Customer Reviews

Windows and Mirrors: Interaction Design, Digital Art, and the Myth of Transparency (Leonardo Book Series)

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First, this book in not a novel.

Second, some reviewers miss the subtle points raised in this text. Perhaps if unfamiliar with the theoretical bases to the discussion--and it should be mentioned that the theory informing this discussion is acknowledged at the outset, but pointedly left aside in favour of practice--one might, in fact, not grasp the extent of the points raised here.

For example, it is rather beside the point that the discussion surrounds various installments at SIGGRAPH 2000--this should not be taken as an indication of an out-dated approach, as, again, some readers might be apt to think. In fact, what the authors discuss are the more generic (as in genre) questions and that digital art and design prompt, not to mention those raised by the historical and social imperatives "embedded" in a media-saturated culture like ours.

The use of metaphors like windows and mirrors might be a bit too cute and/ or convenient, and the writing itself tends toward the over-simple and somewhat plodding (to the extent that some readers might wonder whether, a writer declaring a preference for a non-theoretical text is an excuse for a prose style targeted toward highschoolers). This is, of course, in spite of the writers' apparent desire to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.

So, yes, the book is easy to read, and while this shouldn't take away from its overall impact, I think it can. IN other words, by writing for a wider, less theoretically-inclined audience, the authors may irk those who fail to grasp the bigger issues this book reflects. This, they do even while excluding (potentially) those looking for something more outwardly sophisticated and capable of sustaining a place in the discourse from which Bolter and Gromala both come.

All in all, however, Bolter and Gromala have brought us an interesting and thought provoking discussion that contextualizes digital design within the larger realm of the computer and its future as both a visible and an invisible medium of human (ironic, get it?) expression.