new media reader pp 109-176

The article that stood out to me the most in this section of the New Media Reader was "The Construction of Change" by Roy Ascott. Inspired by Wiener's cybernetics views, Ascott decided to reinterpret the way art was made and taught. He introduced "procedural technology" to the art making process, from inspiration through creation, and the interaction throughout. This participation by the audience, or behavior, becomes an integral part of the work. Ascott designed teaching situations where Cybernetics are involved, or by paying attention to the behavior of the environment and how each element acts within this realm.

He poses problems to students which test their ability to perceive, reinvent, and interpret. Logic and behavior are also prompted in assignments that test the student's ability to answer abstract questions, and how they react and communicate with their peers. In the second year course, students are asked to change their personality for ten weeks, (i.e. changing from a shy personality to outgoing). Throughout this experiment they must create a visual documentation of the process. This challenges the resourcefulness, awareness, and creative ability of the participants. In so doing, science's study of analyzation and subsequent synthesis is not foreign or unrelated to art, leading to Ascott conducting one of the first studies on 'new media.'