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| Author: Senecal |
Date Posted: 07/23/03 |
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Regarding the incorporation of emerging technology in art-making...
This essay addresses issues of emerging technology in art-making and is based upon the following idea: Humans are better suited to being human and machines are better suited to being machines. To illustrate this idea I offer the following, A human attempting to emulate a machine by working toward the completion of a task for which a machine was designed (by a human) seems counterproductive. When a machine accurately emulates a human activity this is the achievement of the ideal result of it's inventor's intent to assist in increasing the amount of time humans have to pursue other activities.
There are people who enjoy playing chess against computers. Sometimes the humans win and sometimes the humans lose. It depends on the human and upon the situation. The game does not change because of the players. There are humans who have raced horses against gasoline powered vehicles. Occasionally, those who employ strict traditional methods do triumph in head to head competitions.
Does this mean advances in technology are inherently flawed and are not worth pursuing?
No. In a manner seemingly oblivious to any win or loss, the incorporation of emerging technology marches on. It is the employment of this emerging technology that has been, and still is an essential component of humanity.
Does this mean those who adhere to traditional methods that have worked in the past are archaic and need to alter their routine to incorporate the use of emerging technology? No. The tried and true methods are discounted and abandoned at the peril of all those who would progress. The future stands upon the shoulders of the past. A lasting schism between methods, (if even possible) is certainly a dead end.
Is one method of art-making better than another?
Not necessarily. Ultimately the aim of the artist must determine which method is best. The intent of this essay is to illustrate the idea that just as there are traditional methods which have been employed for years to accomplish art-making tasks there are also non-traditional methods which may at times be better for the accomplishment of certain art-making tasks. An additional aim of this essay is to help alleviate the reservations associated with the use of emerging technology in art-making.
There is much emphasis placed upon the necessity for artists to develop drawing skills. This is good advice which I do not contest. Hundreds if not thousands of instructional books written about drawing encourage students to "re-learn" ways of seeing. They are taught not to rely upon the human mind's conception of a subject, in other words how you think an object appears, but are instead taught to look at specific elements of the scene that in day to day life are disregarded in the process of sensory filtering. Drawing is an important part of art making and I believe when it comes to "drawing" in the traditional academic sense, in this current time period, importance for the development of the craft of realistic representation in drawing can be placed upon the depiction of imagery that is drawn more directly from the imagination more so, than from imagery that is readily available (physical reality) for documentation by mechanical methods*.
In other words, pictures from one's mind are not readily available for capture by cameras. The images "seen" in the imagination of the artist await a process of development much like a latent image on film which is revealed through chemical processing. Since the imagery of the imagination is technically more elusive and precarious in a sense, it is in greater peril of suffering a diminishment of fidelity depending upon the artist's ability to convey those ideas in a manner which can be interpreted by the viewer as realistic representation. The degree to which this realistic representation is rendered is, as in all artistic processes, determined by the artist.
Selectivity and artistic processes will always be in effect when the captures are made but the incorporation of emerging technology allows the artist to obtain more information initially rather than having to work for years to discipline the senses in the attempt of "becoming the camera". Should the goal of the artist lie in the successful rendering of imagery from the imagination in a manner that approaches photographic realism, the artist will need to strive more toward "becoming the camera" which will capture the pictures in his or her mind.
A similarity to traditional academic drawing can be noted thusly; an artist selectively decides what elements to include and exclude but rather than relying solely upon the human senses which are by nature selective, the artist is encouraged to use an image capture device. Such devices capture without the bias of the "real-time editing" of the subject matter (this occurs in the natural process of filtering scenes directly through humans senses). This allows the artist to work in a subtractive manner (similar to some sculptural methods), starting with more data than will be required for the final output. This method requires the artist to use his or her discretion and artistic license to decide how much of the raw data that is captured by mechanical devices to include or exclude in the final artwork. The process differs from traditional art making in that traditional art-making methods are additive where the artist starts with less data and builds up through successive iterations, the final work.
In the case of depicting actual physical reality, I would argue that the artist should be encouraged almost to the point of priority, to use existing technology to capture with the highest possible transfer rate, imagery which is readily available for capture. Of course, the use of new technology in art-making is not a new idea and one can find examples of this very thing occurring through the ages.
David Senecal
April 28 2003
Columbus, OH
*In this essay I use the term "mechanical" to mean a machine or means that is not directly human.
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