Cybernetic Configurations: Characteristics of Interactivity in the Digital Arts

Abstract

Cybernetic theory and interactive media art share much in common, including an interest in human relationships with technology, and in what their interactions reveal about both human and techno- logical agency. In this paper we identify four char- acteristics of cybernetic systems and discuss their relevance to interactive sound art. We hope to contribute to a critical lexicon around the cybernetic nature of interactive artworks more broadly, and to promote further engagement with the principles of cybernetics amongst electronic and digital arts practitioners and scholars.