Many individuals, both academics and practitioners have contributed their wisdom and experience to the project of this volume. I am particularly indebted to Colin Perry who edited the first draft, challenging my more outlandish assertions and nuancing my arguments. A key conversation with David Dibosa helped to formulate a plan at an early stage and Murray Smith, John Tchalenko and Tim Smith generously provided expertise in the field of cognitive science over an extended period, while Chris Wright clarified key points relating to anthropology. To fill gaps in my knowledge, I have often appealed to film and video historians and these include the late A.L. Rees, Sean Cubitt, Ian Christie, Pryle Behrman, David Curtis, Lucy Reynolds, and Eu Jin Chua whose definition of ontology is permanently pasted to my wall. Duncan White generously gave me access to unpublished research, as did William Raban and Mario Slugan, while David Hendy provided me with recordings of his BBC broadcasts. Many exchanges with artists have clarified issues of practice. In this respect, I am particularly grateful to the late David Hall, Chris Meigh-Andrews, Steven Ball, Chris Welsby, Annabel Nicolson, Laura Mulvey, William Raban, Simon Payne, Nicky Hamlyn, Tom Sherman, Susan Collins, Ken Wilder and Tim Head. I learned a great deal from the participants of the AHRC Artists’ Moving Image Research Network events at the University of the Arts London (UAL), as well as the contributing authors and editors of the Moving Image Review & Art Journal (MIRAJ). My warmest thanks are due to Erika Balsom who took over the editorship of the journal while I wrote up the final draft of the book. I have enjoyed the support of the research team at the CCW Graduate School, UAL including Oriana Baddeley, Malcolm Quinn, Matthew Whyte, Sarah Kate Wilson, Laura Lanceley, Claire Mokrauer-Madden and Wendy Short. My research students, Kate Pelling, Catherine Long, Genevieve McGill, Fay Hoolahan and Jeff Langille have led me to new areas of scholarship. Yoram Allon and his team at Wallflower Press have been consistently encouraging, helpful and patient.
Friends including Nina Danino, Amikam Toren, Judith Rugg, Joanna Gilmour, Pat Matheson, Katharine Meynell and the late Anna Morpurgo-Davies provided enlightened conversation; Elsa Christie walked and talked; the Yarnells Hill book club gave me permission to read fiction, while Willow and Matthew Egling periodically allowed their over-wound granny to join in their games. My heartfelt thanks go to Uwe Ackermann who has provided technical, moral and emotional support throughout. My final thanks go to all the artists, galleries and individuals who generously gave permission for their images to be reproduced in this book.