White Heat Cold Logic ─ British Computer Art 1960-1980

Technological optimism, even utopianism, was widespread at midcentury; in Britain,Harold Wilson in 1963 promised a new nation "forged from the white heat of the technologicalrevolution." In this heady atmosphere, pioneering artists transformed the cold logic ofcomputing into a new medium for their art, and played a central role in connecting technology andculture. White Heat Cold Logic tells the story of these early British digital and computer artists--and fills in a missing chapter in contemporary art history. In this heroic period of computer art,artists were required to build their own machines, collaborate closely with computer scientists, andlearn difficult computer languages. White Heat Cold Logic's chapters, many written by computer artpioneers themselves, describe the influence of cybernetics, with its emphasis on process andinteractivity; the connections to the constructivist movement; and the importance of work done insuch different venues as commercial animation, fine art schools, and polytechnics. The advent ofpersonal computing and graphical user interfaces in 1980 signaled the end of an era, and today we donot have so many dreams of technological utopia. And yet our highly technologized and mediated worldowes much to these early practitioners, especially for expanding our sense of what we can do withnew technologies.ContributorsRoy Ascott, Stephen Bell, Paul Brown, Stephen Bury, Harold Cohen,Ernest Edmonds, Maria Fernandez, Simon Ford, John Hamilton Frazer, Jeremy Gardiner, Charlie Gere,Adrian Glew, Beryl Graham, Stan Hayward, Grisham Howard, Richard Ihnatowicz, Nicholas Lambert,Malcolm Le Grice, Tony Longson, Brent MacGregor, George Mallen, Catherine Mason, Jasia Reichardt,Stephen A. R. Scrivener, Brian Reffin Smith, Alan Sutcliffe, Doron D. Swade, John Vince, RichardWright, Aleksandar Zivanovic

Paul Brown is Visiting Professor of Art and Technology at the University of Sussex.