[with a z] ...

the technology of art… or is it the art of technology?

self-portrait with monkeys, freida kahlo, 1942

i love art. i love technology. i have always been described as a rather creative and artistic person. my technology skills are not bad but are limited to use without  theory. until a few months ago, i viewed art, and all the disciplines and practices that it encompasses, as a work of pure talent and skill born of creative genius [or accident], but nonetheless, birthed, so to speak, by the unique qualities and attributes of the artist themselves. but then i began to think … and this is what always gets me in trouble … well not in trouble, but shall we say preoccupied with an idea that floats and contorts within my brain until some logical sense of it can be formed? i started thinking about something i love to do. photography. most would call photography an art form. there are art museums dedicated to photography. amsel adams = art. but lately, photography seems to be more about technology than the creative eye. i mean, with the right camera and the right software, anyone can take a damn good picture.  what does this mean? should we reclassify photography as a technological process [or even art-form if you want to be specific and buy the meshing concept] … or should we rename what this new photography is and limit the true art of photography to that which is limited in and of itself by human ability and innate talent? personally, i do not know. but, i do know that a lot of previously “special” things are being made ordinary through the addition and/or substitution of technology in art. trust me, i am not one of those anti-technology persons. in fact, i love technology. i love gadgets. i love efficiency. but, don’t we need to leave some room somewhere for something to shine forth in it’s pure, raw form so that we can enjoy those special things again? photography is just one example.  need others? how about home decor? ten years ago about 1 in every 25 houses could be said to be “tastefully and artfully” decorated; but now, thanks to whole networks, reality shows, and suburban stores dedicated to teaching the easy art of 1.2.3. “have an amazing house”, it seems that one almost expects a home to be en some kind of vogue if not a carbon copy of the latest edition of architectural digest. in fact, i would gander to say that if most of us walked into a undecorated, simply lived-in, as-is, uncoordinated, un-themed, untidy house, that we would notice it much more than if we walked into the smith home from trading spaces episode 192. it’s actually sort of strange. the un-artsy things are becoming more special than the artsy things simply because they are occurring less and less. this all makes me go hmmmmm. so many examples… music that is not music. not that it is bad, just that it’s origins are not what has been historically considered art. what else? you tell me. i can think of a million things. well, maybe not a million but a lot. fashion. cooking. our bodies. how about our bodies? it seems to me we have become a nation [if not a world] obsessed with learning everything we can externally about everything we have in the past, loved and appreciated because of their internal origins. once again, don’t get me wrong. i love art. i love technology. yes, i do think that there is a place to the two to meet, enhance, and even marry each other… but….. i do wonder what will be left to emerge simply out of human creativity. and yes, to chase that rabbit, i do view the advances made in technology as an art in and of itself. what i am speaking of i guess… are those things that are special just because they are rare and provide us with, from time to time, a different view of the world.

for me, i ‘m thinking of investing in an old school 35mm camera just to see what turns out in my darkroom these days. of course, i’ll still drool over the latest digital slr with the latest advances in technology as well. but, i think i’ll feel better knowing that just maybe, perhaps, there are some things i can create that are, well… just doable by me.  if not photography, then i’ll find my art, but this whole idea thing has inspired me once again, to remember to keep a balance and in a world of stepford wife beauty, not be ashamed to be an ugly betty if that’s what makes me unique and human. i guess i kind of miss the unibrow and the monkeys.