Generative Systems Art

I consider this book to be an important contribution to the field of media art history and in particular to that of generative and interactive art. Frank Popper, Professor Emeritus of Aesthetics and the Science of Art, University of Paris VIII, Paris This book provides a long overdue in-depth study of the work of one of the pioneers of digital art. Drawing upon Edmonds' original projects, his notes and statements, as well as documentation and exhibition catalogues, Francesca Franco traces the work's evolution from figurative art to colour abstraction and computer-based experimentation. The author's detailed analysis not only creates a deeper understanding of Edmonds' body of work but also functions as media archaeology, referencing exhibition histories that are often overlooked and outlining intersections between Constructivism, Systems Art and the digital art of the 21st century, as well as their concepts, tools, and forms. Christiane Paul, Associate Professor, School of Media Studies, The New School, New York Of all those who signposted the road of interaction, systems, colocation and the new geometries of space and communication, from Fluxus to ubiquitous networks, Ernest Edmonds has been among the most connected, prolific and influential. Francesca Franco elaborates his rich, diverse and endlessly invigorating practice in relation to art movements and institutional evolutions in an imaginative and immaculate work of art historical scholarship. Still perplexing even in the digital era, this story of digital art's origins and trajectories will inspire new generations of artists, scholars and thinkers in the dense interweavings of art, science and technology. Sean Cubitt, Professor of Film and Television and co-Head of Department of Media and Communications Goldsmiths, University of London. An insightful and rich source of information about Ernest Edmonds' art practice; this book offers multifaceted observations about the context, connections and development of his generative art. Melanie Lenz, Curator, Digital Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, London