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CHOICE Review

Baker (Royal College of Art, London) provides a history of the computer and its adoption by artists and designers. This history serves as a basis for the compelling argument that the computer in the hands of artists is a liberating force. Baker suggests that those that find it threatening are, in fact, creatively suspect. Further, he contends that the computer is a "bridge between the cultures of art and science." Most artists are now quite familiar with the computer as it is used by graphic designers and in film and video. But computing has arrived in the studios of architects, industrial designers, auto designers, jewelers, ceramists, fashion designers, and virtually every other creative visual discipline. This handsomely illustrated survey introduces the most important recent applications of the computer by artists, includes the emerging technologies of virtual reality, shape grammar, neural networks, rapid prototyping, and hyperpublishing. General; community college; undergraduate; pre-professional. S. Lechtzin; Temple University