by Edwcrd Whitechcpel Gcllery London The MIT Press Ccmbridge, Mcrssclchusetts Edited by Edwcrd A. Shcrnken Documents of Contemporcry Art Co published by WhitechapeL Gallery Series Editor: lwona Blazwicl< and The MIT Press Commissioning Editor: [an Farr Documents of Contemporqry Art Ploject Editor: Francesca Vinter First published 2015 Design by SMITH O 2015 Whitechapel Gallery Ventures Lirrited Allon l(aye, Justine Schuster All texts O the authors or the estates ofthe authors, Printed and bound in China unless otherwise stated Cover, Tomis Saraceno, 14 Billions (workingtitle) Whitechapel Gallery is the imprint of Whitechapel (2010). Black cords, elastic rope, hool(s. Irr recent decades artists have progressively expanded the boundaries o[ art as Gallery Ventures Limited Dimensions/Scale: 1 : 17 Latrodectus mactans web. lnstallation view, Bonniers l(onsthall, Stockholm thcy have sought to engage with an increasingly pluralistic environment. All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication 2010. Photograph O Studio Tomis Saraceno, 2010. of and visual culture are likewise no may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system li'.rching, curating and understanding art o[ transmitted in any form or by any means, Whitechapel Gallery Ventures Limited longer grounded in traditional aesthetics but centred on significant ideas, topics electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, 77 82 Whitechapel High Street without the written permission of the publisher London El 7QX .urcl themes ranging from the everyday to the uncanny, the psychoanalytical to whi techapelgal lery.org tlrc political. ISBN 978-0-85488-234 2 (Whitechapel Gallery) To order (UK and Europe) cal I +44 (0)207 522 1888 ISBN 978-0-262-52719-4 (The MIT Press) or email MailOrder@whitechapelgallery org The Documents of Contemporary Art series emerges from this context. Each Distributed to the bool( trade (Ul( and Europe only) has [<ey A catalogue record for this bool< is available from by Central Books volurre focuses on a specific subject or body of writing that been of the British Library www.centralbooks.com irr fluence in contemporary art internationally. Edited and introduced by a scholar, Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The MIT Press ,u tist, critic or curator, each of these source books provides access to a plurality Cambridge, MA 02142 ol voices and perspectives defining a significant theme or tendency. Systems / edited by Edward A. Shanken MIT Press boo[<s may be purchased at special pages cm (Whitechapel: documents of quantity discounts lor business or sales promotional For over a century the Whitechapel Callery has offered a public platlorm for contemporary art) use. For information, please email special sales@ lncJudes bibliographical references and index. mitpress mit.edu ,u t .lnd ideas. In the same spirit, each guest editor represents a distinctyet diverse ISBN 978-0-262-52719 4 (pbk.: alk. paper) ,rl)Proach rather than one institutional position or school ofthought - and has 1 Arts, Modern-20th century-Philosophy. - 2. Arts, Modern-21 st century-Philosophy. ( once ived each volume to address not only a prolessional audience but all 3. System theory. irrlt'rested readers. NX456.5875 2015 700.1'1-dc23 2014039754 10987 654321 ',r,rr.r lrrli(or: lwona Blazwick; Commissioning Editor: Ian Farr; P[oject Editor: Francesca Vinter; r.rJhitechapel Gallers lililll I rlrror r,rl n(lvisory Board: Roger Conover, Neil Cummings, Mark Francis, DavidJenkins, Omar l(holeif, i (,rl,ilr(' l,rw.r(llos I NTRODUCTTON/ / t2 r-ouNDATroNs//20 CYBERNETIC ART, ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN//62 SYSTEMS AESTHETI CS / / tto GENERATTVE SYSTEMS/ / tso TNVTRONMENTAI AND SOCTAT SYSTEMS// 188 I l TOGRAPHICAL NOTES//z2 I IITBLToGRAPHV//230 tNDEXI/234 cKNOWLEDGEMENTS//2 3 I ^ -r:_ FOUNDATIONS Mondqlq: The Cybernetic Cinemq of John qnd Fritjof Ccprc Systems Theory crnd the New Pqrqdigm, Jcrmes Whitney, zOOq/ /7 8 te88//22 Roy Ascott Art crnd Telemcrtics: Towards q Network Heinz von Foerster To Know qnd to Let Know: An Consciousness, 1983/ / 83 Applied Theory of Knowledge, 1979 / / 27 Gordon Pqsk The Architecturql Relevqnce of Clcude E. Shcrnnon A Mcthemqticql Theory Cybernetics, 1969/ /87 of Communicqtion, 1948/ /29 Mcrry Louise Lobsinger The Fun Pcrlcrce Project (1961- Wcrrren Wecrver Recent Contributions to the 64),2OOO//92 Mqthemcrtical Theory ol Communicqtion, 1949 / / 3l Usmqn Hcrque The Architectural Relevcrnce of Gordon Norbert Wiener The Humcrn Use of llumcrn Beings, Posk,2OO7//93 teso//33 Willicm J. Mitchell Intelligent Cities,2OO7 / / IOO N. Katherine Hcyles Contesting for the Body Mlchcrel Weinstock Morphogenesis qnd the of Information: The Mcrcy Conferences on Cybernetics Mqthemcrtics of Emergence, 2OO4/ / lO3 (1946 qnd 1953>, 1999/ /36 Gregory Bcrteson Style, Grcrce crnd Informqtion SYSTEMS AESTHETICS in Primitive Art, 1967//42 Jcrck Burnham Systems Aesthetics, 1968/ / ll2 Mcry Cqtherine Bqteson Our Own Metcphor,1972//48 Jcrck Burnhqm ReoI Time Systems, 1969/ /116 Heinz von Foerster Cybernetics of Cybernetics, 1973/ /5O Hcrns Hqqcke In Converscrtion with Jeqnne Siegel, Humberto Mcrturana crnd Frqncisco Vcrrelcr The Tree reTt/ /r2o of Knowledge: Biologiccrl Roots of Humcrn Edwcrrd A. Shcnken Reprogrcrmming Systems Understqnding, 1984/ / 53 Aesthetics, 2OO9-14/ / 123 Donellq H. Mecdows Dcrncing with Systems, 2OOl//57 Frqncis Hcrlscll Systems of Art, 2OO8//l3O Cqroline A. Jones Systems Symptoms: Jcrck Burnhcm's CYBERNETIC ART, ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN 'Systems Aesthetics',2Oll/ / 136 Ncrm June Pcik Cyberncrted Arl,1966/ /64 Boris Groys The Mimesis of Thinking,2OO5//l4O Roy Ascott The Cybernetic Stqnce: My Process crnd Stephen Jones A Culturcrl Systems Approcch to Purpose, 1968//65 Collcrborqtion in Art <rnd TechnologV, 2OO5/ / 145 Stephen Willcts Art Society Feedbcck: In Converscrtion with Emily Pethick, 20ll/ /69 GENERATIVE SYSTEMS Steinc and Woody Vcsulkcr Woody's Fcrmous Feedbqck Richqrd Paul Lohse Lines of Development, 1943- Rcrp,1973//73 84/ /t52 Frqnk Gillette Notes for cr Proposql on Conceptucl Iqnnis Xenqkis Free Stochqstic Music, 1965//153 Gcrming, 1973//75 Phivos-Angelos Kollicrs Iqnnis Xencrkis and Systems Zqbet Pqtterson From the Gun Controller to the Thinking,20ll/ / 158 Mqnfred Mohr Stqtement, l97l/ / 160 Niklas Luhmqnn The Function of Art qnd the Soniq Lcndy Sheridcn Mind/Senses/Hcrnd: Differentlqtion of the Art System,1995//214 The Genercrtive Systems Progrcrm crt the Art Christiqn Kctti Systemcticclly Observing Surveillqnce: Institute of Chiccrgo 1970-80, l99O/ / 162 Pqrcdoxes of Observcrtion According to Niklcrs Briqn Eno Genercting crnd Orgcnizing Vcriety in the Luhmann's Systems Theory, 1999/ /219 Arls,1976//166 Bruno Lqtour Some Experiments in Art qnd Politics, Michcel Jocrquin Grey Stcrtement, c. 2OO4/ / l7l 20tt//223 Christc Sommerer qnd Lcrurent Mignonnecru Art as <r Living System, 1999//172 Ken Rincrldo Autopoiesis, 2OOO/ / 176 Benjcmin Bogcrt cnd Philippe Pcsquier Context Machines,2Ol3/ / 178 UBERMORGEN.COM, with Paolo Cirio qnd Alessqndro Ludovico Google Will Eat Itself, 2OO5//179 Mitchell Whitelcrw Systems Stories <rnd Model Worlds, 2OO5//t8,O Geotl Cox Generqtor: The Vclue of Software Art, 2OO7 / /t86 ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS R. Buckminster Fuller Opercting Mcrnucl for Spcrceship Eqrth, 1969//l9O Jqmes Lovelock Geophysiology: The Science of Gcriq, tese//t92 Helen Mcryer Hqrrison qnd Newton Hcrrrison Shifting Positions towards the Ecrth:Art <rnd Environmentcrl Awcrreness, 1993/ /195 Dcvid Dunn and Jim Crutchfield Entomogenic Climqte Chcnge: Insect Bio-Acoustics qnd Future Forest Ecology, 2OO9/ / 197 Pierre Bourdieu The Field of Culturcrl Production, or The Economic World Reversed, 1983//2O3 Nick Prior Putting a Glitch in the Field:Bourdieu, Actor Network Theory <rnd Contemporqry Music, 2OO8/ /2Os Edwqrd A. Shqnken , rrrt I r r ilicluc in a global economy fuelled by the algorithmic processing of big data, Introduction//Systems Thinking/Systems Art rrr wlrit h wcalth is generated by Google Adsense clicks, government surveillance is rr'.rr lrirrg Orwellian proportions, and global warming is creating extreme weather r orrrliliorrs that threaten cities and ecosystems. l)t'spile the current state of affairs, the impact of systems theory and A dream of technical control and of instant information conveyed at unthought-of rylrr,r rrt'tics on all aspects of human endeavour is difficult to estimate - or velocities haunted Sixties culture. The wired, electronic outlines ofa cybernetic society ovcrcstinr.rte. And one hopes that evolved forms of systems analysis will provide became apparent to the visual imagination - an immediate future... drastically l)r ,lr'nl tools that can help correct some of the global perils resulting from an modernized by the impact of computer science. It was a technologically utopian rrvlrly rr.rrrow conceptual frameworl< that cannot see the forest for the trees. structure of feeling, positivistic and 'scientistic'.r Irrrlr'r'rl, since the mid 1990s, numerous factors (including advances in ronrprrt.r[ionaI science, networking and visualization that facilitated the As the epigraph above suggests, systems theory and cybernetics were not limited ',rnrrrl.rtior.r of complex systems) led researchers to refocus attention explicitly on to science and engineering but penetrated deeply into the arts and culture. The ',v',1('nrs theory and cybernetics, generating artistic and scholarly reappraisal and screaming electronic feedback of Jimi Hendrix's guitar at Woodstock (1966) lrrrtlrcr elaboration. The growing number of art exhibitions