At the Edge of Art (2006), co-written with Jon Ippolito, makes the case for art that is empowered rather than emasculated, seditious rather than sedate. Yet as important as art’s new functions may be, the Internet–that global lifeblood through which so much of this new art circulates and is recognized–offers no wall labels or a gallery shingles to tell us whether a work is art.
To remedy this, At the Edge of Art looks at six genres–code art, computer games, online autobiography, political activism, online communities, and artificial life–asking in each case where the edge lies between art and software, politics, or science.
The answers are surprising–as the authors argue that many creators working in today’s scientific laboratories and street politics are more deserving of support as artists than artworld insiders with international reputations and studios full of paintings or sculpture.