Digital theorist and artist Mitchell Whitelaw is the subject of an interview I recently conducted on behalf of Rhizome. The resulting conversation was posted today and it marks my first appearance on Rhizome as a contributor. I've been invited to write for the new media portal and I'm quite excited about the opportunity. In the interview, Mitchell discusses his research on datasthetics and generative art in the context of some of his recent projects which include Watching the Sky (pictured above) and The Visible Archive. Mitchell on the development of his thinking about digital ontology:
...looking at the way that formal systems - generative systems but also for example games and social web services - create specific systems of being and relation. A simple example is the various formal models of "friend" in different social services. In formal terms a Facebook "friend" is different to a Delicious "fan", which is in turn more like a Twitter "follower." These ontologies, little formal worlds, can be read critically, but crucially they also have generative implications that play out in the system.
You can check out the interview here.
Chema Cobo
Marc Chagall
Chema Madoz
