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Technology is a wonderful thing and as it continuously advances we as artists are able to create things that have never been imagine before. Photoshop lets us alter, change, and enhance photographs. Such programs allow us to create images that before would have been impossible to make and I think that is fascinating. It all had to start from somewhere though and be built upon through the years in order for new media to become what it is today. After reading Technologies as Tools  I was interested in the work of Nancy Burson.

Nancy Burson is known for her work with computer generated composite pictures. Burson would merge pictures of people together to create a whole new face and image. I believe her work had a powerful message, she addressed the question of what beauty is however to this day that definition is constantly changing with the medias influence and there is no concrete answer. I feel that through her work she was trying to portray the positive message that beauty comes in all different forms and sizes and that everyone is beautiful in there own way.

I think it is awesome that her art led to technological advances that help law enforcement agencies create pictures of what suspects and missing persons would look like if they changed features through body alteration or due to age. Not only was Nancy Burson’s work interesting but it was also able to help a lot of people.

Nancy Burson’s art focused on facial structures which is fascinating. A face can show so many different emotions, is unique, and has a history to tell that using it as a form of art is really cool, different, but universally intriguing. I imagine that when her work is shown people try to figure out who the people in the blended image are, what their stories are, and why Burson decided to combine both faces together. New media is art, art that before technology was not possible.

The plastic project was very interesting. It was eye-opening to say the least! We are surrounded with plastic, we use it everyday, we rely on it, yet we don’t take the time to think about where the plastic is coming from and the toll it is taking on the environment. Something else that I found interesting is the fact that there are many different types of plastic, to most people, plastic is just plastic. We don’t think about the varieties of plastic or how each type has a different effect on the environment.

I really enjoyed seeing the plastic new media project and thought it was awesome that we as a class could be part of it and contribute. The object I brought in was a small toy army soldier that most kids have a plenty of in their homes. My brother was kind enough to spare one for the project, so thanks Damian 🙂 However what I found shocking was that it would take 50,000 years for that tiny soldier to decompose if it wasn’t recycled into another good.

I really liked the idea of up-cycling, it’s such a fun twist to recycling. Instead of taking an object and melting it down, etc… to make something new; with up-cycling you would keep the object in tack but create something unique and beautiful with it. One of my favorite up-cycling projects that I have recently seen is when an artist took old, old-school, lightbulbs and turned then into really cool projects such as using the lightbulb as a flower pot!

It was great meeting new media artists, seeing their work and learning a little bit more about the field. I also love how Baruch repurposed the old telephone booth rooms as a new media arts space which allows all Baruch student and faculty to experience the world of new media art, a phenomon not many imagined a few decades ago.

Technology is at its prime and becoming more complex with each passing day. As a result it is only natural for society to shift with he technological advances because the introduction of the electronic world changes the way we gather our information, how we communicate, and conduct our daily lives. The McLuhan reading was very interesting and I found myself agreeing with a lot of the statements. The reading forced me to take a step back and to evaluate the change technology has had on society and my life as well as to acknowledge that it is a world wide revolution.

Here are the key points I found interesting and would like to explore…

“Our time is the time for crossing barriers, for erasing old categories – for probing around.”

I believe that this sums up the age of technology perfectly. We are able to go further and are capable of so much more than ever before. Literally we have the world at our fingertips and with that more power than ever before. Gone is the “snail mail”, we can communicate with someone across the world in a instant and all it takes is a few hits on the keyboard. Our ancestors couldn’t have dreamed of such wanders and I think we should reflect on that fact as well as how privileged we are to live in this generation which is the golden age of technology. I am a Disney fan and a quote that comes to mind that I think describes this situation perfectly is from Aladdin. The Genie said that he has “all the power in the universe, but itty-bitty living space” and that is exactly what technology in my mind is.

“Today’s child is growing up absurd, because he lives in two worlds and neither of them inclines him to grow up.”

Technology is all about innovation, creativity, and freedom of expression. So why should we grow up? If we look back in history kids had to grow up too fast,usually at 16 teenagers would be married and starting a family. Now a days we have the luxury of staying a “kid” for a few more years and that is a beautiful thing. However I believe that you can always be a kid at heart! Especially since technology provides so many options. Since technology is constantly changing and updating we are continuously learning, exploring, and letting our mind wander which is exactly what “kids” should do…expand their minds! Technology is a way for everyone to grow and develop and not remain stagnant. I guess Peter Pan was onto something…”never grow up”!

“All media are extensions of some human faculty- psychic or physical.”

I found McLuhan’s wanderings of how things such as clothes and wheels are just extensions of ourselves brilliant. I have never thought of putting such pairings into such perspective, but the longer I dwell on it the more I realized it was true.  We invent things such as clothes and cars, to not only express our personality but to enhance our lifestyle.

In my opinion MUSIC is the extension of the SOUL. That is quite a dramatic correlation, but one I feel strongly about. Music has the power to move you, to stir up something deep from within. Music makes you feel and that is a beautiful thing!

“Time has ceased, space has vanished.We now live in a global village..a simultaneous happening.”

I personally can relate to this quote and I feel like it is a spot on description to what technology has brought on. When I am online time seems to blur by and before I know it the day has come to an end. There is so much to do, so much to see, so much to discover, that you can spend endless hours in front of your computer. You go into another world essentially with a tap of a button, and the only difficult thing is getting back out and embracing reality once more. The entire world is connected with technology and I really do feel like we are part of a global village!