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Internet art

Internet art is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Internet art rather than just read about it. In short: Internet art (also known as net art or web art) is a form of new media art distributed via the Internet. This form of art circumvents the traditional dominance of the physical gallery and museum system.

Internet art — main illustration
Internet art — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Internet art belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Internet art to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Internet art from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Internet art (also known as net art or web art) is a form of new media art distributed via the Internet. This form of art circumvents the traditional dominance of the physical gallery and museum system. In many cases, the viewer is drawn into some kind of interaction with the work of art. Artists working in this manner are sometimes referred to as net artists. Net artists may use specific social or cultural internet traditions to produce their art outside of the technical structure of the internet. Internet art is often – but not always – interactive, participatory, and multimedia-based. Internet art can be used to spread a message, either political or social, using human interactions. Typically, artists find ways to produce art through the use of the internet and the tools that it provides us with. The term Internet art typically does not refer to art that has been simply digitized and uploaded to be viewable over the Internet, such as in an online gallery. Rather, this genre relies intrinsically on the Internet to exist as a whole, taking advantage of such aspects as an interactive interface and connectivity to multiple social and economic cultures and micro-cultures, not only web-based works. New media theorist and curator Jon Ippolito defined "Ten Myths of Internet Art" in 2002. He cites the above stipulations, as well as defining it as distinct from commercial web design, and touching on issues of permanence, archivability, and collecting in a fluid medium.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Internet art: "Simple Net Art Diagram", a 1997 work by Michael Sarff and Tim Whidden
"Simple Net Art Diagram", a 1997 work by Michael Sarff and Tim Whidden

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Internet art

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Internet art claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Internet art before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Internet art ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Internet art

In research
Internet art appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Internet art in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Internet art is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1990s in art, 2000s in art, 2010s in art, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Internet art outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Internet art in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Internet art means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Internet art out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Internet art in simple terms?

Internet art (also known as net art or web art) is a form of new media art distributed via the Internet. This form of art circumvents the traditional dominance of the physical gallery and museum system.

Why does Internet art matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Internet art?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Internet art.

Tags

  • 1990s in art
  • 2000s in art
  • 2010s in art
  • 2020s in art
  • Digital art
  • Internet art
  • Internet culture
  • Metanarratives
  • New media art
  • Philosophical schools and traditions
  • Postmodernism
  • Theories of aesthetics

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