Technology as a Medium

Over the past twenty years, technology has indeed made a significant impact on our lives. We can now talk to friends across country in “real time” without racking up expensive phone bills. We can write checks and pay our taxes without ever having to use an envelope or pick up a pen. And when you think about it, it’s truly amazing. However, it is important to realize that technology not only impacts our daily lives; it also has an effect on various aspects of society—on everything from education to art.

A new form of artistic expression has undeniably been created since the dawning of the technological revolution. Multimedia work and digital art constitute changes in the definition of art itself. By using technological tools, artists are now able to directly involve the audience in the artwork, as seen in Christa Sommerer and Laurent Mignonneau’s A-Volve. As Roy Ascott said, “…telematic art encourages the artist to assume the role of facilitator.” In A-Volve, the viewer is directly involved in the art piece by drawing a living organism which is then projected within the artwork and appears to be alive, following the rules of evolution.

Not only has technology shaped the function of the viewer, but it has also shaped the process of the creation of art. New techniques, terms, and methods exist because of the role technology now plays in art. Indeed, when I was creating my blog, my canvas was the webpage and my “paint and brush” were my digital images and my camera. This was the first time I worked with these materials to create a piece of digital art, and at first I was a little hesitant about this nontraditional project. Overtime, however, I saw that by using technology I was able to make my art piece not only more interactive but more effective. For example, I was able to play with font sizes, styles, and colors which helped me more successfully communicate my message and engage the viewer at the same time. I was also able to use cropping techniques, color contrast, and zoom features to create clearer, more valuable pictures. The use of technology made my art piece better and more dynamic.

However, as we discussed in class, there are dangers to an increased presence of technology in our lives. If we let technology invade our society to the point where we no longer have control over our own lives, we could face a loss of identity, repression, and destruction of our human relationships and emotions. The fear that this nightmare could soon become a reality was illustrated numerous times in movies like THX 1138 and Blade Runner. While it is obvious that these movies are taken to the extreme, they do raise numerous questions about the necessity of research and innovation and the ethics of technology. In this new era, it’s important to realize the effect technology truly has on society, and if its increased presence is necessary and beneficial not only to art, but rather to all aspects of culture and daily life.

Utopia

we spend all of our time cooped up in shiny, glass-and-metal boxes. we compute numbers, analyze figures, and critique reports.

we put on our suits, our high heels, our ties, and our gold plated watches and try to convince ourselves that what we're about to do actually matters.

and despite our aversion to them, we build more cages just in case we run out.

then when the day is over, we drive back to our overpriced homes in our brand new cars.

and on the weekends, we pretend. we pretend that utopias exist. that there are places so safe and so perfect that nothing bad can happen to us. where everything belongs. where the blue sky is clear and the weather is w a r m.

because this is the place to be.

we walk around in our ralph lauren polos with our leather computer bags. we take our kids out to play in the park...

...and fill our strollers with $hopping bag$ along the way.

jazz music plays from day spas while men check themselves out in the reflections of parked cars as they w a l k by.

and just across the street from our gleaming prisons are stores with tucked-away doors promising us a taste of the exotic...

...and the finest fabrics to remind us of far-away places.

but what about him? does he matter? does he even exist?

is the garden we're planting right next to him more important than he is? because that's all that anyone seems to notice. or are we choosing to ignore him because our recognition of his existence would ruin our vision of the utopia that we are so close to having?

where our alleys are cleaner than most other places' streets...

....and we lose ourselves in a lover's dreamworld...

....or in a game with friends.

where tables with sterling silver utensils and starched napkins are patiently awaiting our arrival...

....as long as we promise to look nice, of course...

...because, after all, this is the place to be.

and so it begins...

So I'm new at this whole blogging thing. I've never had one and I've never really read them. It should be interesting....

I'll be doing my situational tour this weekend. I'm going to the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District in DC. It's the "triangle" (clever, right?) formed by Connecticut Ave, Pennsylvania Ave, and New Hamphshire Ave. I'm planning on getting off at the Dupont Circle metro stop and walking down Connecticut until I reach Farragut Park, then turning right onto K Street, and finally taking another right onto 20th and walking back to the metro. I'd like to go this afternoon while the workweek is still "in session," for lack of a better phrase, but it will all depend on the weather--as everything else so often seems to do. I'd like to go when it's sunny, or at least not raining, and that may mean waiting until Monday.

I chose to create a situational tour of the Golden Triangle because I think it ties in well with our four keywords of ritual, authority, security, and ideology. Everyday, people follow the same schedule and go to work in their black suits with their Starbucks coffees in one hand and their briefcases in another. The Golden Triangle is also called the Business Improvement District, so it is home to numerous corporations and firms--symbols of capitalistic authority. Also, the BID is a very financially stable and secure area of the city. Finally, I believe the people who live and work in the Golden Triangle follow a very "yuppie" ideology, which is evident not only in their dress but also in their behavior.

According to its website, the Golden Triangle is "the place to be in Washington, DC." I don't know if I would've thought of a Business Improvement District as the hot-spot of DC life. I probably would have chosen a place like Georgetown or Adams Morgan, but maybe that's just me. Although I now have very high expectations of the Golden Triangle...

I'm a little nervous about doing this tour because I don't really have a concrete plan, but I guess that can be a good thing. I don't know what the people are going to be like or what the atmosphere is going to be (although on the website, everyone does seem very happy). I guess it will be an experience...