Introduction

Intersecting Art and Technology in Practice: Techne/Technique/Technology is a series of writings from the perspective of those who make digital and electronic technology-based art. The primary focus is on the artistic process, collaboration, and personal approach to creation and ideation in making this type of artwork. Unlike other writing in the field, this book is less interested in the outcome itself: the artifact, artwork, performance, but instead highlights the emotional, intellectual, intuitive, affective, and instinctive dimensions of idea-creation. It aims to dissect the thinking and doing by the artist in each stage, including the turmoil or problem-encounters and how to resolve issues in the intimate dimension of making artwork. A range of voices appear in this book, from the subjective internal to the objective external, more commonly found in academic writing. For us, the term ‘artist’ covers creative practitioners skilled in their chosen form/medium, who make work as an expression of their personal voice through the artifacts they make. As editors, we are exploring more first-person narratives, rather than the more academic tone of the objective third-person voice. This approach is intentional, as we are trying to arrive from a different angle: not to buck academic standards or rigor, but to have a more self-reflective/reflexive approach, as the creative process can be quite personal. Through this variation we aim to shine a light on digital and electronic art practice, involving coding, electronic gadgetry, mixed with other forms of more established arts, to uncover the practice-as-research processes required, as well as the collaborative aspects of art and technology practice.