Roy Ascott is a British cybernetic and telematics arts pioneer, experimental educator, and an influential author. Frank Popper said of him: “Ascott is one of the most outstanding artists and theoreticians in the field of telematics.”

It is hard to precisely identify the kind of art he has contributed to. It is not wrong to list the fields of interactive computer art, electronic art, cybernetic art, and telematic art.

He was the Director of the ‘Groundcourse’ at the Ealing and Ipswich Schools of Art, London, during the 1960s. This course was influential because of its radical approach to teaching art. Ascott described it as ‘a microcosm of a total process of art education’. ^

He is the Director of Planetary Collegium, a transdisciplinary centre for research in art, science, technology and consciousness, based jointly in the University of Wales College Newport, and in the School of Computing, University of Plymouth. He is also visiting Professor in Design|Media Arts at UCLA.

He has published numerous influential books on the convergence of Art, Media and Technology. He has contributed over 150 articles and academic papers to journals and magazines in many countries.

A small excerpt describing his ideas on Telematics can be viewed here.

Another essay ‘Turning on Technology’ was featured in the catalogue of the exhibition “Techno Seduction”, from 17 January through 15 February, 1997, at the Cooper Union School of Art in New York.