Book launch 'Van Meme tot Mainstream'

Book launch 'Van Meme tot Mainstream'

Internetkunst, esthetiek en offline luxe in een postdigitale wereld

The title of this book ‘From meme to mainstream: internet art, aesthetics and offline luxury in a post-digital world’, refers to one of the most characteristic features of our time: the power of the internet that can focus all attention on something in a fraction of time, and then disappear just as fast in the digital universe. This virality is a characteristic that strongly affects Western society, arts and culture. From internet art post-internet, The New Aesthetic (a research project by James Bridle), to the latest 'offline as a new luxury' trend. In Van meme tot mainstream, Nadine Roestenburg shares her thoughts, fascinations and discoveries that stem from personal experiences, observations and research. According to her, artists that engage with the internet and digital technology can give us new insights. The artists discussed in Van meme tot mainstream seek the boundaries of technology, and try to break down or break through technology, and then reassemble it. They reflect on phenomena we all consciously or unconsciously have to deal with. These artists are able to let us see the world in a different way. Now that the digital revolution is over, it's time to look back at the changes in recent years, to create space for reflection, that will enable us to decide how we want to live with contemporary technologies, and think about how we want the technologies to be in the future.

Nadine Roestenburg studied arts and cultural studies. She works at MU and is a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam. Together with Angelique Spaninks she curated the exhibition Materialising the Internet.

Van meme tot mainstream will be released on 21 October 2017 by MU in collaboration with the Institute of Network Cultures and The Image Society.

The book launch is part of the daily design talk show Create Out Loud during Dutch Design Week.

Please note: the book is written in Dutch, Create Out Loud will be English spoken.

Where: MU

When: 24 October

Time: 18:00 - 19:30