Five Technologies That Are Also Works of Art
Technology is changing nearly every facet of our lives. It is pervasive and unavoidable. Whether you’re in the tech industry, finance, automotive, or the art world, technology will be found influencing what you do and how you do it. The technologies themselves can be works of art, but they can also provide an ability to make art and share it. Below are technologies that are both artful works on their own and can also provide the ability to make art out of whatever you are doing.
Automated and Electric Vehicles
Cars have been considered works of great craft and, by some, to be art in their own way. Now technology is augmenting the entire industry. With automation, cars can drive for you, change lanes, and provide 360-degree camera systems that keep you and your car safe. On the other hand, full electric vehicles are helping the planet by saving gas and cutting down on our use of fossil fuels. The whole industry is changing. Forget about stressing over an empty tank of gas; now, between EV charging stations in your home, at your work, and along the road, you’ll find more convenience than ever on “refueling” your ride. And as the world changes, cars will become safer, easier to drive, and more conducive to the modern world. And, of course, they become more and more artful.
Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
Today, we hardly think about the magic–and art–behind our GPS. Want to find out how long it will take to drive across town right now? Pull out your phone and type the address into your favorite GPS app. Taking a road trip? Use the GPS. Driving somewhere you’ve never been before? Want to learn a quicker way from point A to point B? You can do all of these with a GPS. But the convenience factor is only the beginning. If you’ve ever used the built-in direction finder on an older car, you’ll realize just how far the AI voice technology has come, how quickly the modern GPS apps adapt to crowd-sourced information about traffic and obstacles in the road, and just how beautiful this technology is.
Digital Art Galleries
Technology can also facilitate the showing of art. It provides a way to show art both online and in the physical space. For example, technology incubators have been used to show art. There are plenty of ways to exhibit art on the internet. With streaming, private access to websites, and the ability to host online events, the way that art is shown continues to change and technology is undoubtedly one of the ways that are being done. Whether digital art is presented in a physical space or in another digital environment, galleries are being augmented by the prowess of technology.
3D Printing
3D printing is a work of art all its own. The ability to print out just about anything you want creates a new medium, but the process is technologically artful. 3D printing can provide the ability to make medical devices, including human organs, which makes it an artful way to produce physical objects. 3D art is a popular way to produce modern works, but the process itself is as beautiful as the art that it makes. 3D printing will change a lot in our world, art is only one of the ways that it is augmenting the future.
Light and Sound Production
Technology can be used for lights, laser beams, and dynamic sounds. You can create installations just with tech. You can make the lights alternate, pulse, or respond to music. When you have the technology at your disposal, you can make impressionist or abstract art simply by blending lights and sounds. However, you choose to set up lights and sounds, technology can help you make something truly special.
Technology is advancing so much that it is becoming artful. The ways that technology can help us produce, present, share, and sell art are many, but these technologies are so artful in themselves that they are, in fact, works of art. Technology is in many ways the opposite of art, but as it advances, it becomes something else entirely. When a craft is worked on tirelessly, you can get something beyond the technological mechanisms that are at play. Like cooking, architecture, design, and more, the functional items can also become artful.
Our world is changing fast. We should, of course, tread lightly when it comes to technology. It’s not necessarily a good thing to advance so quickly. Our society needs to take in these changes with ease and ingest them in good time. Art is one of the ways that we can express how technological advances will make a difference to both the field of artistic creation and the world at large.