iArt

This post is called iArt because the art industry has become more and more involved with technology, is it for the better or the worse? 

iRobot is a movie that is underlined by the concept of fear of mass-technology advancement.  Through the movie, Will Smith battles back against the rogue machinery and tries to re-establish power over the machines.  This underlying fear is paralleled in Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in The Age of Mechanical Reproduction," (however, it is much more harmless battle!).

Art and technology play with each other in numerous and different ways.  The two dance together through the use of digital art and digital presentation and editing of art.  The fear Walter Benjamin outlays is the loss of originality and uniqueness in each pice of art.  This fear, however, is widely outweighed by the positives that industrialization yields in most situations.  Wide-spread access and increased availability gives in to a world of less uniqueness but also allows for a inexpensive sharing of culture all over the world.  This culture sharing is what, in the English industrial revolution of the late 1700's and early 1800's, inspired and provoked more innovation and exploration.  Mass made and accessible art brings not a world of dull repetition, but one of progressive and inspired digital art.

Economies of Scale: Not only does art become more accessible, but the access to the products that the art is accessed on is becoming more available and cheaper.  Because of the mass production of these digital devices, mass-produced and mass-accesible art is more accepted and is able to be appreciated and shared in less-worldly homes.  The generations before this one have rallied to collect and maintain original and unique works at great prices from around the world.  Current culture now calls for the newest device to access all of the art online and most of the time, for free.   Mass-printed art works in the same way; art that can be bought at places like Bed, Bath and Beyond can either be tacky and cheap, or can bring a great (although unoriginal) piece of art into a lower-class of society.

This photo is a screenshot from my own computer that demonstrates the accessibility of even the greatest and most valued pieces of art work of man-kind.  Anyone with access to the internet can experience this art and can use it as inspiration for future pieces, for less than the cost of a trip to The Louve in Paris, France!

Like the english in the 19th century, our innovation and mass-production overcomes the innate fear of loss, and gives each household a cornucopia of artwork and inspiration that was previously only available to those who could afford the original! 

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

"Accessible Art ." Accessible Art . N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. <http://accessibleartny.com>. 

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"70 Artists creating Art on Mobile devices | Mobile Digital Art – The Book!." Using the iPad and iPhone as Creative Tools | Mobile Digital Art – The Book!. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. <http://www.iphoneart.info/70-artists-creating-art-on-mobile-devices/>.

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