The technological disruption of creativity and artmaking is a phenomenon that has been ongoing for centuries. Technology has always been behind the artmaking process, playing an integral role in shaping how art gets made and what its purpose is. Pigments were a technology when they were discovered tens of thousands of years ago. So were brushes, carving tools, chisels, looms, and varnish, just to name a few. Each had a profound impact on how artists approached their craft, how they thought about its purpose, and what potential they saw in the overall process. Later, photography came into being and changed the artistic landscape. More recently, computers did the same. Art has always been in a state of continual development and evolution. It has never been a static thing, it’s always been on the cutting-edge, the forefront of human progress. Indeed, that is what the creative act necessitates.
Today, when we observe the fruits of technology and creativity in the world of fine art, we glimpse the profound impact of this intersection. There has been a shift in how creators think about their craft, and this shift has produced some amazing and impactful results. For example, some painters, like Tyler Hobbs, no longer see themselves as purely visual artists but also computational ones, working with code to create iterative work that changes over time and without direction from the original artist. In this way, the resulting art is a cultural artifact in the truest sense, having taken input from numerous individuals rather than simply relying on the perspective of a single biased creator.
Many artists are also embracing the use of new technologies in their work, using tools like virtual reality and augmented reality to create immersive experiences that allow viewers to explore art in ways never before possible. These works are pushing the boundaries of technology, expanding human potential, and opening avenues towards increased connectedness the world over.
Perhaps the most exciting thing about these new and evolving technologies is that they are not limited to fine art. They can be adapted for use in all forms of creative expression, from writing and music to design and dance. As we see more people embrace technology as a tool, we will witness an acceleration in human progress unlike anything we have ever seen before. The future is bright, and the possibilities are endless.
Skeptics will question whether these new technological processes produce anything of value or—in snooty vernacular—whether they produce “real” art. I’d remind them our ancestors used the cutting-edge technology of their day to produce an impression of their experience in the form of cave paintings, carved antlers, and primitive flutes. Today we do exactly the same thing with the technology we have available to us. So what, then, is the difference?
Nothing at all. Art is art.
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Nick Thornburg is a multidisciplinary artist and writer. Subscribe to his mailing list to keep up-to-date with upcoming features and other news.
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