Cyborg...its the new fad

There are various forms of art, all of which have their own techniques, intricacies, and complications. However, with time, a new art form has developed with the advent of technological advances. Such development has changed not only how artists go about capturing their inspiration but also how they view their art.

It has only been within the past century that art has entered the cyber realm with the creation of computers. This new tool has allowed us to explore our abilities to capture and create life. This life, the life of art, is unique to the genre in that it is capable of encompassing more techniques and utilizes more of the senses than any other medium.

Accompanying the artists new found curiosity with technology is controversy surrounding the validity of such artistic creations. Such movies as Blade Runner, Total Recall, and 2001 Space Odyssey are wonderful examples of the new types of questions arising from technological creativity. The depiction of worlds where technology has started to take on a life of its own is certainly an interesting thought; however, the constant increase of innovation and advancement perhaps implies that these worlds are not too far off.

In fact, if you look at how telekinetic art is created and what it is essentially, you start to wonder what can and cannot be considered art or who is the artist? Roy Ascott, author of “Is There Love in the Telematic Embrace?” further explains telematics in that “The individual user of networks is always potentially involved in a global net, and the world is always potentially in a state of interaction with the individual.” So if the artist does not retain the full rein of artistic direction then is he really the sole artist or is the machine he utilizes also an artist?

Another potential answer to this very complicated issue is that perhaps people are turning in cyborgs, a cross between human and technology. There is some validity to this in art because if you look at Telematic art, you see that if it wasn’t for technology, many pieces of art could not have been conceived. Just by taking photos you become a cyborg. With digital camera’s you do not have complete control over your creation. The digital camera determines what setting, how much light exposure, etc when it takes the picture. This takes much of the artistic quality of creation away from the living artist.

An example of this loss of control can be seen in the class situational tours. The students had full control over what their subject and composition would look and sound like; however, when they took the photos, all they could do was aim the camera or cell phone and push a button. The quality of the photo was out of our hands and placed into the realm of the digital world.
This interesting art form has many intricacies and complications which lead to many questions as to its validity as an art form. Essentially, this subject must be assessed by each individual artist depending on their definition of art and humanity.

technology and the art experience

How does technology mediate the art experience?

Making the transition from physical forms of art like drawing and sculpture to digital media initially makes one question what makes something art. Telematic art is an evolving art from that is becoming more popular as technology continues to develop and progress. Telematics involves the technology of interaction among human beings and between the human mind and artificial systems of intelligence and perception. The individual user of networks is always potentially involved in a global net, and the world is always potentially in a state of interaction with the individual (Ascott).
Art no longer consists of just the classic forms of painting, sculpture, or music and theater. The skills required to produce telematic art greatly differ from those required for classic works of art. Both require creativity and imagination, but telematic art requires knowledge of computers and computer programs and of other forms of technology. Classic art forms require technique and an understanding of more simiply the elements of art and the materials being used to create the art. Telematic art requires some artistic ability, but less than classic art forms. It requires a knowledge of how to use technology to create things that were previously created by humans.
Examples of this can even be found in the project we did for class. We used digital cameras to capture images and Adobe Photoshop to edit the images. In the past most pictures were capture onto film with a camera and then were developed and edited in the darkroom. Most digital cameras automatically adjust their settings to try to ensure the best quality for capturing an image, but previously the artist could manually adjust the camera and play around with the settings to achieve the desired settings for a photo. Digital media such as digital cameras and photo editing on the computer takes away the internal creativity of photography, as it's no longer the artist developing the photos herself, but now she has a computer to do it for her.


With telematic art the artist is becoming physically disconnected from the art form and the art is becoming cybernetic. It is part human, part machine created. The tools (computers) that we create ultimately in turn reshape those who use those tools (from Blade Runner). Digital art that artists create is reshaping them as artists.

The Address for Culture

On Sunday March 26, we ventured into the Fashion Center at Pentagon City in search of provocative social interaction. This mall, like most across the nation, is a center that displays many of the important cultural attributes of a community. The products stores sell, the people who gather there, and the food they eat can all provide for commentary that is both startling and repulsive. Yet, we could not help but find that we are also apart of this social structure centered around a warped vision of beauty, wealth, and indulgence.

Once at the fashion center, we watched the high school students hanging out while chowing down a McDonald's hamburger, mothers bringing their children to see the Easter Bunny, and young adults laden with bags of clothing for their already overstuffed closets. As we observed our surroundings, we realized that a site is not always as important as the people who maintain and fill its depths. By the conclusion of our day, our little adventure developed into not a search for a mall, but for the implications and ideology that such a place represented.

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An oasis in a city. Lift your eyes toward the skies and see the transparency through which we live.

Here we are greeted by Guest Services. But notice this station that offers comfort when in need, yet there is an absence of guidance for the little shoppers who scurry and climb. They must find their own way in the midst of being quartered by options.

People moving up and down through the layers above the ground. Seeking that which they desire while ever reaching precariously higher.

Sale, precious Sale! What a sign to desire. We rush in to try on the clothes we wish to acquire. What a lie so well designed to make us think we are saving when we are just wasting the product of hours spent slaving.

What to wear, what to wear? Why the hell should I care, as long as there are shoes on my feet and a shirt on my back. But not in this world where possessions determine the value of a life. Here one must pursue fashion alongside strife.

The winner I chose, or so I suppose. After carelessly wasting half of my daypawing through racks in every store along my way.

Now I've left the treasure box and realize my hunger as I pass through the cafeteria my stomach growls like thunder. But what choice should I make when all the food I see is fake?

A burger I do crave but the consequence I know is grave. A finger down my throatto maintain the perfection necessary to stay afloat. For the society which we dwell in today demands us to distort ourselves in such a way.

The store fronts I pass by, reinforce this perception. Magazines have been created since before my conception, to mold young minds to obsess and destroy any confidence we had, ah hell- it's just a ploy!

These souls yet untouched and unphased carry on playing. They know not what comes with a society decaying. Its guts and the gore drip into their cupped hands, as the warped needs of their mentors grow and expand.

Arms laden with bags, no strength does remain. The battle is halted, we are blinded and contained. My pockets are empty- please don't steal my lint. Gone is my view of the world through a rose-colored tint.