Introduction - The Arts of the Grid: Interdisciplinary Insights on Gridded Modalities in Conversation with the Arts

This introductory chapter explains the aims, purpose and guiding rationale behind this collective effort. It meets the considerable challenge of spanning the rich variety of research topics, methodologies, disciplines and fields as represented in this volume; and expands about the central role of the arts in its conceptualization and theorization. Our inclusionary and multifaceted interpretation of the “grid” has been also explained, enriched with cross-disciplinary references to relevant scholarly work about gridded imaginaries. The chapter includes several inspiring artwork images borrowed from a specialized exhibition entitled “Gridded Fabric(-ations)", presented in the HIT interdisciplinary gallery in winter 2020. This chapter concludes by outlining the structure, content and organization of this volume.