996 he did an email
reading performance in Berlin with email slide show. At this time, the web
interface has not emerged. We can see that these previous work were so
closed to webpaintings concept for one simple reason: both of them are
dealing with interface iconology. But the web interface is just the son of
the computer operating system interface. I have to say if you are just
focusing about this point,you are missing another point. Because
webpaintings are also dealing with painting iconology and not only
computer interface...

*J.C Licklider 1905 -1990 was one of the founder of the internet ancestor
called arpanet. He has invented the concept of visual interface for
computers. He has also conceived the first computer mouse to interact with
the visual interface he conceived. He did this great job on early
seventies. At the Begining of the eighties he got in the Xerox parc the
visit of two major personalities in computer industry: Steve Jobs and Bill
Gates. We can say today that without Licklider 'windows' software would
never exist, and the mac interface would never exist also. By conceiving
this kind of interaction with computer on visual level with visual
interface and mouse he has defined the concept of "HMI": Human and machine
interaction. The visual interface conceived by Licklider to interact with
computer program has brought the concept of what we call today
'guidelines': For example the main guidelines in Apple system is the apple
icon. The icons abd menu in windows software are also guidelines. They
help the computer interactor to navigate in the software.

texte en francais sur ce lien:
http://www.nomemory.org/webpaint/data/history.htm


Valery Grancher
http://www.nomemory.org
http://www.nomeory.org/webpaint
http://www.nomemorybazaar.com

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