The Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts revived?

Abstract

This is an edited version of an introduction written for the panel session with the same name of June 13, 2013. The editing took place after the session was held. Both the introduction and the panel session are seen as the beginning of a discussion that should help to give direction to the future of ISEA. This article was edited by ISEA International board member Bonnie Mitchell, and received input from the panellists as well as from Wolfgang Schneider, Roger Malina and Peter Beyls. The panellists were Bonnie Mitchell, Anne Nigten (former ISEA board member), Vicki Sowry (ISEA2013 organiser), Ernest Edmonds (presenter at the first ISEA symposia) and Peter Anders (ISEA International board member). I would like to thank them all for their constructive thinking. The panel proposal is followed first by a mini manifesto (why cooperation?) and then an historic overview of ISEA, which is celebrating its 25th birthday this year. Before presenting the viewpoints of the panel members, I will try to give some of those viewpoints an historic context, and add to that some insights from personal experience. Finally, I will try to draw some conclusions. In that way I hope to lay the foundation for a more or less structured discussion that will continue after the panel and ISEA2013 are over.