This reading however, talks much about the important collaboration that artists, engineers, and scientist made to accomplish and overcome the challenges that electronic media presented. Artists depended on the expertise of scientists and engineers in order to accomplish projects that required special knowledge and skill that many artists did not have access to. Shanken explains that "the aesthetic, technical and financial challenges of electronic media have demanded that artists perform non-traditional tasks and form unconventional partnerships [with scientists and engineers]" (47).
Newton Harrison's Glow Discharge Tube
The above is one example of an artistic project that was made possible through the collaboration or artists, scientists, and engineers.
Another topic the reading mentioned, was the financial obstacles many artists challenge, when creating a project. This is still something that I believe many artists face. I as a student and an artist, along with my classmates and fellow young artists, face this obstacle. Many of us may have many ideas of artistic projects to complete, but are constantly left with no support, or the task to struggle and gather all the finances needed to accomplish our projects.
However, the reading mentions how those artists working with projects within the topic of joining art and technology were able to find support. In part, I believe it was because engineers and scientists also began to appreciate the artists' contributions to development. As stated by Shanken, "scientists and engineers are recognizing that artists make valuable collaborators who contribute to research and invention not just by making pretty visualizations of data but by asking provocative questions, offering alternative perspectives and stimulating creativity and innovation" (47). Perhaps with the support and approval of scientists and engineers, it was easier for artists to find financial support from different corporations.
Claes Oldenberg's Giant Ice Bag
