Art, Technology and Nature

This book explores the intricate relationships between art, technology, and nature, offering insights into their historical and contemporary intersections. Art, Technology and Nature features diverse essays from international scholars.

Since the dawn of the 20th century, the relationship between art, technology, and nature has become increasingly intertwined. Art, Technology and Nature offers a groundbreaking exploration of these intersections through a collection of essays written by international scholars. This volume stands out as the first comprehensive investigation into how art and technology have interacted with nature in post-medieval times, presenting a transdisciplinary approach that encompasses a wide array of topics.

The 14 essays within Art, Technology and Nature delve into various subjects, such as Renaissance wooden dolls, the role of science in Italian art academies, and the artisanal knowledge held by Leonardo's followers. Additionally, the book examines Surrealism, Mannerist grotesques, Wunderkammer, and even the evolution of plant printing in the 18th century. The authors also address how climate and its artistic representations have evolved, featuring discussions on artists from Constable to Olafur Eliasson, and the hermeneutics of bioart.

In their insightful introduction, editors Camilla Skovbjerg Paldam and Jacob Wamberg trace the Kantian legacy that once sought to separate art from technology and distance both from nature. They argue that this separation was merely a transient phase in history. The present-day renegotiation of these relationships echoes the ancient and medieval eras, where art and technology were seen as interconnected aspects of cultivated products and methods, reflecting the creative forces of nature.