(Re-)Imagining new media – book chapter

This new book edited by Christoph Ernst and Jens Schröter has the subtitle, Techno-Imaginaries around 2000 and the case of “Piazza virtuale” (1992). The book focuses on the work of the media artist group Van Gogh-TV, particularly their interactive television project called Piazza virtuale. The book includes a long interview with the Van Gogh-TV group, reflecting on their original idea and the technical and conceptual challenges they faced when developing the piece for Documenta, held in Kassel, Germany every two years. Piazza virtuale is an important piece of media history.

My short chapter explores the metaphorical connotations of interactivity and virtuality. This builds on earlier work I have done about metaphors of the internet, including a recent article in New Media and Society.