Editorial

Editorial Severaleditorials have been published in recent issues of Leonardo to acquaint readers with the editorial direction and operating conditions of theJournal. Thisbasicinformation having been presented, the editorials will now serve.in part as an Editor’s preface to each issue. Highlights of the issue will be noted and timely matters pertinent to the Journal’s scopeand activitiesdiscussed.Thiscommentary shouldgivethe reader an overviewof the issueand ongoing insight into the Journal’s workings. COMMENTARY ON ISSUE 18-2 Artists’ Articles This issue of Leonardo features three exceptionalArtists’ Articles. The article by Beauvais Lyons describes the artist’s elaborate exhibition of artifacts from a fabricated past. Lyons proposes that artwork in this genre of ‘archaeological fiction’ is simply another form of science fiction. Steve Poleskie’s essay on art and flight surveys the history of artists’ fascination with flying, from constructing flying machines, to pictorially adorning these devices, to actual flight. He also discusseshisnerial Theater, in which he pilots his own artobject biplane to articulate space. The article by cybernetic-art pioneer Nicholas Schoffer outlines his extensive visual and sonic experiments at the boundaries of traditional art. Revealing the depth and continuity of Schoffer’sart-making, hiswritingdescribesthe strong social concerns evidenced in his ‘collectivechoreography’ and his insistence on connecting with the scientific and technological tenor of our era. All three articles affirm the Journal’s conviction that artists can write effectively about their work as well as its context. Lyons, Poleskie and Schofferare at different stagesin their careers and have different storiesto relate. No one else can tell thesestorieswith the creator’s credibility.I commend the artists for their specialeffortsin developingthese articleswhich,I trust, will inspire other artists to write. Most public communication channels about art are handmaidens to the marketplace and its advocates and apologists. Within these channels artists generallyrelinquish writingabout their work to othersnot sointimatelyinvolvedwith art-making. If artists, like scientists, are to develop effective networks to support their activities, they must take an active role in the public discussion of their work. Theoretical Perspectives Section This issue contains the second installment of a regular section by philosopher David Carrier entitled “Theoretical Perspectives on the Arts, Sciences and Technology”. The purpose of the section is to explore and develop a variety of theoretical issues related to the arts, particularly as they connect to science and technology. Since coherent theoretical approaches to contemporary art are notoriously lacking today, especially outside the traditions of painting, the mission of this section is extremely broad and challenging. Carrier’s first section (Leonardo 17-4) dealt with the semiotic theories of Norman Bryson, particularly as they contrast with the work of E.H. Gombnch, one of the Journal’s Honorary Editors. The present sectionconsidersavariety of literary approaches that may be invoked in theoretical writings about contemporary art. The editors welcome David Carrier’s contributions to the Journal and invite readers’ input to ensure this section becomes a lively forum. Book Reviews Following publication of this issue’s Book Reviews section, the Journal is suspendingits practice of publishing large numbers of short book reviews. Instead we will publish longer essays treating all types of exceptional, current publications. For example,such essays may discuss individual books or groups of books, or even report on material ‘published‘in the form of non-print media including film and electronic media. Reports on the activitiesof outstanding publishers and presses are also encouraged. Contributors are invitedto submit manuscripts according to the Journal’s guidelines for General Notes and Articles. Letters The Letters section in this issue reflects some controversy stirred by recent articles. The remarks in this section by Co-Editor Rudolf Arnheim with regard to the value of particular theoretical approaches to art are especially poignant. He questions the relevance of theory related to the use of geometrical projections in constructing two-dimensional images. Pergemon Press Ltd. Printed in Great Britain. W24-084X/85 83.W+O.W LEONARDO, Vol. 18, NO. 2, pp. 57-58,1985 57 Readers, especially artists, are invited to contribute Letters on matters connecting to the aims and scope of Leonardo. Comments on material published in the Journal are especially encouraged. The editors wish to encourage an on-going conversation in the Journal-Associate Editor...