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Art, Technology, and Culture
Research Guide
What is Art, Technology, and Culture?
Art, Technology, and Culture is the interdisciplinary field examining the intersections of artistic practice, technological innovation, and cultural dynamics, as evidenced by foundational works on design thinking, material semiotics, and mechanical reproduction.
The field encompasses 97,052 works exploring how technology shapes artistic expression and cultural forms. Buchanan (1992) in 'Wicked Problems in Design Thinking' identifies design as a flexible activity resisting reduction to fine arts, natural sciences, or social sciences. Hersey and Brodatz (1968) in 'Textures: A Photographic Album for Artists and Designers' provide visual resources for integrating photographic textures into artistic and design processes.
Research Sub-Topics
Actor-Network Theory in Technology Studies
Researchers apply ANT to trace human-nonhuman associations in technological innovation, emphasizing symmetry between social and material actants. Case studies analyze sociotechnical controversies in AI ethics and smart cities.
Design Thinking Wicked Problems
This area explores iterative, empathetic design methodologies for addressing ill-defined societal challenges like climate adaptation and healthcare inequity. Empirical studies validate design thinking's efficacy in multidisciplinary teams.
Materiality in Digital Art
Scholars investigate how digital fabrication technologies like 3D printing reconfigure artistic materiality and authorship. Critical analyses examine post-digital aesthetics challenging traditional sculpture paradigms.
3D Printing Cultural Implications
Research examines 3D printing's disruption of manufacturing paradigms, intellectual property, and maker culture movements. Ethnographic studies track adoption in fashion, architecture, and bioprinting communities.
Technology Lifeworld Phenomenology
Philosophers extend Heideggerian phenomenology to analyze technology's enframing of human existence from analog to algorithmic environments. Hermeneutic studies critique surveillance capitalism's existential implications.
Why It Matters
This field drives applications in digital fabrication, interactive media, and cultural preservation. Lipson and Kurman (2013) in 'Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing' describe 3D printers moving into homes, businesses, schools, kitchens, hospitals, and fashion catwalks, enabled by integration with digital technologies. Ingold (2007) in 'Materials against materiality' argues for focusing on material properties over object materiality, influencing archaeological and design practices. Recent initiatives like the Doris Duke Foundation's eight-figure investment in Artists Make Technology (AMT) support artists and technologists, while the Performing Arts Technologies Lab aids 20 projects in innovative digital uses. Tools such as p5.js and ml5.js enable artists to code creatively and apply machine learning in browsers.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
'Wicked Problems in Design Thinking' by Buchanan (1992) is the starting point due to its 3352 citations and foundational analysis of design's flexibility across arts, sciences, and culture.
Key Papers Explained
Buchanan (1992) 'Wicked Problems in Design Thinking' establishes design's indeterminate nature, which Law (2008) 'Actor Network Theory and Material Semiotics' extends by incorporating non-human actors into cultural networks. Ingold (2007) 'Materials against materiality' builds on this by prioritizing material flows over static objects, while Lipson and Kurman (2013) 'Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing' applies these ideas to technological fabrication in art. Hersey and Brodatz (1968) 'Textures: A Photographic Album for Artists and Designers' provides practical visual tools supporting these theoretical advances.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Preprints explore AI as interactive art mediums and generative tech in digital museums. News highlights investments like Artists Make Technology and residencies for art-tech integration. Tools including ml5.js and p5.js support browser-based machine learning for artists.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wicked Problems in Design Thinking | 1992 | Design Issues | 3.4K | ✕ |
| 2 | Textures: A Photographic Album for Artists and Designers | 1968 | Leonardo | 2.6K | ✕ |
| 3 | Actor Network Theory and Material Semiotics | 2008 | — | 1.8K | ✕ |
| 4 | Technology and the lifeworld: from garden to earth | 1990 | Choice Reviews Online | 1.3K | ✕ |
| 5 | Materials against materiality | 2007 | Archaeological Dialogues | 1.3K | ✕ |
| 6 | The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction | 2018 | — | 1.3K | ✕ |
| 7 | Computer Security: Art and Science | 2002 | — | 1.2K | ✕ |
| 8 | 2021 | — | 1.1K | ✕ | |
| 9 | Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics | 1991 | JAMA | 1.1K | ✕ |
| 10 | Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing | 2013 | — | 1.0K | ✕ |
In the News
Artists Make Technology
**January 7, 2026 - NEW YORK**– Today, the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF), in partnership with Mozilla Foundation, announced an eight-figure investment in the fields of arts and technology, Artists Ma...
Call for 2026 Artists-in-Residence at the Public Art Futures ...
**Residency Highlights:**
Call for Proposals: African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant 2026
The Andrew Mellon Foundation’s African Poetry Digital Humanities Grant offers $10,000 to scholars and researchers to advance digital humanities research focused on African Poetry. The grant support...
Open Call: Knight Art + Tech Expansion Fund
The Fund supports artists and arts organizations looking to increase their reach and capacity by using technology. Types of work supported by the Fund include: Purchasing and/or installing hardwar...
Performing Arts Technologies Lab
The Doris Duke Foundation is supporting 20 pioneering artists, technologists and arts organizations through the Performing Arts Technologies Lab, a first-of-its-kind accelerator for projects seekin...
Code & Tools
* Monitoring and measuring * Shared quality standards| * Download this table as an image * ## About Planning Framework used by LC Labs for planning...
A python library and collection of notebooks for making art with machine learning. ml4a.net ### License MIT license 1.6kstars 345forks Branche...
p5.js is a client-side JS platform that empowers artists, designers, students, and anyone to learn to code and express themselves creatively on the...
ml5.js aims to make machine learning approachable for a broad audience of artists, creative coders, and students. The library provides access to ma...
p5.js welcomes libraries contributed by others Check out the libraries tutorial for more specifics about how to create one. If you have created a l...
Recent Preprints
Artificial Intelligence and Culture
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submission. Audio is not supported in your browser. **What code is in the image?** submit Your support ID ...
Research on the Relationship Between Technology and Art
relationship between art an d technology h as become a h ot topic in aca demia. This pa per examines the i ntricate relationship between technology and art, focusing on their mutual influence. Usin...
Art with agency: artificial intelligence as an interactive medium
AI systems’ potential for creative thinking and problem-solving to challenge and enhance art production has been a popular subject for those researching the intersection between art and technology ...
A review of the development and application of generative technology in digital museums
Digital museums replicate and preserve cultural relics in digital form, protecting them from natural disasters and human damage while supporting future research. With advances in interactive genera...
The art of innovation: How arts-based initiatives can ...
a special issue entitled: The art and fiction of the societal impact of research published in Technovation. © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Latest Developments
Recent developments in art, technology, and culture research include the ongoing fusion of digital and physical art forms, with digital tools, AI, and immersive environments expanding artistic boundaries in 2026 (Agora Gallery, Artsy, Right Click Save). Key trends involve the integration of generative AI in digital museums, the use of AI as an interactive medium, and the exploration of how design influences sound and musical experiences, reflecting a convergence of art, technology, and culture (npj Heritage Science, Nature, Google Blog).
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
What are wicked problems in design thinking?
Buchanan (1992) in 'Wicked Problems in Design Thinking' describes design as eluding reduction to fine arts, natural sciences, or social sciences, remaining a flexible activity. Wicked problems refer to complex, ill-defined challenges in design that resist straightforward solutions. This framework applies to integrating technology in artistic and cultural contexts.
How does actor-network theory relate to art and technology?
Law (2008) in 'Actor Network Theory and Material Semiotics' traces its origins and diaspora, treating humans and non-humans as actors in networks. It analyzes how technologies and materials shape cultural artifacts. The theory supports studies of technology's role in artistic production.
What is the impact of mechanical reproduction on art?
Benjamin (2018) in 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' examines how reproduction alters art's aura and cultural function. This work highlights technology's transformation of artistic value. It remains central to discussions of digital art dissemination.
How has 3D printing affected art and design?
Lipson and Kurman (2013) in 'Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing' detail 3D printers entering diverse settings like hospitals and fashion. These devices combine with digital technologies for custom fabrication. The book covers their expansion beyond factories.
What role do materials play in artistic practice?
Ingold (2007) in 'Materials against materiality' reverses emphasis from object materiality to material properties, using Gibson's divisions of medium, substances, and surfaces. This approach informs making processes in art and technology. It challenges studies of material culture.
Open Research Questions
- ? How can AI systems serve as interactive mediums in art without introducing biases from datasets?
- ? What are the advantages and challenges of integrating generative technology in digital museums for artifact reconstruction?
- ? In what ways do arts-based initiatives enhance the societal impact of technological research?
- ? How do non-human actors in networks influence cultural artifacts in contemporary design?
Recent Trends
Preprints from 2025 address AI in culture, art-technology relationships, and generative tech in digital museums.
News from 2025-2026 reports Doris Duke Foundation's eight-figure Artists Make Technology investment and support for 20 projects in Performing Arts Technologies Lab.
Open calls like Knight Art + Tech Expansion Fund back hardware for artists, with 97,052 works in the field.
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