Machiko Kusahara "Device Art: A New Form of Media Art from a Japanese Perspective"
Device Art which was a new project that aimed to have technology at the core of new artwork
rather than merely as a tool in creating art. Although this new style was very new to most
of Western society, it was somewhat already a part of Japanese culture and its roots can
easily be traced back through its many characteristics. Not only was this introducing another
medium for art, it also would offer more possibilites for artists to showcase their creations,
other than museums and galleries.
The best aspect of this art is its versatility. Anyone can easily create a project within
this genre with even the lowest of tech options. Even if what you create doesn't function
properly, it simply becomes "part of the performance". One of the leading artists, in this
type of art, is Nobumichi Tosa who advocates for this very point. He likes to keep a level
of transparency in his creations. He believes that the technology used shouldn't be kept
hidden.
Another interesting aspect of this art is that it is pushing the boundaries of what is
considered to be artwork. Because many of the creations of this style can not be contained
within an art venue or art market has many questioning is it art or not. These questions
are still being discussed to this day.
Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby "Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects"
Amateur Subversions and beta-testers was the section that stuck out to me the most. It
discusses how users often subvert their technology as a way to get more out of their
products. Rather than focusing on hardware modifications, they target software. One
thing that instantly came to mide while reading this was that many people i've known
like to "jailbreak" their iPhones. This has been a common occurrence amongst smartphone
users in general since they were introduced for many reasons. Wether it is because
they can't customize their phone enough or they just want to get free applications,
smartphone users are constantly on the look out for new ways to subvert their technology.
Another very interesting section was Consumers as anti-heros: some cautionary tales. This
section was focused on the effect that technology is having on human life as it becomes
more and more integrated into our daily lives. One aspect that was quickly effected by
new technology was how we communicate and how now most of it is done through text messaging.
As more and more aspects of our everyday lives become integrated with technology we must
also develop new models of safe behavior when communicating with whomever else is on the
other side of screen. Not all new technology is inherently dangerous but it does have the
potential to be to the misinformed. As more and more products become fully assimilated into
our lives, it makes one wonder whether all these extreme cases of technology misuse is a
glimpse of the future.