Athelas in use: Computer’s arrival in art

This is an extensive source book, published by ZKM (Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Germany) and the MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, London, England. It chronologically documents the “little-known story” of the New Tendencies and its relevance on the history of computer-based arts, its exhibitions, symposia, and publications from 1961–1973.

This was the most important international art movements of the 20th century dedicated to visual research, originating in Croatia with international artists, creators who had a ‘constructed approach to art’, be it geometric abstraction, neo-constructivist optic, kinetic, or programmed art, and later computer-made art. Their aim was to establish art as research beyond the classic art market and to therefore make it accessible to everyone.

Computers slowly entered the art scene in the late 1960s, but were embraced by only a few as a new medium of expression. Being avantgarde, members of New Tendencies incorporated the computer as a medium of artistic work in their fourth exhibition in 1968 with the subtitle Computer and Visual Research. Natural science and technology thus gained a center point in the movement and art in general.

Designer Renata Sas exclusively used Athelas for titles, body text, and footnotes, performingly wonderfully in this exqusitely typeset book, with almost 1,000 pages — a mammoth reading.

All photographs by ©pavlokochan.