At the recent Media Lab faculty retreat led by our new director Frank Moss, we had an interesting time discussing our favorite topic here at the Lab -- the future. It's never easy to discuss the future when you're living in the present of the course, but with the impressive array of colleagues I have here it's not that difficult.
Digital music impresario Tod Machover and the mind of Lego's Mindstorm Mitch Resnick led a discussion about the future of creativity. It was here that the past collided with the future, or at least in my mind. The timeless question in art arose: What matters more: the process of creating an artwork, or just the artwork alone? There are only a few variants to this answer. My simple mind calculates four total:
process outcome matters doesn't matter doesn't matter matters matters matters doesn't matter doesn't matter
The "correct" answer is that all are actually correct. Is one more correct than the other? Probably not. But maybe. I'm not sure.
Technologists usually feel that the process matters. For instance, the classical engineer will marvel at a painting by getting up close and from the perspective of the fractally pattern in the drying of the pigments, and might inadvertently ignore the picture being depicted itself. On the other hand, a non-technologist might only marvel at the picture alone without need to understand or acknowledge the process by which the image was created.
A deeper interpretation of art usually involves understanding both the process and the outcome -- knowing the story behind an artwork creates a more meaningful connection perhaps. But knowing nothing about an artwork and still being able to appreciate it ... is that not the result of true genius?
That neither process nor outcome matter -- that art does not matter at all. There are greater issues in the world than art. Some would think this. Which to choose when you are truly hungry. A beautiful painting by Monet of an apple? Or a real apple that is bruised and ugly? The choice is simple for anyone I think.
In terms of my own prejudices, I think that I can easily rule out two of the four, and decide on the remaining two as the current and future drivers of my work.
process outcome mattersdoesn't matterdoesn't matter matters mattersmattersdoesn't matter doesn't matter
Oddly ten years ago I would have marked these choices in complete opposite. I have a few springs left so I shall not worry about this as there might be time left to pick completely different choices in the future. And thus I know my own future. I hope you know yours too. But don't worry, it will probably change from what you imagine now. Isn't that the point?
Posted by maeda at July 20, 2006 07:36 PM