The Relationship Between Art and Technology

By Rodney Whitaker

Many people wonder what the relationship between art and technology is. In order to understand this relationship, one must first understand the difference between the two. Art can be described as many things. Everything around us is considered art because it was designed by someone to have a specific look and feel. Art may have a message to portray to a viewer or it may be used solely to accomplish other tasks. Technology is often thought up by either a person or group of people to make lives easier. When trying to understand the relationship between the two, it is necessary to take a trip in time and see how the relationship has evolved. Then, take a look at our current situation, and try to determine how this relationship will continue to evolve in the future. Finally, a brief discussion on my personal relationship to technology as an aspiring digital artist.
First, we go back to the early 19th century when animation was first starting to develop. The zoetrope was an invention used to demonstrate early animation by having a series of images placed around the circumference and then the device was spun to give the illusion of movement. As time went on, the cinematograph was used to popularize animation by allowing for an endless amount of possibilities that can be explored in depth. Early examples of theater animation include; Gertie the Dinosaur, Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, and many others. As animation evolves further, so does the development of the computer. One might think of the modern day computer they might have in their home today, but computers in the early 20th century did not have keyboards or screens like we have today. Instead, they were controlled using cards that had holes punched in them to tell the computer to do a certain task. These early computers were mainly used by the military to control automated weapons and were so big that they required an average room size to fit one computer. As time goes on, the computer eventually becomes smaller and is given a keyboard and mouse to make it easier to control. With the development of computers, people also had a need to expand entertainment. Thus, in 1947, Thomas Goldsmith Jr. and Estle Ray Mann developed the world’s first known video game. It was known as the Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device and was a missile simulator based off a WWII radar system. Since graphics could not be created at this time, the game used analog circuitry to position the dot on the screen and aim at the targets. As graphics are created, more games become developed, but it is not until 1972 when the first home game console is developed by Magnavox under the name Odyssey. This inspires others to develop home game consoles and eventually leads to the creation of the competitive gaming industry. It is also around this time that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniack create the world’s first personal computer that is small and affordable to where every American who owns a home will also own a computer.
With the computer leads to the modern situation between art and technology. Today, almost every person in the world owns their own computer and they use it for a variety of uses. Even though there are still artists using the traditional pencil to paper or paint to canvas, a large number of artists today use the computer to produce art for a variety of purposes including; movies, website design, video games, or even just to look at. Though it was developed about 20 years ago, three dimensional art on the computer is used a lot more today than it was when it was developed. We use three dimensional art to display certain elements that two dimensional art cannot give justice to. Using technology to develop art in modern times is more convenient because with new software on computers, there are even more possibilities than there were back when the computer was first being developed. Besides art, we also use modern technology to develop new products in a simpler manner than using a pencil and paper thirty plus years ago.
People wonder every day how art and technology will evolve. Today we play video games on our computers, televisions and on our handheld devices. What the future is going to go to is people being able to play video games, “surf the web” as people call it, or even take pictures and call people with technology that one will not be able to leave their house without. Using technology called Augmented Reality, people can play video games in the world around them using eyewear and small controllers that they can fit in their pockets. The look, sound, and feel will become so realistic that people will not know the difference between what is and what is not.

In terms of my own relationship between art and technology, I use both every day as a digital artist. Using adobe photoshop, I can not only manipulate images to look like something real, but I can also create a painting in real time without the need to go out and buy more supplies since everything is right on my computer. Besides photoshop, the possibilities are endless. From making a video in adobe premiere, making my own webpage using html, to playing video games on my computer that I can manipulate using third party software, the only thing holding me back is my mind.

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