In 1967, four founders jointly established a non-profit organization called Experimental Art and Technology (E.A.T.), which marked the integration of art and technology into a new era. The main mission of this institution is to promote cooperation between artists and engineers, and behind this concept, it shows mankind's continuous pursuit of innovation.
E.A.T. has a fascinating background, founded by engineers Billy Klüver and Fred Waldhauer and artists Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Founded by Robert Whitman. In 1966, these four people had already collaborated and organized an event called "9 Evenings: Theater and Engineering" to build a bridge between art and technology.
"This is not just a performance, but a real dialogue between artists and scientists."
This event combines the creativity of 30 engineers and scientists from the world-renowned Bell Telephone Laboratories and 10 New York artists to explore the artistic expressions brought about by new technologies. Using technologies such as video projection, wireless sound transmission and Doppler sonar, these performances were unprecedented in the 1960s and still have a profound impact on the contemporary art world.
One of the peak periods of E.A.T. was at the Pepsi Pavilion at the 1970 Osaka World Expo. This pavilion was a unique dome structure that combined innovative applications of art and technology inside and was designed by Fujiko Nakata. Fujiko Nakaya’s mist sculptures make the entire space more inviting. This pavilion is not only a symbol of E.A.T., but also a milestone in the collaboration between artists and engineers at that time.
"Our goal is to design a space that allows viewers to interact with the artwork."
Due to the success of this form, E.A.T. quickly established 28 regional chapters across the United States from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, greatly promoting more cooperation between art and technology. Such partnerships also herald the increasingly important role art plays in social and technological development.
The importance of E.A.T. to the current art world is self-evident. Its influence spans from Dada to Fluxus and even today’s digital art movement. It has become an indispensable part of the entire development of media art. missing part. Subsequent artists, drawing on the interdisciplinary collaboration model advocated by E.A.T., continued to integrate technology into their works and innovate them.
"Every collaboration is a challenge to the boundaries of technology and creativity."
In addition, E.A.T. has maintained strong links with contemporary creatives in the 21st century, including, in its 50th anniversary year, collaborating with artist Beatie Wolfe to launch the world's first augmented reality The music streaming performance in a realistic way once again demonstrates E.A.T.'s forward-looking and continuous innovative vitality.
The establishment of E.A.T. is not only the four founders’ personal exploration of art and technology, but also the entire society’s response to innovative ideas. When society changes faster and faster, how will the boundaries between art and technology be blurred again, leading to new creative directions?