Unit Objectives:

  • Examine the role of technology as force for cultural maintenance and change
  • Discuss the validity of art created with the aid of machines

 

The original blog post can be viewed here.

Unit 08 – Art, Games, and Technology Research

The primary thesis of “Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins” by Beverly Jones is simply stated as, “old cultural patterns do not die. They may fade or become more evident; that is, they may be deemphasized or emphasized” (Jones, 21). It is restated again on the first page of the article with a little more detail that, “New users bring additional assumptions and considerations of form, content, material, technique, meaning and purpose. However, some traces of the origins and practices remain in these forms, which consequently contribute to both cultural maintenance and change” (Jones, 21). She makes a really good point because everything we know in today’s world has ideas rooted in history. The food we eat now were most likely based on ideas from a blend of many different cultures food and fusions of these kinds of food were created making a kind of new food culture. There are examples like this everywhere you turn. Jones gives a few historical examples illustrating her thesis. The historical example that Jones uses are, “Graphics done by computer scientists, engineers, and technicians…In this, they entered the realm of visually simulating three-dimensional reality on a two-dimensional surface, the same problem that had occupied Roman artists practicing illusionism and Renaissance artists who revived visual perceptive” (Jones, 24). This illustrates the fact that “old patterns do not die” because computer scientists are using the same theories of plotting three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface as the Romans and Renaissance artists did many years ago. It’s the same thing, but instead of being on paper or stone, it is on computer graphics.

Another illustration of Jones’s thesis is modern day movies. These can be compared to the very first plays performed by the Greeks. Instead of acting on stage, this same idea was transformed by using technology to acting on a set and filmed for people to view later. A PBS article states that, “According to tradition, in 534 or 535 BC, Thespis astounded audiences by leaping on to the back of a wooden cart and reciting poetry as if he was the characters whose lines he was reading. In doing so he became the world’s first actor” (The Origins of Theatre).

Alternate Source:

The Origins of Theatre – The First Actor. (n.d.). PBS. Retrieved August 10, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/bac

 

Reflection:

This artifact I feel demonstrates two of the learning objectives of Unit 8. First, it helped me demonstrate how technology causes cultural change. I feel it does cause some cultural change, but really the old ideas are still there, they are just masked by new technology. Jones’ article illustrates the fact that “old cultural patterns do not die” (Jones, 21). Art using technology is just a new and different way of creating art whether it be an array of beautiful colors on a canvas or reflecting on air particles in a light show (as seen in above picture). I do think though that technology may have lowered creativity levels in children and young adults. In this new culture of technology, we have other people who are creative for us, for example in video games, artificial worlds and story plots are created for us, so we don’t have to be creative or use our own imaginations.

Before this unit, I thought that art using technology was a whole different category or genre of art and that they were very different things. Now, I realize they aren’t very different at all. Artists would draw a landscape (like the image below) by taking the note of shadows and lighting and colors that they see and creating a painting. Computer graphics can now do the same thing. The image below is actually a computer generated piece even though it almost looks like a painting or a photograph.

Future Intentions:

Because I like science, I think it would be interesting in the future to explore how art, technology, and science are used together. People are starting to realize how blending different areas of study can work together to create much greater advancements than one discipline alone (Jones, 22), so I will watch out for new things to come.

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