Beyond Modern Sculpture: The Effects of Science and Technology on the Sculpture of Our Time by Jack Burnham

The former Artforum editor played a key role in advancing the role of technology in art. His writings, including this book, also explain in great details the dematerialization of sculpture occuring, an important step in the advancement of digital art and electronic art. In the prescient book, Burnham outlines the historical transition from sculpture-as-object to sculpture-as-system, driven by technology. Sculpture-as-system included automata, kineticism, light and cybernetic. Burnham explores the historical roots of these movements, including the importance of New Tendencies and Cybernetics. According to Burnham, “change emanates not from things but from the way things are done.”