Joseph Nechvatal strives for an Immersive Intelligence
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Towards an Immersive Intelligence is Joseph Nechvatal’s most recent publication discussing the new hypothetical “viractual” realm. Robert Morgan reviewed the book and consolidated the rather intensive discussion for the rest of us to more easily digest.
To avoid unnecessary complexity, the subtitle of this impressive and provocative tome, though relatively minimal in its length (94 pages), gives us a literal transcription of what is to follow, that is: Essays on the Work of Art in the Age of Computer Technology and Virtual Reality, 1993-2006. Frankly, I don’t think the subtitle is necessary. The author makes his point without a prolegomena. To suggest that this is a seminal book in a new or renewed field of inquiry is an understatement. Nechvatal has done nothing less than put critical theory at the threshold of virtuality, what the author synthetically claims is the juncture of evolution where the virtual and the actual will find their own homeostasis in what he refers to as “viractual.”
- Robert C. Morgan.
The entire review of the book can be found on The Brooklyn Rail, and is available for purchase through Amazon.