Throughout her career, Birnbaum has dissected the process of “watching” and queried—sometimes in strident terms—the passive absorption of mass media, information, and ideology. As media evolved over the years—from the monolithic nature of television broadcast networks to the Internet’s present decentralization of information—Birnbaum’s work has remained consistently prescient and vital, incorporating new technologies and providing a touchstone for generations of younger artists. This book will examine key works to explore how they have illuminated media and culture at their moment of making and how they continue to inform present critical thinking around “watching” technology, culture, and the dynamics of popular culture.
