Heinz von Foerster in the art department. A collide‐oscope in four parts

Abstract

Purpose

To provide illumination of how systems tend to produce an output nobody expected. It is in these moments that observers may learn something about their own expectations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses two cases in the history of art: faked Vermeer paintings and a test Heinz von Foerster did in the art department at the University of Illinois.

Findings

McLuhan's notion “collide‐oscope” is applied to the way Heinz von Foerster (ab)uses images in his own texts; furthermore it is applied to the way the Biological Computer Laboratory (BCL) was organized. The formal structure of the “collide‐oscope” offers a model of perception.

Originality/value

Provides a discussion of a fundamental message of cybernetics – that we cannot escape collisions and disturbances. They are its essence.

Citation

Bexte, P. (2005), "Heinz von Foerster in the art department. A collide‐oscope in four parts", Kybernetes, Vol. 34 No. 3/4, pp. 485-489. https://doi.org/10.1108/03684920510581666