'Being digital: Survival manual for converts to electronic culture'

José Ramón Alcalá, director of the International Museum of Electrography of Cuenca and Professor of New Media Art at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, exposes in this interesting and solvent essay, full of subtle nuances and richness, his observations regarding artistic practices that move from the traditional analogue to the current digital.

The Department of Visual Arts of the University of Chile makes this work written by Professor José Ramón Alcalá available free of charge to anyone interested in the new socio-electronic environment in which we live.

The experience as a pioneering artist in the use of new image technologies since the beginning of the 80s of the last century, his management at the head of the International Museum of Electrography of Cuenca, since its creation in 1989, and his pedagogically innovative work as Professor of New Media Art at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, allow its author to develop with precision and acuity a solvent essay, full of subtle nuances and rich observations regarding artistic practices that move from the traditional analog to the current digital.

One day, in addition to making the productions typical of every artist, the author of this publication began to worry about writing down his observations, experiences, desires and anxieties, all of them referring to a life in transition from analog to digital. As he was always a pioneer and in his daily environment he was considered advanced, he naively thought that he was installed on that new planet that we call the future.

Pronto se dio cuenta de que esa impresión era falsa. Ese futuro pertenecía de forma natural a la generaciones nacidas con él, obviamente mucho más jóvenes que nuestro autor. Así que sólo le quedaba el consuelo de ser aceptado por éstos como un invitado de excepción. Este fue el marco general sobre el que girarían desde entonces todas sus reflexiones teóricas. Esas que iban a quedar grabadas en sus cuadernos y en los discos duros de sus ordenadores.

La presente publicación supone la selección de dichas notas, reflexiones y ensayos en torno a estas poderosas ideas que, agrupadas, constituyen el diario de abordo de un nativo analógico que trata desesperadamente por convertirse en un ser digital, habitando sus entornos, tratando con sus habitantes, trabajando y desarrollando proyectos en torno a sus temas y tópicos naturales. Pero también es al mismo tiempo la crónica de una frustración no anunciada. Y, por tanto, un aviso para navegantes distraídos, quienes, como el autor, fueron pillados desprevenidos creyéndose miembros de pleno derecho de una sociedad digital que, sin embargo, vivía , pensaba y creaba de manera digitalmente natural, sintiendo a éstos como extraños y, por tanto, inmigrantes aceptados o rechazados, según los casos.

In this book the reader will also find useful indications, warnings, advice and reflections to survive in today's society if they are not a digital native. If so, this publication will act as a detailed manual that explains the transition between the two current cultures, still in transition today. Many readers will discover with surprise to the rhythm of their lines that they are not, as they believed, full members of the digital society in which they live and operate daily, but in reality they are only cordially invited.

Access free of charge to this work (digital-virtual version in ODF format).