Martin Wattenberg: Idea Line

IDEA LINE displays a timeline of net artworks, arranged in a fan of luminous threads. Each thread corresponds to a particular kind of artwork or type of technology. The brightness of each thread varies with the number of artworks that it contains in each year, so you can watch the ebb and flow of different lines of thought over time. As you move your mouse over the lines, they will open up to reveal titles of artworks. Place the mouse on top of a title to learn more about the work. Click to launch the work itself. Right-click to highlight other pieces by the same artist. If you are looking for a particular title or artist, type into the text box at the upper left. You'll be able to see your search results in the context of the overall idealine.

According to artist Martin Wattenberg, "From the beginning, net art has traveled multiple paths. More than a medium, the net is an environment uniquely hospitable to many diverse media: programming and animation, video and audio, gameplay and community. Each individual artist picks up these threads and weaves them in novel combinations. IDEA LINE is designed to let you follow these threads of thought yourself, and discover how each work is part of a larger tapestry."

To create the list of artworks, Wattenberg sent out a public request for help to several net art forums. Almost one hundred artists responded. In addition, data was entered on many popular or influential artworks that were not covered in this response. A text-only list of the artworks is available.

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