Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
as well as of process, behaviour and system.
21
As important as
Ascott's own work was his role as head of Foundation at Ealing
College of Art in London, a post for which he was recommended by
his mentor, the abstract artist Victor Pasmore, and where he worked
alongside artists such as Ron Kitaj and Bernard Cohen. There he
was able to put many of his cybernetic ideas into practice in a
pedagogical context. These included games in which students were
encouraged to think about and to examine the processes governing
their relationships with others and with their own preconceptions
about themselves. Among those who came into contact with Ascott's
teaching were the artist Steven Willats, who continues to this day
to pursue the application of systems and Cybernetics to art in his
own work. Also at Ealing Ascott taught the rock musician Pete
Townshend, who was inspired by his contact with the artist and
