MakerBot Industries

MakerBot is a company based in NYC that specializes in creating budget-level 3D printers. This idea is very intriguing, putting the ability to 3D print in the hands of laypeople is an exciting prospect, and the notion that it's as easy to do as, in their words, building IKEA furniture, is very intriguing. This would put a technology in the hands of people that undoubtedly wouldn't be able to either afford or comprehend it before. However, the only caveat I see is the unchecked ability to print dangerous items, like guns, knives, and the like. I see a lot of trouble in the near future attempting to regulate this kind of thing, but if responsibility is something that can be achieved on a large-scale level, then this is nothing more than an advancement in technology many, myself included, couldn't wait to happen.

Juan Carlos Delgado's "North Room" Exhibit

Spaniard artist Juan Carlos Delgado created an exhibit called North Room that deftly combined art and technology into an impactful display. With this exhibit, Delgado utilized industrial cooling mechanisms to modulate the temperature in the room and gradually build up ice on a copper bust of what appears to be a young girl. It is a powerful piece with a number of interpretive angles, and it is also a multimedia piece in its fusion of mediums. It is not solely a visual work, it is also kinesthetic in the way it manipulates temperature, and presumably auditory if the machinery is humming in a way that adds to the themes of decay and fragility. This kind of hybrid of performance and craft lends itself to very unique expression.

Introduction (Art vs. Technology)

From the brief research I did, "art" denotes an aesthetic and emotional expression, whereas "technology" leans more towards nuance and craftsmanship. However, intersections are very possible, and many people in technical fields would be quick to call their work "art" if they put the whole of their being into it. Additionally, the Greek root "techne" included art as part of its definition. In this course, I hope to learn new and forward-thinking ways to innovate the two, and broaden my personal horizons regarding both forms.