Writing the History of the Future | English

Writing the History of the Future. The ZKM Collection |
Exhibition


In an extraordinary compilation, the ZKM presents the main works
from its globally unique media art collection. With more than 500
objects, the exhibition shows the diversity of the arts in the
media change.
In the twentieth century technical media radically transformed
the image. Beginning with the scandalous medium of photography,
in which images seemingly generated themselves, media
»transformed the entire nature of art« (Walter Benjamin).
Photography, film, phonography, radio, television, video,
computers, and the Internet have redefined the relationship
between artist, work, and viewer as well as our notion of the
creative act. The exhibition Writing the History of the Future
exemplifies the transformation of art due to the changing
technologies of production, reception, and distribution. It also
shows how artists anticipate media and social practices that will
only become self-evident for society in general years later. As
the title of the exhibition says, they write the history of the
future.