Art and dynamic utopia of interactivity and connectivity:
R. Ascott's "Technoetic Arts"

translated by Yi Won Kon, Yonsei
University Press 2002.

Reviewed by Jeong Hee Bae
Researcher of IMA Institute of Media Art,
Yonsei , University, Seoul

Technoetic Arts, the title of a Korean translated collection of 12 essays written by R. Ascott from his earlier years in the 1960s to the year 2002, is for a Korean reader, a little irritable, and at the same time promising. The word associates involuntarily on 'techno-ethic', undoubtedly one of the most actual (timely) subject matters today, suggesting the ethics or moral planes of the technological arts. But 'technoetic' is combined with technology and noetic, derived from the Greek nous meaning mind and consciousness, and expresses a mixed state of technology and epistemology. Ascott seeks, through crossing-over between traditional dualistic constructed sections like technic and mind, future and ancient, cybernetics and culture, to 'net out' a space of possibilities for future, art, human being and human behaviour. As an unique approach to think about our future Technoetic arts is more imaginary, programmatical and utopian than descriptive, explained and well thought out.

Ascott's attempt is dusting off the art of the traditional function of representation and to set it as a process of the becoming and apparition. It deserves attention on what basis of aesthetic and epistemic discussion he develops his concept. It is first, the modern abstract and conceptual art of the 20th century, secondly the rapid evolution in communication technology, and at least various socio-cultural heritage to enlarge consciousness from all over the world, especially of the non-western, marginal and third world. How different in their historical, social and technical context these streamings are, for Ascott they work rather compatibly with each other, complementary than in conflict, to be melted into the cross-sectoral sensibility, the vision as the condition of the 'technoetic arts'.

The variety of the idea and materials of the book offers for the reader both a great attraction and a difficult challenge to overcome. The new communication technology is fast and successful rooted into the modern life style of Korean people, but in academic discourse on media, technology and media art in the country many topics must be first of all surfaced. It is important and principle themes like: what we can do with new technology, moreover in which relation technology stands with cultural traditions, etc. These are questions of great value and urgency, to answer them we need many new perspectives focused on integration of diffuse cultural elements from old and new etc. For such a new synthesizing thinking, 'technoetic arts' preserves undoubtedly an extensive and provocative model. Although some inevitable questions remain, the book

is certainly timely and useful to (re)define the art, not as postmodern, but post biological matter. This might be the most important meaning of the translation project which is quite solid, as can be seen, in considering many neologisms and jargons in the original that are well published.