webpaintings history part 2

1- Prehistory of webpaintings:

On early 80's and 90's some artist has dealt with computer concept and scre=
en both on visual level and conceptual level. They did it at least ten year=
s 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 vi=
deo game, the computer entertainment revolution and its iconology. Rainer G=
anahl 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 wh=
en France was connected to network through minitel !!! (early 80's)
For sure rainer Ganahl is according to me a crazy genius who has opened thi=
s 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 installa=
tion 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 vis=
ual 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 prev=
ious work were so closed to webpaintings concept for one simple reason: bot=
h of them are dealing with interface iconology. But the web interface is ju=
st 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 c=
alled arpanet. He has invented the concept of visual interface for computer=
s. He has also conceived the first computer mouse to interact with the visu=
al 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 p=
ersonalities in computer industry: Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. We can say to=
day that without Licklider 'windows' software would never exist, and the ma=
c interface would never exist also. By conceiving this kind of interaction =
with computer on visual level with visual interface and mouse he has define=
d the concept of "HMI": Human and machine interaction. The visual interface=
conceived by Licklider to interact with computer program has brought the c=
oncept 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 c=
omputer 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