This weeks lecture and readings gave me new ideas regarding the interdependent relationship between art and technology and how they can drive each-other forward. In terms of innovation art has played a role in progressing what needs technology fills and can help set goals for scientists and developers. Sci-fi as a genre in both print and film has always tried to predict technology and has shaped the way many technologies have developed in the modern world; from communication to health to travel, this artistic influence is seen across society. In 1977, Princess Leia appeared on screen asking for Obi Wan's help as a small hologram and in 2012 Tupac stepped on stage from the dead as a hologram and amazed hundreds of thousands of people. Technology has given art limitless direction and personal connection. In reading both Benjamin and Davis' works I'm more inclined to agree with Davis as the modern age has allowed unlimited access by the audience and unlimited direction for the artists. Benjamin sees the world from a Marxian perspective where humanity is sucked out of the products of labor through reproduction and distribution. I could see this as an ideology during the industrial revolution, however in today's connected world, technology and art are nearly inseparable in terms of creation and influence. Davis recognizes the importance of the individual experience and meaning taken from art despite its medium. In a way artists today are creating with the audience rather than dictating what they should want to experience. That being said, this modern age has not diminished the power and appeal of an original which is why millions of people see plays and live music. The Louvre alone attracts almost 10 million visitors a year to see original masterpieces despite all of the pieces being a google search away for viewing purposes. To me, technology has expanded art in many ways but does not take the power away from the power of original creation.
Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." (1936): n. pag. Print.
Cheatham, Dennis. "The Power of Science Fiction: Exploring Sci-fi's Relationship to Real-World Innovation." The Power of Science Fiction: Exploring Sci-fi's Relationship to Real-World Innovation. N.p., 2011. Web. Apr. 2015.
Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995)." Leonardo 28.5, Third Annual New York Digital Salon (1995): 381-86. JSTOR. Web. Apr. 2015.
Economics. Global Attractions Attendance ReportCredits (n.d.): n. pag. Themed Entertainment Assosiation, 2012. Web. Apr. 2015.
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