'Art and Fear' and 'Art as Far as the Eye Can See'

Paul Virilio is one of contemporary continental thought's most original and provocative critical voices. His vision of the impact of modern technology on the contemporary global condition is powerful and disturbing, ranging over art, architecture, science, politics, visual culture and warfare.

In Art and Fear, Virilio traces the twin development of art and science over the 20th century. In his provocative vision, art and science vie with each other for the destruction of the human form as we know it. This is a radical take on the state of art for a post-human and post-historical world. In Art as Far as the Eye Can See Virilio considers the effects that the technological advances of the 20th century have had on art, aesthetics and politics and looks at the way in which these technologies alienate us from our physical environment.

“Virilio is an impressive commentator on the conditioning power of the mass media...He flits from image to image like a poet and usually builds to a profound climax.” —The Guardian

“If Walter Benjamin had one true intellectual descendant who extended his inquiries into the second half of the twentieth century, this must be Paul Virilio.” —Lev Manovich, Professor of Computer Science, CUNY Graduate Center, USA

“Virilio's lonely voice [is] more disturbing and timely than ever.” —New Statesman