"A Machine that Makes the Art"

A reading from the Art and Electronic Media book...

I've been a bit tired and sleepy lately because I have been struggling trying to manage school and work, so I usually stay up late doing homework and then wake up early to either go to class or work. So before doing readings from this book, I usually drink a cup of coffee to make sure I don't fall asleep while reading...it has happened before!

Even though I am not a big coffee drinker, I have to admit that it does get the job done.

So for the reading I just finished, it was discussed of the changes the art world went through with the advent of the computer. Some artists saw the computer as a way to explore and go beyond the usual, while others were not too excited about the idea of computerized art. I think just like the introduction of anything that is new, people will always have different opinions about...positive and negative.
But eventually, new forms of art were (are) being created, forms of art that would be possible to make without computers. Another change was the interaction that was being implemented into the new forms of art, now the audiences not only needed to observe, but also participate, and sometimes even be part of the art piece itself. This part of the reading made me think of the way our society is now. If one really thinks about it, with the mobile devices and wireless connection to the internet, virtually everywhere, our society is very interactive within their own communities and in the whole world as well. People are interacting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether it be by simply sharing a photo, making a post, presenting a video or commenting on topics that are trending.
While much of the art was becoming interactive, the process of creation was also an interactive one. Before, when the artist could complete its art by itself, now, the artist sometimes must collaborate with an engineer, perhaps an electrician, or a computer savvy individual to make "computerized" art happen.

Another interesting part of the reading that I enjoyed, was the concept of originality. Some artists, and even non-artists did not like the new medium for art because it lack the "aura of an individually handcrafted original" (Shanken, 23). This makes me think of the way many of us see the value of an original piece of art, and a copy of it. We don't give much value to the copies because they lack the originality of the one handcrafted by the artist. With the advent of computers, and "computerized art", many identical copies could be made, without giving that prestigious value to the "original".