The point cloud aesthetic: Defining a new visual language in media art.

This article examines the emergence of point clouds—3D datasets generated by remote sensing technologies such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and photogrammetry—as a new digital art medium with a distinctive visual language. It identifies four key aesthetic elements of point cloud artworks: subject matter derived from scanned real-world objects or environments, transparency reflecting the dissolution of forms into data points, ambiguity arising from technical artefacts or scanning 'glitches,' and algorithmic shaping through digital manipulation and immersive technologies like virtual reality. Through analysis of selected works by artists Stefano Caimi, Quayola, and Dan Holdsworth, the article traces the medium's progression from precise scientific representation toward expressive, posthuman perspectives that foreground the machine's 'eye' view. It concludes that point clouds have evolved into a multifaceted artistic medium that challenges traditional notions of representation and offers new creative possibilities within digital art.