Materializing New Media Embodiment in Information Aesthetics

Abstract

PRIOR to writing this book Anna Munster said: ‘For me, aesthetics is about modes of perception and sensation and how these are made possible by and develop in response to certain social and technical arrangements.’ This definition pretty much defines what she is doing in this book. Munster has produced a challenging and sometimes exciting book, where like Leonardo, she has brought the debate about science and technology into art. Thankfully jargon is limited to the technical aspects of what she calls information aesthetics and new media digital technology, thus leaving ample space for the non-specialist reader to grasp clearly outlined points. The only problem I have with the book lies in the demarcation of a fine line between fact and fantasy. One side of my brain reads the book as a straightforward exercise in aesthetics and philosophy. The other side keeps throwing up picture images from every sci-fi movie from Blade Runner through to The Matrix. This is not said to disparage what is a good book, simply to question whether, at times, too much is crammed into it. The new developments in digital art that she mentions might constitute a book in their own right. As a stand-alone, her five chapters are an excellent read but as a book the linking narrative needs to be stronger.