Cybernetic Serendipity - Sept 1968 Contemporary Arts Magazine No 6

In 1968, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London published The Magazine of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, No. 6 to accompany “Cybernetic Serendipity,” the first major exhibition to explore the intersection of art, science, and technology. Designed by Norman Toynton under the direction of curator Jasia Reichardt, the magazine captured the spirit of the exhibition through experimental design and critical writing.

The magazine situates art within the expanding world of technology, revealing how computers were beginning to shape artistic thought and practice. Through essays, visuals, and commentary, it introduces readers to the emerging field of computer art and the ideas behind it. The opening text, “Man–Machine Symbiosis,” establishes the philosophical core of the exhibit, imagining a future in which humans and computers work together to expand the limits of thought and perception. It argues that technology could participate in creativity itself, not only as a tool but as an active partner in the generation of ideas. It presents technology as an extension of human intelligence. Texts by Max Bense, Daphne Oram, Petar Milojević, and Nam June Paik build on this idea, exploring algorithms, sound, and information as materials for creative expression. Together they suggest that art was shifting from object to process, and that code and systems could convey meaning as fully as images. Illustrated with charts, notations, and examples of computer-generated work, the magazine introduced a wide audience to the possibilities of digital creation and helped position the computer as a tool for artistic thought.

The cover defies a traditional magazine format, serving as an extension of what the exhibition stood for—a visual statement of change and disruption. Reviews and headlines from the British press are arranged around the title “Cybernetic Serendipity,” replacing images with language and turning public opinion into part of the design. Their mix of curiosity and skepticism mirrors the cultural tension around the computer’s arrival in art. Inside, the layout follows the same spirit of experimentation, combining essays, program notes, and reproductions in a structure that feels both ordered and unpredictable. The final page arranges artists, institutions, and machines in the same space, mirroring the exhibition’s structure and its spirit of exchange.