Video/Art: the First Fifty Years

Book excerpt: A personal and expert account of the artists and events that defined the medium's first 50 years - now in paperback Since the introduction of portable consumer electronics nearly a half century ago, artists throughout the world have adapted their latest technologies to art-making. In this new paperback edition of her acclaimed book, curator Barbara London traces the history of video art as it transformed into the broader field of media art - from analog to digital, small TV monitors to wall-scale projections, and clunky hardware to user-friendly software. In doing so, she reveals how video evolved from fringe status to be seen as one of the foremost art forms of today.