"Device Art: A New Form of Media Art from a Japanese Perspective" by Machiko Kusahara
Japan seems to be progressing further in the realm of technology than we are in the United States. It seems like they put more of an emphasis on technology. It is interesting to see the differences between Japanese culture and American culture. Japanese culture combines art and technology in a really interesting way. It was pretty shocking to me where the article stated that Westerners often criticize the Japanese art community for lacking seriousness in their creations, because it seems to me that a lot of cool, interesting pieces of technology and art come from Japan, and we adopt it into our culture. People may see Japanese artists as more of designers, but to me design is still an important part of art. It is also kind of sad to me that art is moving in such a technological direction. I love the simplicity of a drawing or a painting and everything is moving towards the digital age and losing the tradition. This passage was especially prominent to me: “ We live in a postmodern society of mass-produced objects, simulated realities, and simulacra. The aura of the original, which has been valued by the art world for so long, becomes questionable for artists coping with the reality of our society today. The situation has become even more complex since an essential feature of digital technology is to enable the production of multiple, completely identical copies.” I find it sad that the importance of the original is fading and that art can be so easily and readily mass-produced. I love Marcel Duchamp and his ready-mades and the whole idea of questioning “what is art” but it’s also sad to me that we seem to be losing the traditional values and methods of creating something beautiful from paper and pens and canvas and paint. I believe device art and traditional studio art are under completely different categories, although they still fall under the word art. Device art pushes the boundaries and brings media art to a whole new level, combining it with technology.
"The Secret Life of Electronic Objects" by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby
The second reading is interesting to me because it talks about the misuse and abuse of technology. The world is really diving into this technology age where technology is the solution to every problem we have, and to me this is really sad. I wish we could steer away from technology and still enjoy the simplicities of life. I think technology is making the world really crazy - everyone always wants the next best thing - so many people are not happy with what they have. I think technology is causing a lack of communication among people too - nobody knows how to carry a real conversation in this new age because everyone is so used to talking over text, phone calls, AIM, skype, etc. Progressive technology is ruining social skills - I mean this article talks about a man marrying his television! This is so crazy to me - how has the world gotten to this point?
Hardware Project
For my project, I decided to modify an existing advice. I chose to cover areas C and D of project 4a. option. Area C is to turn the device into a new device that perform a function that is not currently performed by any existing device and you do not believe will ever be performed by any other device in the future and area D is to contradict the normal functionality of the device in a funny/smart/poetic way. My dad came up with the idea of 'Carface' a few years ago, and I expanded further on this idea and created 'Truckface', for men! The idea of Carface is that it is a sun visor that can be mass produced, but you can customize each Carface online. The sun visor would have all of your essential products based on what you like. Carface Company would work with various manufacturing companies, such as MAC, Benefit, Great Lash, Trident, Marlboro, Vic, Trojan, Crest, and so many other big companies so that each Carface and Truckface would have many options to choose from. First, you would go online and specify if you wanted Carface or Truckface. Then, you can choose each category online, from makeup, eye care, skin care, smoking materials, tobacco, condoms, etc., and all of these categories would have many different brands to choose from. Each Carface and Truckface would be customizable like this, so they can cater to anyones needs and desires! The idea is that you would essentially be able to live out of your car because you would always have the products that you need/forgot on hand, which contradicts the traditional idea about cars, because you are not really meant to live out of them. Carface and Truckface also plays with male and female stereotypes, Carface having all the makeup essentials and Truckface having condoms, cigarettes, a lighter, etc. This product would be super convenient, not to mention really handy if you are ever running late for work and forget to 'put your face on' aka your makeup is all right there where you need it! Viola, Carface.
