A theory of assembly : from museums to memes / Kyle Parry.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Parry, Kyle, 1985- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Art--Philosophy.

Art.

Art and society.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (352 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis, MN : University of Minnesota Press, [2022]

Summary:

"A vital reckoning with how we understand the basic categories of cultural expression in the digital era Digital and social media have transformed how much and how fast we communicate. But they have also altered the palette of expressive strategies: the cultural forms that shape how citizens, activists, and artists speak and interact. Most familiar among these strategies are storytelling and representation. In A Theory of Assembly, Kyle Parry argues that one of the most powerful and pervasive cultural forms in the digital era is assembly.Whether as subtle photographic sequences, satirical Venn diagrams, or networked archives, projects based in assembly do not so much narrate or represent the world as rearrange it. This work of rearranging can take place at any scale, from a simple pairing of images, undertaken by one person, to the whole history of internet memes, undertaken by millions. With examples ranging from GIFs and paintings to museum exhibitions and social movement hashtags, Parry shows how, in the internet age, assembly has come to equal narrative and representation in its reach and influence, particularly as a response to ecological and social violence. He also emphasizes the ambivalence of assembly-the way it can be both emancipatory and antidemocratic. As the world becomes ever hotter, more connected, and more algorithmic, the need to map-and remake-assembly's powers and perils becomes all the more pressing. Interdisciplinary, engaging, and experimental, A Theory of Assembly serves as a playbook of strategies and critical frameworks for artists, activists, and content creators committed to social and environmental justice, ultimately arguing for a collective reenvisioning of what cultural forms matter. "-- Provided by publisher.

"Digital and social media have transformed how much and how fast we communicate, but they have also altered the palette of expressive strategies: the cultural forms that shape how citizens, activists, and artists speak and interact. In A Theory of Assembly, Kyle Parry argues that one of the most powerful and pervasive cultural forms in the digital era is assembly"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Introduction: Assembly as Cultural Form

Chapter 1. What Is Assembly?

Chapter 2. Art, Assembly, and the Museum

Chapter 3. Memes, Assembly, and the Internet

Chapter 4. Generative Assembly after Disaster

Chapter 5. The Powers and Perils of Media Assembly

Conclusion: From Paranoid to Reparative Assembly

Acknowledgments

Notes

Index

Color Plates.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Parry, Kyle A Theory of Assembly

ISBN:

9781452968261

1452968268

9781452968278

1452968276

OCLC:

1354206616