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Multimedia is emerging as the defining medium
of the 21st century. The World Wide Web, CD-ROMs, virtual reality
arcade games, and interactive installations only hint at the
forms of multimedia to come. Yet the concept of integrated,
interactive media has its own long history, an evolution that
spans over 150 years. Remarkably, this has been a largely untold
story. Discussions of the development of the personal computer
and the Internet tend to focus on a few highly successful entrepreneurs,
neglecting the less known work of the engineers and artists
who first sought to craft a medium that would appeal to all
the senses simultaneously – a medium that would mimic and
enhance the creative capacities of the human mind. Here, then,
is a "secret history" of multimedia: a narrative that includes
the pioneering activities of a diverse group of artists, scientists,
poets, musicians, and theorists from Richard Wagner to Ivan
Sutherland, from Vannevar Bush to Bill Viola.
In
the years since World War II, scientists have pursued personal
computing and human - computer interactivity as vehicles for
transforming consciousness, extending memory, increasing knowledge,
amplifying the intellect, and enhancing creativity. The idealistic
and ideological aspirations of both groups have resulted in
a new medium that emphasizes individual choice, free association,
and personal expression.
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