University of Dundee DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Internet Art and Agency The Social Lives of Online Artworks De Wild, Karin Award date: 2019 Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 27. Sep. 2021 Fall 08 INTERNET ART AND AGENCY The social lives of online artworks Karin de Wild Doctor of Philosophy University of Dundee September 2018 Fall 08 Internet Art and Agency Contents List of Illustrations ........................................................................................... vii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................ xii Declaration ....................................................................................................... xv Abstract ............................................................................................................ xvi 1. Introduction .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Aim and objectives .......................................................... 2 1.2 The case studies ............................................................... 4 1.3 Motivation ........................................................................ 6 1.4 Scope ................................................................................ 8 1.5 The structure of this thesis ............................................... 9 2. The Problem Defined ................................................................................... 15 2.1 Introduction .................................................................... 15 2.2 The term: Internet art ..................................................... 16 2.3 The problem: How to analyse the artworks associated with Internet art? ........................................... 20 2.4 Contextual review .......................................................... 25 2.4.1 Aesthetics ............................................................... 26 2.4.2 Image science ......................................................... 27 2.4.3 Media ecology ........................................................ 28 2.4.4 Media archaeology ................................................. 28 2.5 Conclusions .................................................................... 29 Contents | iii 3. Methodology and Method ............................................................................ 32 3.1 Introduction .................................................................... 32 3.2 Motivation ...................................................................... 33 3.3 The Methodology ........................................................... 37 3.3.1 Agency .................................................................... 37 3.3.2 The social network ................................................. 39 3.3.3 The context ............................................................. 41 3.3.4 The cultural biography ........................................... 43 3.3.5 Summary ................................................................ 45 3.4 Methods .......................................................................... 45 3.4.1 Micro (art) history .................................................. 45 3.4.2 Web archives .......................................................... 47 4. Mouchette ..................................................................................................... 50 4.1 Introduction .................................................................... 50 4.1.1 Agency .................................................................... 50 4.1.2 The Artist ................................................................ 52 4.1.3 The artwork ............................................................ 53 4.1.4 The biography ......................................................... 54 4.2 The MOO character ‘Mouchette’ ................................... 55 4.2.1 The PMC-MOO ...................................................... 56 4.2.2 The character ‘Mouchette’ ..................................... 57 4.2.3 A simulacrum ......................................................... 59 4.2.4 Collective authorship .............................................. 60 4.2.5 Fractal personhood ................................................. 61 4.3 The website ‘Mouchette’ ................................................ 62 4.3.1 Home ...................................................................... 63 4.3.2 Artistic style ........................................................... 64 4.3.3 Appearance ............................................................. 67 4.4 Collective authorship ...................................................... 69 4.4.1 From the virtual to the real-world .......................... 70 4.4.2 Becoming ‘Mouchette’ ........................................... 72 4.4 Revealing authorship ...................................................... 76 4.4.1 The Mechanical Turk ............................................. 76 4.4.2 Generative preservation .......................................... 78 4.4.3 Musealisation ......................................................... 80 4.5 Conclusion ...................................................................... 82 iv | Contents 5. Brandon ........................................................................................................ 87 5.1 Introduction .................................................................... 87 5.1.1 Agency ................................................................... 87 5.1.2 The Prototype ......................................................... 88 5.1.3 The artwork ............................................................ 89 5.1.4 The biography ........................................................ 90 5.2 The Prototype ................................................................. 91 5.2.1 Brandon Teena ....................................................... 91 5.2.2 His cultural legacy ................................................. 92 5.3 The ‘Brandon’ proposal (1996) ..................................... 94 5.3.1 An afterlife for Brandon Teena .............................. 95 5.3.2 A nonlinear narrative ............................................. 96 5.3.3 Online identities ..................................................... 97 5.3.4 Towards new judgements ...................................... 99 5.4 The ’Brandon’ website (1996-1997) ............................ 101 5.4.1 Bigdoll interface ................................................... 102 5.4.2 Roadtrip interface ................................................. 103 5.4.3 Mooplay interface ................................................ 105 5.4.4 Panopticon interface ............................................. 106 5.5 Institutional collaborations (1998-1999) ...................... 108 5.5.1 The virtual museum ............................................. 108 5.5.2 The opening ......................................................... 110 5.5.3 Digi Gender Social Body ..................................... 112 5.5.4 Would the Jurors Please Stand Up? ..................... 114 5.6 Safeguarding ‘Brandon’ (1999-now) ........................... 117 5.7 Conclusion ................................................................... 119 6. Agent Ruby ................................................................................................. 123 6.1 Introduction .................................................................. 123 6.1.1 Agency ................................................................. 123 6.1.2 The Recipient ....................................................... 125 6.1.3 The artwork .......................................................... 126 6.1.4 The biography ...................................................... 127 6.2 The character Ruby (1998-2002) ................................. 128 6.2.1 Autonomous agency ............................................. 129 6.2.2 Teknolust .............................................................. 131 Contents | v 6.2.3 Expanded Cinema ................................................. 132 6.3 The artwork ‘Agent Ruby’ (2002-now) ....................... 135 6.3.1 Artificial intelligence ............................................ 136 6.3.2 Artificial life ......................................................... 140 6.4 Musealisation (2002-present) ....................................... 146 6.4.1 E.space .................................................................. 147 6.4.2 In the museum collection ..................................... 149 6.4.3 The Agent Ruby Files .......................................... 150 6.4.4 Preservation .........................................................