Anything to do with what people label "digital art" usually makes me cringe. There are those Photoshop fantasies of some gesticulating unicorn on a cliff with a giant rainbow coming out of its eyes - or else the horrific "digital photomontages" of the late '80s, most of which were reworkings of airbrush art seen on amusement-park T-shirts and in Omni magazine.
But reading A. D. Coleman's The Digital Evolution quickly made me realize what an amazing turning point we've reached in the combination of art and technology. The ability to use these new tools - from the fax machine to Photoshop - has had a monumental artistic influence on our generation. Coleman's discussion of the impact of technology on traditional photography spans some 30 years and serves as a brilliant, if sometimes narrowly focused, record of how new electronic tools have permeated our lives.
In an essay from 1973, Coleman innocently describes his first encounter with "fax art," back when the fax machine was groundbreaking technology. He was intrigued by the "inherent paradox in employing what is intended to be a time-saving communication device for the purpose of transmitting ambiguous and ultimately undecipherable imagery." Early on in his writing Coleman may seem hesitant to embrace electronic imaging, but he always remains open and curious.
A few of his essays are a little dated, dealing with mundane critiques of long-forgotten exhibitions. But when you pull the ideas and concepts out of context and apply them to the present day, they are immensely valuable and insightful, with hints of what our future might hold. Coleman's critical eye makes this required reading for today's media-savvy or information-obsessed artist.
The Digital Evolution: Visual Communication in the Electronic Age. Essays, Lectures and Interviews 1967-1998 by A. D. Coleman: $24.95. Nazraeli Press: +1 (212) 627 1999, (800) 338 2665.
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