Trish Tillman: Technology

Washington, DC, area artist, Trish Tillman, continues my recent project by writing about "technology." Tillman is currently showing her work at the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. As usual, I extend an invitation to all local artists who would like to participate in this effort. Just email me!

Ceteris Paribus
Video and LED installation, DVD projection, light emitting diodes, Plexiglas
2005

Trish Tillman: Technology

Technology–seems like a word thrown around so frequently that one runs from the mere thought of it. Truth is, talk about the use of new technology in art seems a bit like a gimmick, one you use when you want to sound important, and usually ends up sounding dry and boring. At one time, curators and critics might not have even considered its place in art. Nonetheless, technology is an unavoidable factor of life, whether we like it or not.

Technology challenges us into thinking beyond what we ourselves are capable of. Whether it is resisted or embraced, everyone is forced to utilize technology in one way or another. When we use new techniques to materialize what we could only previously conceive in our minds, we are continuously redeveloping our basic needs and expanding our frontiers. New technology is not absolutely necessary in order to fulfill our lives, but it is inevitably going to shape our expectations of what is to come.

Digital equipment such as cameras and printers have become so widely accessible to artists in price and quality that almost everyone has dabbled in a multi-media project. Yet, it is the application of such technology that requires a certain degree of skill and tastefulness in order to make a successful work of art. There is nothing worse than a visible edit on a digital image, or muddy, posterized three-quarter tones in a digital print. At the same time, even if a technological project is innovatively crafted, it doesn’t mean the rules of aesthetics should be ignored. No thousand-dollar camera or high-end printer will make up for a clumsy composition or lack of concept and creativity.

I embrace the use of new technology in my own work, digital printing, as I would any other tool in the artmaking process. Depending on the intent of each concept I’m approaching, I am open to working with new techniques that will portray my sentiment most inclusively. My concepts usually start pretty abstract and working themselves into sketches usually takes a few months. During this time, I often consult with experts in other fields just as they consult with me in digital printing. The ability to remain flexible in the work’s development is key, and this I feel is a modern type of collaboration. A great idea that has the ambition to use the most suitable medium and the willingness to sway it one way or the other, will undoubtedly find the technology that is most appropriate for the project.

Elusion
48" x 55" x 3", each panel 48" x 10" x 3"
Chromogenic print, plastic florescent light covers
2004

Previous Posts:

Charles Neenan: Tradition
Kelly Towles: Color
Ryan Mulligan: Originality
Matt Hollis: Confinement
Dean Fueroghne: Originality
James W. Bailey: Obligation
J. Coleman: Depiction
Andy Moon Wilson: Decision
Molly Springfield: Language
Bryan Whitson: Scene
Elyse Harrison: Motivation
Jiha Moon Wilson: Influence
Alexandra Silverthorne: Derivative
Jose Ruiz: Contemporary
Kathleen Shafer: Focus
Jennifer McMackon: Connection
Gregg Chadwick: Responsibility
Warren Craghead: Material
Angela Kleis: Purpose
Peter Reginato: Order
Anna L. Conti: Community
Wayne Schoenfeld: Content
Elizabeth Morisette: Naive
Tim Tate: Craft
Jesse Cohen: Hidden
Greg Ferrand: Experience
Joseph Barbaccia: Commitment
Jamie Wimberly: Burden
Christine Tillman: Discovery
Candy Keegan: Personality
Allison B. Miner: Introspection
Jennifer Miller: Fresh
Rosetta DeBerardinis: Fluid
Marsha Stein: Pride
Tara Krause: Primal
Andrew Krieger: Imagination