A Dialogue with the Demons of the Tools: Steina and Woody Vašulka

Lenka Dolanová

The new English edition of Lenka Dolanová's book about Steina and Woody Vašulka, A Dialogue with the Demons of the Tools: Steina and Woody Vašulka, is published ten years after the original Czech version (Prague: NAMU and JSAF / International Documentary Film Festival, 2011). It is a revised version of the publication, with graphic design by Martin Odehnal, which was published by the Vasulka Kitchen Brno in order to introduce the Vasulka's work to a wider international audience. The publication Dialogue with the Demons of Instruments - Steina and Woody Vasulka is the only monographic publication to date that evaluates the work of these two artists, who significantly influenced the beginnings of video art and the development of electronic art.

Despite the undeniable contribution of Steina and Woody Vasulka to the art of electronic media, their work has not yet been sufficiently appreciated in a global context. The English translation of a revised and expanded version of the book by Lenka Dolanová, who dedicated her doctoral thesis at FAMU to their work, will introduce their art and life to an international audience for the first time in a comprehensive way. The book has been expanded with a new introduction by Tomáš Ruller, and the text has been revised and expanded to include additional chapters dealing with the duo's work over the last ten years and their work with the Vasulka archives and the restoration of Woody Vasulka's installations. The publication is supplemented by a complete inventory of the Vasulka's works and a list of exhibitions, and also includes a selection of Woody Vasulka's poetry. The book has a rich photographic appendix.