+ New Research Group at MIT Media Lab +

I am pleased to announce the formation of Computing Culture, a MIT Media
Lab research group dedicated to exploring art and technology.

Computing Culture is in a unique position: First, it is situated within
the Media Lab, an interdisciplinary research center exploring and
developing new technologies since 1985. The Media Lab is part of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the premiere technical
institutions in the world. Computing Culture seeks to create new
technologies for the full range of human experience, rather than the
applications suggested by market forces, "productivity," and the
internal logic of technical production. Some information about the
group may be found at http://compcult.media.mit.edu.

Our research will result in specific works of art, but will also help
further an understanding of the relationships between art, technology,
and cultural production. Some of the strategies we practice include
interventions in contemporary consumer electronics, creating special
media events for public situations, and applying technical development
to cultural agendas that wouldn't normally receive it. Our central
interest is in physically embodied (rather than screen-based) work.

The group's research centers on studio practice, but includes strong
components of critical media theory, science history, the sociology of
scientific knowledge, and art history and theory. Research projects are
primarily determined and investigated by graduate students, with
guidance by the group's director, Professor Chris Csikszentmih