IC’91 “The Museum Inside The Telephone Network” was an event that expanded the museum’s function as “information space” by enabling exchanges between different cultures through the use of phone lines. “on the Web” constituted multiple events including the construction of a “visible museum” on the rapidly growing Internet, and the presentation of performances and installations over ISDN. In the “Net Gallery” the viewer enjoyed real-time interaction with artworks by using the latest browser software, such as Netscape Navigator, HotJava, and the VRML Viewer.
To hold an exhibit on the network does not mean merely transferring the works and activities of artists who use currently existing media onto the Net. Furthermore, it is still unclear whether such works can be included in the pre-existing framework of what has come to be defined as “Art.” It is all about process, and we have only just begun. Because Euclidean time and space do not apply to the Net, in order to understand the works and activities of artists on the Net we need to formulate a completely new form of “recognition.” “on the Web” forced the viewers to question their own “comprehension of the network.”