MASS MOCA
Our two “lenses” for this course
Throughout this Mod, we will explore the intersection and the impact of Technology and the Arts. This class is about reflection, consideration, and the relationship between these two facets of human life. This class is not about being “right” – it’s about considering how technology and art affect us, impact us, move us and motivate us. The hope is that over the course of the next 8 weeks, your perspective broadens, and shifts, helping you to appreciate things from a different perspective. With that being said, there are two main “lenses” through which we will explore the intersection of Technology and the Arts in this course:
Lens #1: Technology can empower and enable artists to express themselves in new and unique ways. The advent of digital art created by computers is a great example. Before digital art was developed, artists were unable to use this as a tool to create art (they had to choose other mediums). This first lens looks at art as being progressive, driven by advancements in tools, techniques and software that empowers artists to do things in a way that wasn’t before possible.
Lens #2: As part of their act of creative expression, artists will frequently create art that symbolically represents the impact of technology on our lives. In this way, their art expresses the feelings of living in a digital society and is an embodiment of their emotions and view of the role of technology in the world. Their art becomes the expression of technology’s hold on us. An artist's use of discarded cell phones to create a sculpture is a good example of this second lens.