Stephen Wilson

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Most Recent Affiliation:


  • San Francisco State University

Location:


  • San Francisco, California, United States of America

Writings and Presentations:


  • Title: The Aesthetics and Practice of Designing Interactive Computer Events
    Writing Type: Paper
    Author(s):
    Exhibition: SIGGRAPH 1994: Art and Design Show
    Abstract Summary:

    Much confusion and hyperbole surrounds discussions of the aes­thetics of interactive computer events. This essay works to clarify some of this confusion by analyz­ing the differences between inter­active and non-interactive events, reviewing the variety of forms included under the umbrella term “interactivity,” and investigating the theoretical rationales offered to support claims of interactivity’s superiority derived from psycho­logical, political, art historical, and techno-historical sources. Building on this analysis, the essay suggests extensions to current GUI design canons that uniquely attend to interactivity as an aesthetic issue. It also investigates the challenging interactivity possibilities of emerg­ing technologies.

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    Title: Light and Dark Visions
    Writing Type: Paper
    Author(s):
    Exhibition: SIGGRAPH 1993: Machine Culture
    Abstract Summary:

    Critical theory and cultural studies are increasingly being used to understand the function of the arts in contemporary technology-dominated, postmodern culture. This essay examines the relevance of these analyses to the work of artists who use emerging technologies. The first section reviews core concepts that are useful for understanding art/technology linkages from postmodernist, post-industrialist, and post-structuralist writers. Concepts discussed include the rejection of the modernist idea of a single dominant cultural stream, the demarginalization of diverse voices, the increasing importance of information and the impact of mediated image and representation on ideology and behavior, and the emphasis on deconstructing the language systems and meta-narratives that shape culture.

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