SIGGRAPH ‘89

The SIGGRAPH ‘89 conference marked a watershed point in computer art history. A significant panel session evolved among the convergence of creative minds, provocatively titled “Computer Art—An Oxymoron?” This debate, dubbed “Views from the Mainstream,” probed into the heart of artists' discontent and, according to Grant Taylor in When the Machine Made Art, was the first major attempt to critically study computer art. As the SIGGRAPH '89 debates progressed, philosophically divergent viewpoints emerged, providing the framework for a series of major journal publications. This historic event not only addressed the changing world of computer art, but it also sparked a critical perspective that would define the debate surrounding this dynamic junction of technology and creativity. The investigation also stands in contrast to contemporary belief that criticism in computer art has little precedence. The art show itself featured work from Ana Ursyn, Mark Wilson, Jean-Pierre Hebert, Hans Dehlinger, Brian Reffin Smith, Colette Bangert, Charles Bangert and Manfred Mohr.