Critical Multimedia

In this article, I explore the concept of criticality as applied and practiced within art and design, with a view to the potential of this approach within engineering and computer science. A critical viewpoint here entails deeply reflecting on and examining the norms, values, and structures of all or some subsection of society with a view to affecting change. While critical theory has typically been the purview of philosophers, literary theorists, and sociologists, the act of criticality itself has very much been a part of artistic practice from Jonathan Swift to Shakespeare, Jenny Holzer to The Guerilla Girls. Within a contemporary context, the vitality of critical approaches across sociotechnical domains points to the value of this reflexive process in provoking necessary discussion and exchange.