Abstract
This paper introduces operative creativity as a conceptual lens and artistic practice that addresses the evolving role of images in an era of algorithmic perception. Building on Harun Farocki’s Eye/Machine—which first articulated the operative image as one that functions within machinic processes rather than representing reality—it traces the shift of images from representational devices to active agents embedded in systems of simulation and realization. While originally designed for technical operations, operative images have always been susceptible to reappropriation for human interpretation and critique. Engaging theoretical accounts from military, computational, and epistemic domains, the paper expands the framework to highlight the redeployment of operative images in contemporary visual culture. It concludes with an analysis of Terms and Conditions (Ruti Sela and Maayan Amir), demonstrating how artistic strategies can interrupt weaponized vision and propose a mode of operative creativity that asserts opacity against machinic transparency.
Presenters
Maayan AmirAssociate Professor, Department of the Arts, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
New Media, Technology and the Arts
KEYWORDS
Operative Images, Creativity, Machine Vision, Contemporary Art
