Computers have revolutionized various fields, including art and design. Historically, artists and designers relied on traditional tools like paintbrushes, pencils, and paper. Today, technology has opened up a plethora of options that blend creativity with digital precision.
One of the most significant contributions of computers to art and design is the creation and manipulation of digital images. Software such as Adobe Photoshop and CorelDRAW offers powerful tools that enable you to edit, enhance, and create stunning visuals effortlessly.
Apart from image editing, computers have also facilitated the integration of complex graphics and animations into different media. Tools like Blender and Autodesk Maya allow for sophisticated 3D modeling and animation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in both artistic and practical applications.
Where would the Impressionists be without the invention of portable paint tubes that allowed them to capture the outdoors on canvas? And could Andy Warhol have become a household name without silkscreen printing? The reality is that technology has long equipped artists with innovative tools to express their visions.
However, in recent decades, the bond between art and technology has grown even stronger. Whether it’s merging different media, enhancing human interaction, or simply streamlining the creative process, technology has fundamentally reshaped the art world.
Here areAnother favorite at “Digital Revolution” is an experience called “Petting Zoo.” Instead of rubbing cute goats and furry rabbits, you get to cozy up to snake-like tubes hanging from the ceiling. Doesn’t sound like fun? But wait, these are very responsive tubes, bending and moving and changing colors based on how they read your movements, sounds and touch. They might pull back shyly if they sense a large group approaching or get all cuddly if you’re being affectionate. And if you’re just standing there, they may act bored. The immersive artwork, developed by a design group called seven examples, including some from “Digital Revolution,” of how technology is transforming art and its creation
Lasers have become the brushstrokes of much digital art. One of the standout exhibits in the London show is “Assemblance”. This interactive installation invites visitors to create light structures and floor drawings by moving through colored laser beams and smoke. At first, many people prefer to work solo, but the resulting shapes tend to be delicate. For instance, a nearby person’s accidental collision can easily make it collapse. On the other hand, those who collaborate—even by simply holding hands—discover that their light structures become more resilient and intricate. Usman Haque, one of the founders of Umbrellium, the London art collective behind “Assemblance,” likens it to building a sandcastle—where one overly assertive individual can ruin everything.
Minimaforms offers a glimpse into a future where robots or even artificial pets can read our moods and react accordingly.
If Rising Colorspace, an abstract artwork on a Berlin gallery wall, doesn’t seem remarkable at first, give it some time. Return the next day and you’ll notice it looks slightly different. This is due to a wall-climbing robot called Vertwalker equipped with a paint pen and software that guides it to follow a defined pattern.
Created by artists Julian Adenauer and Michael Haas, the Vertwalker—which resembles a flattened iRobot Roomba—continuously overwrites its own work. It cycles through eight colors as it glides up vertical walls for two to three hours before needing a battery change. “The process of creation is ideally endless,” explains Haas.
