[spectre] exh. control panels. programming as an artistic practice, dortmund

[jaromil]

On Thu, Feb 21, 2002 at 09:44:29AM +0200, Andreas Broeckmann and
Matthias Weiss wrote:

> Software artists develop computer programs that exceed the boundaries
> and possibilities of conventional software or reduce their functions to
> absurdity. The focus is not on the perfect and optimal function of the
> programs, but rather on the programs' "dis.functionality" and momentum,
> which is presented as a playful experience. However, the artists do not
> see the software as a tool, but rather view the code as fundamental
> aesthetic material for their artistic creations.

ack! so software art is about broken software? <g>



to get a clue about what i'm arguing, read "The Programmer's Stone"[1]
and make yourself an idea of what programming is about.

then think about how CPUs and tech gear we actually have are not being
used for what they can do, all those unoptimized algorithms laying into
software, slowing down performance and obfuscating forever the Karma of
their programmers.
Karma is important for a coder, is the concentration you invest on every
single part of your code to make it fluent like a discourse, readable
and optimized for it's task, well integrated in the whole schema as a
note is with the rest of the partiture.

that a software is working is not enough to make it art.

and the importance of the "social value it gets into the communication
environment" (quoting Matthew Fuller) it's, yes!, something important,
but still it's not enough to call it art.

what about ancient greek poetry? the Furor was not the only thing, even
Archiloco the first anarchist used a "giambo scazonte" to say fuck you
to his nation and its war. Saffo's sensuality was also in his "strofe
saffica" and the way words fitted perfectly into a metrical scheme
defined with unimaginable particularity: was more than music, it was
poetry.

i don't believe software art is about making jokes of a working system,
i'm not resigned to be a juggling joker in the stylish court of smiling
academics when i think about making software art, i'm not resigned to
the playful experience.

i'm not resigned to abandon my idea of literature.


erreto! give software art its dignity!


[1] - http://get.a.clue.de/ProgStone

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