The Constructivist Manifesto, written by Aleksandr Rodchenko, Varvara Stepanova & Aleksei Gan. in 1922, includes some very strict ideals/rules about the interaction between technology and art. They frankly say that ‘technology is the mortal enemy of art’ (Rodchenko, c. 1922) and that they, the Constructivists, declared ‘irreconcilable war against art’ (Rodchenko, c. 1922). Despite being very attracted to their style of design, I believe their ideas to be very limiting, especially in the realm of modern technology that we have today. I think that due to the strong geometric shapes and photo-realistic elements, they could be helped rather than hindered by modern pieces of software such as Adobe Photoshop and InDesign.
(Rodchenko, 1924)
In a wider sense, I believe that the introduction of new technologies has been incredibly interesting as new art forms and approaches are developed. For example, light painting is an eerie form that has been refined to create images that look far too modern for even today, and this draws the viewer in to question how it has been down and really evoke an interaction.
(Wöllert&Miedza, 2008)
However, despite the entrancing forms that come with advancements in technology, sometimes we can get carried away with these and forget the work we are actually creating. ‘I do see a challenge for artists to be simultaneously more open to new technologies that lead to novel forms of expression, and also staying truly creative and imaginative.’ (Gever, 2017). No matter how much technology is advanced, there will always be interest in learning from the precise work and techniques of the past, such as letterpress and calligraphy which are being brought back in specialist forms.
Bibliography:
Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group. (2014). [ebook] Des Moines. Available at: https://issuu.com/rachelgweeks/docs/manifesto_issuu [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].
Rodchenko, A. (1924). Soviet Poster featuring Lilya Brik. [image] Available at: https://theredlist.com/wiki-2-24-525-770-810-view-1920s-4-profile-lilya-brik.html [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].
Wöllert&Miedza (2008). Super Natural Breakdancer. [image] Available at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/SuperNaturalBreakdancer.jpg [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].
Gever, E. (2017). Tech & art: Engineering the future. [online] BBC News. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19576763 [Accessed 26 Oct. 2017].