COURTNEE CESTA
Assistant Reverb Editor
Chances are that in just a few years, kids won’t even know what a VHS is. Because of new technological advancements, we’ve been forced into “bigger” and “better” things and left the outdated in the dust; the impact of technology is essentially unavoidable.
Film cameras, public pay phones and floppy discs have all become obsolete, and even movie rental stores and landline phones have become things of the past. Technology has brought science to levels that were once unimaginable and has provided historians with an array of tools of discovery. But what about the world of the arts — could the growth of technology be dangerous?
Last week, the Liberal Arts and Sciences Brown Bag Lecture Series, “Technology in the Arts,” held a lecture panel to discuss exactly how technology is challenging arts. The panel included three speakers, all faculty of SUNY Fredonia: Jill Johnston and Jason Dillworth, both of the Department of Visual Arts and New Media, and Todd Proffitt of the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Each speaker took a turn to reflect on the ways in which technology has begun to affect the way they teach, but they all agreed on one thing: that the foundation for their craft has been and will forever stay the same.
“[Because of the rate of the advancements in technology] I can’t teach them everything. So I say ‘here’s the base parameters, go learn.’ So when the new technologies come out, they know the basics,” said Proffit.
Proffitt’s presentation was titled “Exploring Entertainment Technology,” a collaborative project between him and his students that provided a timeline of technology and tools used in theater. In 1975, “A Chorus Line” was produced and was the first computerized show. Since then, the theater has seen projections, electronic diagrams, automation (which allows actors to fly, like in a show such as “Peter Pan”) and even 3D printing.
Most recently, Proffitt has been exploring the world of mobile apps in theater technology. A visit to bit.ly/theatreapps and the world of technical theater technology seems limitless — there sits a list of over 300 free and paid apps to enhance everything from communication in the theater to lights and sound. The list was created by Proffitt for Stage Directions Magazine.
“[Technology] is quite aggressive,” Proffitt said. “The thing is, all of this stuff could have been programmed on a computer before, but it’s just something about mobile that inspired great things.”
For Proffitt and the world of theater, technology seems like a friendly giant — overwhelming and intimidating at first, but only helpful. Unlike Johnston, who does not stand to fully part with traditional artistic tools and mediums, Proffitt only welcomes technology and it’s new information with open arms.
That’s not to say that Johnston, who opened the night with a discussion titled “Analog and Digital Fusions Within Animation and Illustration,” doesn’t embrace technology, too. She, however, likes to mix things up.
As an artist, Johnston sees technology as a skeptical partner. Whereas she is certainly not against using new technologies in art, she is still a lover of all things handmade. In her presentation, Johnston showed work from her portfolio where she demonstrated how to use emerging technologies without completely abandoning traditional ways.
First creating her art on paper, Johnston uses tools like graphite or pen, and then scans her work to the computer where she uses a computer program such as Photoshop to alter texture, color and lighting. It is techniques like these that Johnston teaches her students at Fredonia to make sure that they don’t forget the basics. In fact, Johnston is responsible for introducing the Animation and Illustration curriculum within the Department of Visual Arts and New Media.
New programs and classes similar to the Animation and Illustration curriculum have been touched on throughout the rest of the campus as well, almost as a forced adaptation to the generation of students that we belong to.
“We’ve been born into this era where we live under this tyrant of technology,” Dillworth said in his opening remarks of his presentation, “Twenty Year Old Software: How Technology Changes the Way Stories are Told.” “It’s sort of this idea where technology is going to save us. Well, we’ve hit a long slow path of disillusionment with technology … [it] doesn’t always have the answers”
Dillworth has noticed the consequences that society is starting to face, due to a world that technology has created. Because of technology we are continuously distracted. We are constantly posting statuses on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, checking text messages and replying to emails.
“Facebook is a new technology and has such a great premise. Unfortunately, it isn’t going to help strengthen our relationships with our friends. It’s going to help monetize them,” Dillworth said.
We have almost surrendered our culture to the consequences of technology. Technology has taken over our interactions with one another, and the way that we interact with the world.
“Five years ago, if I were to pull out a small glass and metal device and look down at it and pause, everyone would have thought I was crazy,” Dillworth said. “It’s become sort of culturally acceptable … to stare at a glass screen.”
Of course, technology has its advancements that are almost undoubtedly beneficial. A surgical patient is no longer painfully reminded of their knee replacement because of a big scar, and digital models and simulations can help explain concepts in the classroom that would take perhaps hours otherwise. However, being off-screen and distancing ourselves from technology has its benefits.
“There’s something about going to the library and just searching,” Dillworth said. “You search and you don’t know what you’re going to find.”