A curious person’s guide to Digital Art

‘Digital art’ practice includes a wide variety of mediums. From computer, generative, robotic, kinetic and net art, through to post-internet, virtual reality, and augmented reality art.

For those who are unfamiliar with the terms and technologies, it can be a confusing world to enter. But this art sphere – which conceptually has its roots in the avant-garde art movements of the first half of the 20th century – is a fascinating space to explore.

Dr Claire Reddleman’s talk will address digital art as a relatively new era of art’s development, while also looking at its roots in more traditional kinds of art making.

She will consider the current abundance of digital art to explore in three ways. Firstly, looking briefly at digital ways of preserving and displaying non-digital art works.

Claire will then consider art and artists who continue some traditional artistic concerns (such as depicting landscape, contemplating the self-portrait) but using digital methods.

And finally, she will look at some examples of artists who work in completely digital ways and whose work is only encountered online.

No prior knowledge about art practice or digital technology will be needed – just bring your sense of curiosity!

About the Speaker:

Dr Claire Reddleman teaches in the areas of Digital Humanities and Art History at the University of Manchester. She is interested in digital cultural heritage, visual methods, mapping, contemporary art and ‘ways of seeing’ using new technologies.

Claire previously taught at King’s College London and carried out postdoctoral research using visual research methods to engage with the history of France’s penal colonies. She gained her PhD in Cultural Studies from Goldsmiths and is also a digital artist.

Image credit: detail of work from 'Postcards from Google Earth' series, by Clement Valla

Host or Publisher The Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society