Blurry edges and expanded boundaries in intermedial art practice : the posthuman, anamorphic impact of digital technology

Abstract

Digital technology and its associated cultures have profoundly impacted art practice, leading to the emergence of posthuman identity and artistic forms that blur the boundaries of art ontologies. Examining key posthuman concepts, this hypothesis on digital culture illustrates the multifaceted nature of posthuman identity, which is preoccupied with rituals of masking and constructs of imagined identity. These are issues investigated through notions of self-representation in digital culture; role-play; masking and ritual in performance; and the mask as a multifaceted media entity. Posthuman identity is characterised by its manifestation within a networked culture comprising entanglement, embodiment, and becoming, encompassing both human and nonhuman entities. It is argued that blurry edges and expanded boundaries in art production are associated with intermediality, scrutinised through the presence of affect and emotions in multisensory experiences of installation art and liminality (a state of inbetweenness) at the intersection of different media forms.