The first major illustrated survey of this exciting, new, and experimental field.

Building on the traditions of art history and using advanced technologies, digital artists push the boundaries of artistic expression and explore some of the most urgent social, political, and biological issues facing humankind today.

Traditional activities such as painting and sculpture have been radically transformed by digital techniques and media, while entirely new forms, such as Net art, digital installation, and virtual reality, have emerged as recognized artistic practices, collected by museums, institutions, and individuals the world over. All the diverse forms are featured here: digital prints, sculpture, and interactive installations; DVD and CD-ROMs; digital animation and video; Web sites and software art; new media performance and music. Bruce Wands presents an overview of the main characteristics of each category and discusses in detail specific works selected by a panel of curators as the most important of their kind.

Quotes, statements, and other texts from digital artists, curators, and theorists of new media appear throughout the book to provide further illuminating insights.

An introduction traces the history of digital art from its tentative beginnings in the 1960s to its full emergence in the 1990s, while the final chapter speculates on what the future might bring for this rapidly changing art form. A reference section includes a year-by-year time line of milestones in digital art, both artistic and technological, an extensive bibliography, a glossary, and a list of artists' Web sites and online art projects. 250 color illustrations.