GreeceTowardsMediaArt

Internationaldevelopmentsinthefieldsoftechnologyand
biotechnologywererapidduringthelastdecadeofthe20th
century.Theworldwasdividedintoinforichandinfopoor
andtheimmaterialinformationbecameoneofthedominant
goods.Theconvergenceofscience,technologyandartdidnot
justhappenatthedawnofthedigitalage.Itranthroughout
the20thcenturyasanexperimentalpractice,havingitsrootsin
Modernismanditsoriginsinthetechnologicalbreakthroughsof
thelate19thcentury(18401880).Forexample,artistsused
electricity,photography,film,video,robotics,electronicsand
spacetechnologyandtowardstheendofthe20thcenturythey
usedmedia,digitaltechnologyandbiotechnology.[5]

TAKIS,TheImpossible,AManinSpace,1960,C ourtesyandC opyright:

TAKIS

AllthesetrendsandmovementsarrivedinGreecefromthe
Westerncapitals,wheretheywereborn,butthe
interdisciplinaryapproachtoartstartedtowidelyconcernGreek
artistsandsomearttheorists,onlyfromthe1990sonwards,
whenwecantalkaboutMediaartinGreece.Shortlybeforethis
time,thefirstawareartists,theoristsandscientistshad
groupedtogetherandtried,usingeveryavailablemeansand
knowledge,tocreatethefirstexhibitions,festivals,hubs,open
calls,onlinespacesandworkshops,suchasthewebplatform

www.artopos.organdtheMedi@terraFestivals.Ifwewantto
attemptanoverviewofMediaartinGreece,wewillseemuch
moreexperimentationindigitalvideosandvideoinstallations
andfewerexperimentationinstreamingmedia,interactivity,
coding,games,sensorsandrobotics.However,totrulyhavea
comprehensiveoverview,weneedtotracetheoriginof
interdisciplinaryartsinModernGreece,toattempta
documentationofthemostwellknowninternationalGreeknew
mediaartists,tolookatthepioneersofthe1980sandthefirst
flourishingperiodofthe1990s.Finally,weshouldmovetoward
thefirstyearsofthe21stcenturyinordertoidentifythe
characteristicsofthenewgenerationofartists.Theevaluation
ofthedevelopmentofMediaArtinGreecewillbeadaringbet
againsttimeandtiming.

previouspage(1/7)

nextpage(3/7)

[5]Inthefirsthalfofthe20thcenturythereemergedmovementsandartistic
groupsthatdealtwiththerapiddevelopmentofscienceandtechnology:
Dadaistswhosatirizedthemachine,Futuristswhodeifiedelectricityandthe
industrialrevolution,C onstructivistswhoproposedtheosmosisofart,
architectureandscience.Inthe1950sand1960s,skepticismandenthusiasm,
thetwoextremereactionstotheinvolvementoftechnologyinart,gavewayto
theinquiringspirit.Themostfamousartisticteamswhoexploredthenew
possibilitiesandmediaofferedtoArtbytechnologyandscience,wasthe
ZerogroupinGermany,GRAV(GroupedeRecherchedArtVisuel)in
France,andEAT(ExperimentsinArtandTechnology)intheUnitedStates.
OttoPiene,NamJunePaik,DouglasDavis,PaulEarls,PiotrKowalski,Woody
Wazulkaandothersarebutafewofthemanyartistswhousedtechnological
applicationsastheirmedia.Duringthe1980s,theuseofdigitaltechnologyin
art,gainedgroundovertheanalogueone,whileduringthe1990snetartand
webartwereborn.Thisrenaissancelikeconvergenceofcognitivefields,gave
theopportunitytoexperimentalandinterdisciplinaryarttousethelandmark
inventionsofitstimeasthemeansforcriticismandintervention:electricity,
information,technology,robotics,spacetechnology,theweband
biotechnology.Thetheoristswhopredictedthat21stcenturyculturewouldbe
digitalanditsartwouldbenetartwereright.Buteventheoneswho
disagreed,namingthe21stcenturytheeraofbiotechnologicalcivilization,
wererightaswell.AnnaHatziyiannakiin:InVivoInVitro:ArtintheAgeof
BiotechnologicalRevolution.FuturaPublications,Athens2008.Page122.[In
Greek&English]