Technology has played a big part in the development of modern art, constantly providing artists with new means of expression. For example, back in 2012 Coachella music festival, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre did the first live hologram performance with the hologram of Tupac Shakur, a deceased rapper.

But what's often overlooked is art's influence on technology; many new forms of technology are direct results of artistic influence, as pointed out by Professor Vesna. Using an advanced technology called cryostats, Lexus recently created the first realistic hoverboard that actually hovers above the ground, just like Marty McFly's hoverboard in the movie Back to the Future II.

(Marty McFly on a hoverboard in Back to the Future II)

It is safe to say that art and technology have progressed in a mutually beneficial relationship; however, technology has a way of systematizing the production of art, and many art piece loses its originality when it's being mass produced, explained by Benjamin in “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”. One great example is the iPhone. The clean, modern, and intuitive design was truly the masterpiece of an ingenious artist. But as it becomes mass-produced and easily accessible -- so easy that it becomes complimentary gifts of purchasing new phone plans. The design is no longer a novelty, and worse yet, copycats make a fortune from it.

  (the first iPhone)

After this week's lecture, I'm more aware of the influence of art on technology, and this has allowed me to look at normal objects in a completely different light.

Sources

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

Vesna,Victoria. “Lecutre Part 2.” Math + Art. 12 Oct. 2012. Lecture.

Back to the Future Part II. Dir. Robert Zemeckis. Prod. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Michael J. Fox. Universal, 1989.

Tupac Hologram Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre Perform Coachella Live 2012. Perf. Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre. N.p., 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGbrFmPBV0Y>.

Risen, Tom. "A Real Hoverboard? The Future Is Now." U.S. News. N.p., 5 Aug. 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. <http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/08/05/lexus-hoverboard-inspired-by-back-to-the-future>.