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Cameron Bailey
March 17, 2011
ICAM 150, FinalEssay #1
Artistic Strategies of the Machine Age vs. the Information
Age
The 20th century was a time of drastic change. Technological
advancements paved the way
for breakthroughs in communication, travel, politics, medicine,
and education. These
breakthroughs transformed mankind's daily life as well as the
art that reflected it.
The early part of the century was dominated by what is known as
the Machine Age. This
was a period of tremendous growth. Utilization of fossil fuels
and electric power production plants
allowed for the development of production machinery, capable of
fabricating steel parts for cars,
trains, aircraft, boats, skyscrapers, bridges and more machines.
Inventions such as the
phonograph and the radio receiver allowed music to be recorded
and played back to audiences
sitting at home. High speed printing presses allowed for mass
market newspapers and magazines
to be produced at a low cost. The ability to produce, advertise,
and distribute on a large scale
quickly changed the economy. Corporations began hiring workers
in quantity over quality.
Economic value was placed on efficiency, strength, size, and
speed. Local artisans were recognized
less and national corporations were recognized more.
The characteristics which define the Machine Age were reflected
by the Modernist Art
movement in many different ways. Significant objects of the
Machine Age such as cars, trains,
airplanes, bridges, skyscrapers, factories, machines, conveyer
belts, electrical gear, and bodies of
workers are often seen in Modern Art. Also, experiences within
or around these objects are
reflected. The unique views that trains, airplanes, skyscrapers,
and photography offered inspired
unique spatial forms such as views from above, cubism, and
repetition of objects; all themes
frequently seen in the work of Pablo Picasso. The aerodynamic
body of the airplane and desire for
efficiency were reflected by smooth metal surfaces without
ornament, large glass windows, and
plane regular structures i.e. Bauhaus Dessau. Other artifacts of
the Machine Age inspired themes
of the Modernist movement such as exploitation, alienation, fear
that men would become robots in
the work force, and dystopian art. New visual forms include:
photographs, films, modern
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architecture, graphic designers, and more.
The later part of the 20 th century was dominated by what is
called the Information Age
(1970 Present). Much like the Machine Age, the Information Age
has been a period of
tremendous growth and focus has been put on efficiency, energy,
and speed. However, the main
focus of the Information Age has been (obviously) information.
The Information Age is ruled by an
information society in which the generation, control, and
manipulation of information is a critical
economic, political, and cultural means of activity. The
invention and utilization of computers has
allowed for the development of a world network. Inventions such
as the laptop and the cell phone
have enabled people to read and write news quickly and
conveniently. Open-source programming
languages have enabled individuals to conveniently customize the
way in which information is
viewed and distributed. The ability to individually produce,
mediate, and distribute information on
a large scale has quickly changed the economy.
The characteristics which define the Information Age are
reflected by artists in many
different ways including globalism, automation (no robot men),
interactivity, neutrality, and
plurality of styles. In contemporary architecture, computers
have allowed for extremely
sophisticated designs. Blob architecture is an example of a
style which strongly embraces the
possibilities that computer drafting brings. It also serves as a
good example of global neutrality
because it doesn't represent any particular group. Examples of
Blog architecture include Frank
Gehry's Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim
Museum in Bilbao. These differ from,
for example, the Bauhaus Dessau because they utilize
self-similar forms as opposed to self-same
forms. Other new visual forms of the Information Age include
computer applications, websites, VJ
performances, and GPS systems; all of which reflect
interactivity and globalism through the
computers ability to store .
Although there are many different factors which have influenced
the strategies of the
artists of the Machine Age and the Information Age, the most
motivating seems to be the
economy. In both periods, the overall goal has been essentially
same; market expansion. Likewise,
the artistic strategies which defined both periods has been
largely determined by the new and
dominant technologies that orchestrate daily life.
