What forms of expression will be possible tomorrow,
how do they differ from those of the past, and how
can we better prepare for them today? The
investigation of artists at the human-computer
interface (HCI), where artistic and cybernetic
questions meet, has great implications for critical
consciousness, cultural evolution, and art education.
The investigation of cybernetic art begins with a
treatment of the art object as data. Our modes of
communication are converging, spaces and interfaces
are transforming rapidly as digital technologies
affect the ways we construct knowledge and behave.
The HCI is the site of both cultural evolution and
individual expression. Art education has an
opportunity to facilitate a critical dialogue around
these emergent objects, expressing the shifting
nature of human interaction and extrapolating meaning
that refers to larger sociological frameworks and
belief systems. This study offers a glimpse at the
effect of emergent objects on critical consciousness
in eight qualitative case studies of artists
integrating digital technology into their studio
practice.