Intellectual Property: A Chronological Compendium of Intersections between Contemporary Art and Utility Patents

The author presents a group of projects in which the roles of inventor, artist, amateur and institution variously overlap, merge and blur, offering new perspectives on the relationship between contemporary art and utility patents. Addressing issues of originality, aesthetics, labor, ownership and value, these projects demonstrate a continuous link between art and patents and encourage thoughtful speculation about shared concerns, guiding ideologies and forms.