TECHNOLOGY
AND THE ARTS
Whenever topics that revolve around technology come up, people are quick to mention how they
are making our jobs and lives easier, yet might come up in the near future to snatch those very
jobs out of our hands entirely. It is a distinct possibility, a shadow that looms over us, sometimes
forgotten, but always there. Like babies we live in constant fear that our bottles will be snatched in
the dead of the night.
Life as we know it is art, and technology and art have existed since time immemorial, no matter how
crude they might have first appeared. Over the last couple of decades however, technology has
made enormous leaps and bounds. Like a sprint racer, it has consistently beaten its own record and
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threatens to do so again and again. Technology has erected so many new innovations, disciplines
and alternate forms of art while tearing down walls of norm, complacency and redundancy. With
the level of information and resources technology has made available, artists are under pressure
to do it faster, better and more originally. To move from pastels to pixels to virtual reality. In the
shortest possible time. Technology is like a big roaring wave, threateningw to remove all and any
who stand in its path and do not realign their masts to sail along. The art industry has not been
left behind. From the adoption of websites and online stores to digital imaging software like
Photoshop and Cinema4D, to crowd-funding campaigns, to animation, to 3D artwork and printing.
The rules have changed, sometimes the game is barely even recognisable.
Technology has allowed artists to reach audiences never previously imagined. Years ago, a lot of
planning, collaboration, effort and supplies were needed to make an exhibition a success. Selling
artwork was also much more difficult. However, with the advent of the internet the game has
changed, now everyday is an online exhibition and every click a possible transaction. From personal
websites to professional websites like Zazzle, Etsy and a host of others where artists can sell their