History and Practice of Web-Based Media

Catalog description

This studio and lecture course situates the history of internet art within broader narratives of networks, computing, and digital culture. We will explore theory, history, and practice of art on the internet, following its evolution from the birth of the web, through Web 2.0, and into the contemporary era of so-called AI. You will engage in close study of canonical works of internet art along with foundational texts in media theory, digital preservation, history of technology, hacker culture, and cybernetics. You will also make websites, break software, and explore the dying art of *surfing* the web. This course emphasizes curiosity and creativity over held knowledge. It should be resonant whether or not you've ever written a line of code, and supportive of your ability to navigate the internet with agency.