information.

this week's topic is Design and the Digital Aesthetic

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"It is difficult to distinguish today's computer-aided designer from the designer-aided computer. This is because thanks to the DTP industry's furious development efforts, the computer has surpassed the designer's expressive abilities and imagination and has come to govern the majority of visual development." John Maeda

What is good and bad art and design on the Net? How do we agree a critical framework, and common language, within which we can discuss that issue? To what extent does the technology itself determine the form and aesthetic of the work? Is the artist or designer merely a choreographer who sets the parameters for the work - the series of steps by which the user engages with the system? Is the system itself the artwork?

featured product :: www.low-fi.org.

www.low-fi.org - low-fi

"Artists use the net to experiment; to display and distribute their art projects; to collaborate; and sometimes to intervene critically in the increasingly commercialised and politicised space of the net. We intend to make these art projects more visible and accessible"low-fi

low-fi is an artist collective focusing on net art; and its mediation and distribution systems. Its activity is mainly centred around thie www.low-fi.org site but also includes curating and commissioning net art.

www.low-fi.org is a system for locating art projects on the net. low-fi functions from two directions. It is a place where artists can input information about new projects, offering them more exposure for their work; and it is also a way for viewers to locate and engage in a variety of net projects. All the art projects are net specific: projects must utilise networked technology in order to be realised; and must be conceived primarily for the net.

low-fi links to other projects rather than hosting or copying them. The structure is flexible enough to present a wide variety of media.