Peter Weibel

Gamma und Amplitude (Gamma and Amplitude)
Medien- und kunsttheoretische Schriften (Media and Art Theoretical Writings)
VOLUME 161

Writings by a Central Figure of European Media Art

The angle of inclination (gamma) and maximum height (amplitude) describe every sinus curve used to represent high-energy radiation. This isn’t just a metaphor for Peter Weibel’s tireless and boundless work, but also a direct reference to his thinking. For him, the discussion of science, technology, and art, regardless of genre of medium, was unthinkable without addressing the observer’s point of view. The book brings together writings from three decades, most of which were published in magazines, exhibition catalogs, and anthologies, and have thus long been out of circulation. Organized by topic, they represent a third corpus within Peter Weibel’s work, alongside his poetry and the documentation of his art. These texts reveal him to be a committed contemporary, always at the cutting edge of discourse, but with a cautious detachment that made his own point of view clear. This book is the first independent collection of Peter Weibel’s writings.

Peter Weibel (b. 1944 in Odessa; d. 2023 in Karlsruhe) was the director of the ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe. His diverse activities as an artist, curator, and theorist, as well as a nomad between art and academia, made him a central figure in European media art.

Edited, with a preface and commentaries by Rolf Sachsse (b. 1949 in Bonn). Until 2017, he was Professor of Design History and Theory at the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar in Saarbrücken and has published widely on architecture, design, photography, and sound art.