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Infowar. Ars electronica 98.

Edited by Gerfried Stocker & Christine Schûpf.
Wien, New York: Springer-Verlag 1998.
2 vols.
ISBN: 3-211-83134-7 and 3-211-83191-6
Reviewed by Frieder Nake, University of Bremen, Germany.
E-mail: nake@informatik.uni-bremen.de


Ars electronica has produced a long series of books with new ones coming out each year with the festival. They document the jury's decision on the prestigious Prix Ars Electronica on one hand, and papers, talks, discussions, events of the symposia held each summer in Linz, Austria, on the other hand. Publishing was moved to Springer-Verlag Wien and New York, several years ago.

This review takes a brief look at the two volumes that came out under the title "InfoWar" from the symposium in 1998. One of these volumes is a more traditional collection of papers, all in English, whereas the other one assembles papers, pictures, discussions, events that contributed to the symposium.

Given the new attention that some artists pay to recent outbursts of violence and war as means of politics in Europe, and considering the struggle for power and dominance as the seemingly perennial and ultimate reason for all technology, Ars Electronica in 1998 raised questions that cannot be avoided by artists who turn to the promises of digital media. The very nature of digital media should prevent anyone from selectively perceiving only the favorite face of the coin.

The more traditionally edited volume includes the contributions delivered to the symposium "InfoWar - information.macht.krieg", plus nine additional ones. Together, these 26 papers touch on many facets of the general theme. It was meant to deal with information battles that should correctly be called wars although they lack bloodshed and killing. The goal remains the same as in the days of good old pre-cyberwar: You attack in order to defeat and destroy the enemy, perhaps to enslave the others in one way or other, but to increase your power in any case.

Most of the papers in this volume are rather short, up to ten pages in length. They constitute a comprehensive account that can serve as a starting point for further reading. Some well-known authors are represented, like e.g. Paul Virilio, Geert Lovink, Timothy Druckrey, and Friedrich Kittler. The book collects all references at the end (some of them a bit sloppy), and gives short biographical notes on the authors. Most of them have an American or German background. But there are also voices from China, Nepal, Russia, and Ireland.

For anyone still believing in the great emancipatory and democratic potential of the Internet, this anthology should become compulsory reading. The facts, speculations, and conclusions assembled here are overwhelming evidence of a gigantic merger of national and capital's interest against smaller nations and entire populations. Ironically the only positive message is that information warfare keeps the enemy alive and operational but in a state of dependency that destroys his autonomy and self-esteme.

War troughout history has been at the essence of societal development. If society is now being transformed into an information society, and if it is therefore rapidly becoming a global society, why should war come to an end? To the extent that information becomes the fabric of the hailed new society, the form and content of war would be influenced in two ways: War could be about information, and it could be by way of information.

The word "InfoWar" is the first part of the general theme of Ars Electronica 98. The second part is in German and is ambiguous: "information.macht.krieg". The double meaning of this phrase stems from the interpretation of the word "macht" as a noun: power, or as a verb: produces. So that theme reads "Information.Power.War", or "information produces war" at the same time.

After World War II and the atrocities of the Nazi, Theodor W. Adorno announced it would now be impossible to ever write a poem again. Practicing artists and poets did not believe him. Despite the catastrophe of Western civilization, and of the enlightened mind, poems and paintings, as well as technology and wars, have flourished ever since.

The second volume testifies to this end. Entirely in both English and German, it represents in texts and pictures the events and exhibition of the festival. Contributions are grouped into five sections. They start with a short account of the Net Symposium including recollections from the mailing list as a pre-symposium net-based new kind of communication.

The second section, openX, groups contributions on the problems of curating and presenting network art in landscapes, datascapes, and other topologies. There are contributions on net radio and other forms of open networks and their use for artistic purposes, a number of short notes on projects.

Installations offers space to 19 remarks on art works. This type of presentation is continued in the following two sections, Cave, and Events & Performances. They provide information on projects carried out for Ars Electronaica, many of them a heavy mixture of technology and aesthetics. None of these projects could be realized without financial support from sponsors. They are often realized in cooperation by artists, engineers, and technicians - a great collection for Leonardo enthusiasts.

The volume closes with a brief documentation of a discussion group on new media art and its ideological character. There is a final section of short bios of participating artists.

The two books together constitute a good source of documentation in a rapidly moving field. They could serve as a source of inspiration for students in media, art, computing, and their gradual confluence.

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Updated 7 August 2001.




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