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In
this climate, artists became increasingly interested in integrating
technology into their work. While technology clearly played
a significant role in 20th century arts (such as photography,
film, and video, as well as various fine arts genres), it was
not until Bell Labs scientist Billy
Kl�ver placed the potential of advanced engineering into
the hands of artists in New York that integrated works of art
and technology began to flourish. Kl�ver conceived the notion
of equal collaboration between artist and engineer. He pioneered
forms of art and technology that would have been unimaginable
to the artist without the engineer�s cooperation and creative
involvement. With Robert Rauschenberg, Kl�ver created several
of the earliest artworks to integrate electronic media and to
encourage a participatory role for the audience, including Oracle
(1963-65) and Soundings (1968).
In 1966 Kl�ver co-founded E.A.T. (Experiments
in Art and Technology) to bring artists and engineers together
to create new works. E.A.T.�s most ambitious production was
the Pepsi-Pavilion, designed for the Osaka Expo �70 in Japan
� a tremendously ambitious collaborative, multimedia project
that involved over 75 artists and engineers. As Kl�ver explained,
audience participation was at the heart of their interests:
"The initial concern of the artists who designed the Pavilion
was that the quality of the experience of the visitor should
involve choice, responsibility, freedom, and participation.
The Pavilion would not tell a story or guide the visitor through
a didactic, authoritarian experience. The visitor would be encouraged
as an individual to explore the environment and compose his
own experience."
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