forrest macdonald
by Adrienne H. Lee
The Artist as Both Creator & Destroyer of Worlds
above, Dedicated to Walt Disney, archival inkjet photographic print
below, detail of work procees to create Dedicated to Walt Disney, archival inkjet photographic print
To say that humans in the twenty-fi rst century live in a disposable so-
ciety is a horrifying understatement. “Disposable” is a term no longer
relegated to diapers and coffee cups. In 2017, it is more often cheaper
to replace a broken object than to attempt to repair it. The adage “they
don’t make things like they used to” applies to nearly everything used
by humans in a typical fi rst-world day—cars, appliances, clothing, and
technology.
To think of technology as dis-
posable may seem ironic, es-
pecially when considering the
amount of money spent on cell
phones, computers, laptops,
tablets, and other tools of com-
munication. But technology
is that dubious industry that
is both indispensable and eas-
ily replaced, blending reason
and madness. It is a necessary
evil that requires consumers
to repeatedly upgrade to the
Orlando Arts & Culture, v. 2.4
newest, the fastest, and the most powerful version of itself. It feeds
the need for a constant fl ow of information, so much so that when
it breaks, life itself seems to stop. As the fl ow of information goes, so
goes one’s livelihood, and technology is b