Re: [-empyre-] the promise

["Patrick Lichty" <voyd@voyd.com>]

On this thread, there are several things that come to mind.

First is the idea of technology being a lifestyle.  It's the old story of
Thoth & Tanmus, with Thamus' argument that writing would rob humanity of its
memory.  The way we use our memories changed radically, and that is perhaps
the lesson that should result from the story.  The idea of a gun not killing
people, but people using people.

The hole in the argument, to quote Postman, is that technology is not
neutral.  A gun is a destructive force, whether used for good or ill.
Secondly, technologies have contextual matrices within which they frame
themselves.  What culture is it that requires the use of guns, or weaponry,
and in light of the technological times we have, what is the role of the
gun?

Likewise computer technology.  Computer technology is far from neutral.
Without going into marketing agendas, the definition of entire ontologies by
computer technologies and so onit's pretty clear that the technological
artist accepts a few a priori ground rules before picking up that mouse.

A case that comes to mind is that of the old Metacreations program, Bryce.
It's a landscape program, and from it came tons of cheesy alien landscapes.
I even make a short form video with it (took me three months of solid render
time, at which time I removed it and haven't touched it since). 99% of the
people who use Bryce can't get past the inscribed boundaries that such a
program defines.  One artist, Bill Ellsworth, started doing really strange
abstractions iwth it, something you weren't really supposed to do with it,
but there they were.

That;s like my work with the WristCam.  Sure it defines certain agendas,
social gestures, and the like, and in general it was intended to be a family
snapshot album of girl grabber, and appealed to the James Bond technophile.
I play with this a bit, but Casio was pretty shocked to see me using it as a
video camera (unbelievably labourious: I plan to do three, and then go to
the color model).

But then again, artists surpassing the function of the device...

I would also argue about the idea of software falling short of expectations.
That's more client perception in light of media hype, and I'm pretty
nonplusses by all that.

***:I don't see the need to create a division between us "artist" and them
"others", don't :you think there is an art in writing code, and don't you
think creative software developers are devoting their lives to helping
enable artists to realise their imaginings?

It's the intent.  There are different kinds of art; I tend to be socially
engaged, and/or critical in my thinking.  Not to say that ther eare not many
other kinds.  However, my argument is that what is the 'artistic' intent of
a programmer, a game designer?

My thought is that much of this work is not formulated to foster critical
thinking about the world around us, and that's where it stops for me.
Technical skill taken to the extreme may be craft in the highest degree, and
may even be design, cinema arts, and so on, but just isn't high art.  No
denigration of the other genres, just a distinction, that's all.

I think of the difference between The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and Moulin
Rouge. in the way CGI was used.  Tech drove the Matrix, it served the latter
two.

******Some of us artists are also engineers... Leonardo Da'Vinci springs to
mind.. we don't lie down and take it, we don't moan and complain about
things, instead of are growing new tools and creating a "new medium" that
takes us one step closer to the sublime realisation of imagination.

My undergrad degrees are both in engineering, then I got into art, sociology
and history/theory.  Nothing wrong with any of that.  However, I only bemoan
the fact that I learned hardware, and programming is not easy for me.  Gove
me chips and I'mm make you a gargantua, but ask me to code, and I reach for
the Valuim with a sweaty palm.