TECHNOLOGY + HEART
Beautiful Tasmania. For a few years now I’ve kept my eyes peeled for a good excuse to make it down to Hobart and check out the legendary MONA. It’s reputation surely precedes it, and for good reason. I thoroughly enjoyed my day in this museum.
Not only famed for it’s collections of old and new art, what is just as impressive is how the work is contextually framed and your journey is laid before you with a personalised iPhone. As you wander through, chamber after chamber of art, you can click on an icon of the work situated closest to you and read or listen to an array of commentary. Your journey is then tracked, and the information also emailed to you for further perusal at a later time.
My favourite example of this was the gorgeous Brett Whitely painting The Naked Studio. I sat, mesmerised in front of it listening to the Bob Dylan song Lay Lady Lay as recommended and provided by the app. As I understand Whitely had a strong affinity with Dylan. And I will now always think of this image when I hear this song.
The Naked Studio by Brett Whiteley
There was also a great commentary by Elizabeth Pearce, that I read later, revealing yet another window into the painting; about love, or rather an incapacity for love..
“Whitely’s love, too, seems to me from looking at this painting to be consuming and destructive. He looks like he’s chewing Wendy up, but not before he breaks her into pieces more easily digested.”
This was such a full and well rounded experience that absolutely embraced modern technology. And the kind of technology that we so often criticise for pulling our more intimate channels of personal interaction apart.
But perhaps sometimes things fall apart, in order to rebuild them in new ways. And it is so refreshing to see technology being used in a creative way that is holistically engaging.
An artist who I think provides a wonderful example of this is Miranda July, who recently created an idea for an app alongside this short film (below), giving life and weight to it’s conceptual design. I think it is genius, and applaud her progressive and inventive creativity.