ars intermedia is a experimental working group founded by Otto Beckmann 1966. The goal of the group was to fathom current computer technology for artistic dimensions.
Alongside Beckmann, the founding members were qualified engineers Alfred Graßl, Gerd Koepf, his son Oskar Beckmann, and the cameraman Gerhard Schedl. Every member worked on a project, but all the results culminated in Otto Beckmann’s creative work.
Since 1970 the group have had their own computer (ateliercomputer a.i.70 with future expansions till the a.i.Pl/77), who Oskar Beckmann has created for artistic purposes.
ars intermedia received 1971 an award from the Vienna Cultural Fund for Art in Technical Media for its achievements in the field of computer-generated art.
ars intermedia received 1972 the Dr. Adolf Schärf Prize for the promotion of the science.
“Ars Intermedia probably can be considered the art-technology collaboration of earliest and longest standing besides E.A.T. New York.” Frieder Nake, Art Journal Spring 2009 page 81
Their field of work was:
- computer graphics and computersculpture
- laser-computergraphics
- computeranimation
- holography
- information technology
- computermuic and computerlyrics
- system relevant theoretical researches