Art DIY Electronics

Art + DIY Electronics is a comprehensive exploration of a century of artists who have independently built creative technologies, forming a systematic theory of DIY electronic culture. Since the mid-2000s, the rise of Arduino and 3D printing has led to a surge in popularity for do-it-yourself approaches to the creative exploration of technology. However, the maker movement is not a new phenomenon, but rather a historically significant practice in contemporary art and design.

Garnet Hertz documents, tracks, and identifies a hundred years of innovative DIY technology practices, illustrating how the maker movement is a continuation of a long-standing creative electronic subculture. Through this exploration, Hertz develops a theory and language of creative DIY electronics, drawing from diverse examples of contemporary art, including the work of renowned electronic artists such as Nam June Paik and art collectives like Survival Research Laboratories and the Barbie Liberation Front.

Hertz uncovers the defining elements of electronic DIY culture, which often works with limited resources to bring new life to obsolete objects while engaging in a critical dialogue with consumer capitalism. Whether hacking blackboxed technologies or deploying culture jamming techniques to critique commercial labor practices or gender norms, the artists have found creative ways to make personal and political statements through creative technologies.

The wide range of innovative works and practices profiled in Art + DIY Electronics form a general framework for DIY culture and inspire readers to get creative with their own adaptations, fabrications, and reimaginations of everyday technologies. This book sheds light on the rich history of DIY electronic culture and its significance in contemporary art and design, providing a valuable resource for anyone interested in the intersection of art, technology, and DIY practices.

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