Paradoxes of Interactivity

Current findings from anthropology, genetics, prehistory, cognitive and neuroscience indicate that human nature is grounded in a co-evolution of tool use, symbolic communication, social interaction and cultural transmission. Digital information technology has recently entered as a new tool in this co-evolution, and will probably have the strongest impact on shaping the human mind in the near future. A common effort from the humanities, the sciences, art and technology is necessary to understand this ongoing co- evolutionary process. Interactivity is a key for understanding the new relationships formed by humans with social robots as well as interactive environments and wearables underlying this process. Of special importance for understanding interactivity are human-computer and human-robot interaction, as well as media theory and New Media Art. »Paradoxes of Interactivity« brings together reflections on »interactivity« from different theoretical perspectives, the interplay of science and art, and recent technological developments for artistic applications, especially in the realm of sound.

Uwe Seifert is Professor of Systematic Musicology at the University of Cologne. His current research interests include embodied cognitive science of music and New Media theory. Jin Hyun Kim is researcher at the Collaborative Research Center »Media and Cultural Communication« (SFB/FK 427). She is currently involved in the research project »Artistic Interactivity in Hybrid Networks« directed by Uwe Seifert and Anthony Moore, which is part of the SFB/FK 427 »Medien und kulturelle Kommunikation«. Anthony Moore is Professor of Art and Media Sciences at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. His research focuses on sound computing and Greek and Asian tone systems.