“Brazilian Pioneers in Art and Technology: Waldemar Cordeiro, Abraham Palatnik and Otávio Donasci” presented by Spitz
Symposium:
Session Title:
- Archiving Digital Heritage Panel
Presentation Title:
- Brazilian Pioneers in Art and Technology: Waldemar Cordeiro, Abraham Palatnik and Otávio Donasci
Presenter(s):
Venue(s):
Abstract:
Keywords: Electronic Art, Pioneers, Brazilian Art, Digital Media
The pioneering ideas and artworks of three major Brazilian artists – Waldemar Cordeiro, Abraham Palatnik and Otávio Donasci – are discussed in this paper. Waldemar Cordeiro started working with computers in the late 60s and produced some of the most important artworks of the initial phase of computer art. Although his career was interrupted by his premature death in 1973, Cordeiro left an incredibly vast visual oeuvre, and a great number of reviews and theoretical articles – including “Arteônica”, a manifesto on Electronic Art. Over the last 65 years Palatnik has explored the fusion of art, science and technology in creative, dynamic and kinetic ways. Now in his late 80s, Palatnik is still actively working on the conception of new art forms with different media. Otávio Donasci has artistically explored the combination of human bodies and electronic devices since the 1980s. His pioneering works explored the psychological dimensions of interpersonal relationships, encompassing a great variety of media to create innovative theatrical performances and interactive installations. In conclusion, we argue that these Brazilian pioneers brought extremely important contributions to the field of Electronic Art, and deserve greater international exposure.
