dechoes – Reading01

I have a mixed opinion regarding first word and last word art, as I assume many new media artists originally trained in classical art do. I believe that the foresight of what will age well and what will not, is a knowledge acquired through a lot of research, patience, but partially instinct as well. Although it is true that work made with novel technologies often ages poorly, I do not believe it to be a rule of thumb. A good example for this is oil painting: the skill was acquired quickly and to a point of technical mastery that is rarely achieved today. Of course, the content is now out of style, but this has nothing to do with the medium’s state (but rather a cultural one).

I do not believe in the trope of “well, everything has already been made.” It hasn’t. It never will be. And if it did, technical expertise would still play a largely important role in the arts. This is especially the case in the field of new media. The beauty of the medium is that it is largely open source: anyone can make and learn. Until now, the arts were a closed discipline, reserved for those who felt strongly enough about it to choose it as a single vocation. I learn things from my classmates, across disciplines, every single day. I am excited to see what the rest of the world will bring to the table.