Arnolfini, Bristol (UK) Fun with Software

Published on December 19th, 2010


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Fun with Software looks at the history of software, and its relation to humour and fun. Making and using software can be experimental, humorous, and eventful. Alongside today's rather dull use of forms, databases, schedules and processors, an element of fun has informed and guided the development of software from its beginnings.

Fun with Software

25 September – 21 November 2010

Arnolfini, Bristol, United Kingdom

Fun with Software looks at the history of software, and its relation to humour and fun. Making and using software can be experimental, humorous, and eventful. Alongside today’s rather dull use of forms, databases, schedules and processors, an element of fun has informed and guided the development of software from its beginnings. A good example of this is Love Letter Generator, conceived in the 1950s by one of the first programmers, Christopher Strachey, working with Alan Turing at Manchester University on one of the first computers, and reconstructed in this exhibition by David Link. This exhibition follows the development of software over the last 50 years through playful experimentation and art.

Fun with Software has been curated by Olga Goriunova, Senior Lecturer in Media Practices at London Metropolitan University.
Produced by aaaan.net. Love Letters_1.0 by David Link is produced by Kunststiftung NRW.  Part of Arnolfini’s Old Media season of exhibitions, films and performance, investigating redundant technologies and their cultural and political relationship to their time.  Fun with Software will have further presentations at MU, Eindhoven, Netherlands 12 Nov 2010 – 4 Jan 2011 and Hartware MedienKunstVerein, Dortmund, Germany.

Artists

David Link, LoveLetters_1.0 MCU=Resurrection (2009)

Erik Thiele, Tempest for Eliza (2001)

Christoph Haag, Martin Rumori, Franziska Windisch & Ludwig Zeller: OSK, Offenes Schaltkreis (Open Circuit) (2006-2010)

Alexei Shulgin & Victor Laskin, WIMP (2003)

Graham Harwood, London.P1 (2002)

JODI, All Wrongs Reserved ©1982 (2004)

Runme.org archive (2003)


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