I wrote this in 1995 for a student newspaper at the start of my Masters degree in Drama/Multimedia prior to the advent of Youtube and social media.
The personal computer has revolutionised our lives, both socially and in the workplace. In the home it has reversed the roles of parents and children, empowering the children (whose knowledge of computers is frequently far greater) and creating an inverted generation gap. New technology has thrown us into the midst of the second industrial revolution, and society is reeling from the aftermath. It is the same fear of the machine that has re-emerged after two hundred years.
The original industrial revolution created new class distinctions and changes in the organisation of work. New social and vocational classes emerged that were distinguished by virtue of ownership, or control of the physical means of production. The same is happening now, and the resentment and resistance to colossal change has been resurrected.
Society is becoming decentralised, deregulated and possibly dehumanised. Are we living in a world of digital ethnic groups? As cultural boundaries collapse under the weight of the information superhighway, are we, the human end users of all this technology the winners or the losers?
Traditional aesthetics are under attack, as are all our social values. Art cannot be separated from the society in which it is created, just as a potter moulds clay, so society ‘moulds’ art. Artists throughout the ages have drawn on their beliefs, fears, passions and hopes, all of which have been influenced by the society in which they lived. The tools to construct and navigate virtual worlds are becoming increasingly affordable, intuitive and widespread. As the Internet becomes a part of the very fabric of our society, we are experiencing an online population explosion.
The transition from science fiction to reality is creating social, political and cultural challenges, the aesthetics of ‘technotopia’ are emerging in cyberspace. We are at the dawn of a new era, the Internet is forcing us to think and act globally. So, where will this leave the Arts in our new computer linked global community?
Will cyberspace become the performance space of the future? What changes will we have to make in training the artist? Computer skills will, and are becoming essential attributes for artists. Our potential audience is no longer limited by physical boundaries, and we have the opportunity to truly bring art to the masses. We are rapidly approaching the point where it will become possible to display multimedia productions on the Internet in a form accessible to millions of online users.
Multimedia is more able to cater for the diverse tastes of modern society because it is so much more flexible, and less reliant on purely human skills. We can achieve a myriad of effects simply by scanning a photograph and using software to apply filters, distortion, even lighting effects. ‘Works of art’ can be created in minutes, but does this devalue the work of the artist? Does the artist sign the work or does the software?
Human culture is transforming from one that was predominantly local, linear, and print based, into one that is polyphonic, electronic, global and dominated by media.
The power of the Arts as a potentially great educator and provider of imaginative insight, needs to be harnessed to promote greater understanding among the the ‘members’ of our new global community. Censorship of the Internet could bring about automatic censorship of online art. How will this affect creativity?
As society faces its first monumental upheaval since the industrial revolution, the Arts is struggling to find a place in our new era of electronic culture. Art is the product of the human imagination, what we are taking pleasure in is the mind’s power over nature. What pleasure will we take in the computer’s power over people?
So, what steps are we taking to train tomorrow’s artists? Are educational institutions changing the way they teach potential artists? I think not. Are drama departments teaching computer literacy? Where are the lecturers who can train students in the creation of multimedia projects? Unfortunately we are still ‘carrying candles’ backstage. Not only is there a severe lack of practical experience, particularly in drama, but even more detrimental is the absence of technology.
Too much emphasis is still being placed on history and theory. We seem to be constantly looking backwards instead of forwards. Is theatre, in particular, a dying art? Are the educational institutions contributing to its demise? We are approaching a new millennium, and in severe danger of losing that which has always been an intrinsic part of civilisation.
I suggest we re-train the trainer, so that Arts graduates might at least have the chance of working in their chosen industry. Of equal importance, will the ‘cyberwise’ audiences of tomorrow still pay to see the candles flicker?
Kaz reporting from a potentially empty theatre…