Reading Blog #3

In the article Web Work: The History of Internet Art, I found it interesting that “net.art” was created as a result of a glitch. Net.Art was used to create a community surrounding art. Due to the political changes in Europe, the net.artists published manifestos. Eastern Europe/Russia were crucial in the making of net artists and helped create the “civil society.” Additionally, online structures were created which allowed for more communities among the internet. One site called Ada’web which became the home for the Walker Art Center. Another site, Jodi.org, was an important site in the art world. In the projects, there are lines of HTML code and interactive opportunities in the site. In order to sustain themselves financially, net.artists met for a conference called Net.Art Per Se. A fake CNN news page summarized the meeting. Eventually, the artist Paul Garrin was able to expand the number of URL components which allowed for more names for websites. One topic that quickly gained attraction in net.art was cyberfeminism. A manifesto relating to cyberfeminism was published by Anne de Hann. The popularity of net.art also caused problems in the art community. Due to the ability to easily hide your identity on the internet, identity tricks became a threatening issue. Someone did a counterfeit review, there was also hacking. Overall, it’s interesting to read about the beginning of net.art and how it expanded and grew into different things. Additionally, how the online world containing net.art can also be problematic with the ability to easily hide your identity.