Assignment # 3 - Has Technology Killed Our Creative Instincts?

By: Lenie Lucci

I decided to tell a story with my photos. Showing that technology hasn't killed are creative instincts - despite being highly distracting. But really, everything is distracting for the easily distracted right? 

Throughout history, art and creativity have prevailed. Poverty, famine and wars didn't stop the inspired - so a little iPhone isn't going to cause worldwide creative ruin.

My thoughts are, like we saw with techno-biophilia, technology and art are more interrelated than you'd think. In fact, technology has helped create new kinds of creative expressions that have become staples of our time. Not to mention, the Internet and social media have opened the doors to collaboration giving artists access to creative ecologies and the opportunity to share their work - which is probably one of the most important factors in fostering creativity.

Flickr set link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/122323602@N02/sets/72157643421856534/

This is what art used to look like. This is what it meant to be an artist.

Througout history, art has been used; to commemorate events,

as social commentary,

for story-telling,

and of course to depict beauty,

In a world where technology is king and face-to-face interaction with anything is limited, have we lost our passion for art? More importantly, Does technology distract us all from finding our inner artist?

No.

Actually technology has made it easier than ever to discover our inner artists.

Ok, yes technology is distracting and strong arguments exist that it makes us all passive viewers instead of active participants.

iPhones are the heroine of the 21st century, addictive and distracting from the world around us.

But creativity prevails for the inspired...

Technology can actually bring us closer to art allowing us to constantly discover and re-disover.

We are re-interpreting art through our devices, giving them new life. This re-interpretation, is in itself a creative endeavour.

We are creating new genres of art - for example the "meme". Creativity in a mediated outlet, that reflects technology and the means of social commentary today.

The canvass is different, but the desire to be creative remains. It's an evolution of the artistic mind-set, not a murdering of it.

We've explored the idea of techno-biophilia. We know that nature and technology and architecture work together. Well why can't technology work with art too?

Just because the way we paint is different...

doesn't mean the desire to paint is gone. In fact, technology brings creative ecologies to the forefront encouraging artistic work.

For those of us drawn to art, technology works to enhance our ability to be artists in a fast-paced environment. In fact, without technology, I'm doubtful that any of us would have time to be creative at all.

The open source nature of the internet means that we actually get to be closer to creative ideas - uninhibited by regulation and limited access. Also, making it easier to collaborate - which spurs creativity.

We can be our own publishers and get our work out there. Authors, artists and creatives alike have never had an easier time participating in creative ecologies. Sharing ideas.

Assignment #2 Collective Intelligence – The Impact and Benefits of Nature

By: Jonathan Krywulak

Green Fix

In this article, Naomi Lubick suggests that although past research has made a compelling case for the healing affects of nature, the direct causes related to “nature’s curative powers” (2013, p. 42) has been difficult to determine due to the medial field largely overlooking it. Lubick references E.O. Wilson who suggested nature’s restorative benefits to human beings is the result of an evolutionary process between the natural world and the human mind.  This helps to explain our “innate preference for such scenery and provide(s) clues as to why such scenes might trigger restorative brain responses” (p. 42), even if those scenes are artificially constructed.  This can possibly explain why simulated natural environments help people recover faster (deceases in heart rate and stress) in hospitals or feel better in office settings.  Artificial images of nature have the ability to generate a response from the human brain that can result in a variety of psychological and physical health benefits. According to Lubick,  “faking nature will help us hone in on exactly how the real things might be promoting healing, but more importantly, it might help bring nature’s benefits to those of us trapped in places where nature cannot follow”  (p. 44).  As technology advances, it will be interesting to see how nature continues to be simulated in the not so natural world.

Biophilia: Does Visual Contact with Nature Impact on Health and Well-Being?

Bjorn Grinde and Grete Grindal Patil examine the influence plants and other aspects of the natural world have on the human mind.  They suggest that like all other species, humans “have been shaped by forces of evolution” (2009, p. 2333) and it was particularly early in history that humans and the natural world were closely united in order to survive.  It was during this time, according to Grinde and Patil, that plants became an integral part of the human environment, thus evolving alongside the human mind.  Based on this theoretical perspective it is thought that humans “have adapted to live in a green environment” (p. 2333), and any deviation away from the environment may result in unsettling affects such as disease or reduced life quality.  I found this part of the article most interesting as provides a possible reason as to why humans seem to be more calm, comfortable, and balanced (in mind, body, & spirit) when they see or are around nature.  By being close to plants, people are experiencing what they always been accustomed to since early history.  I think in many ways this serves to explain why people have an urge to be around nature and why often times their health and well-being benefit as a result of being around it.  As noted by Grinde and Patil’s, “nature appears to have qualities useful for stress relief, mental restoration, and improved mood simply by being consciously or unconsciously “pleasing to the eye” (p. 2336).  Interaction with plants both indoors and outdoors are encouraged as it serves to benefit the human body and mind.

The Human Relation with Nature and Technological Nature

In this article, Peter Kahn questions whether or not it matters for the physical and psychological wellbeing of humans that actual nature is being replaced by technological nature. He argues that it does matter and his analysis of the question raises the concern that as we move away from actual nature “the baseline across generations for what counts as a full measure of the human experience and of human flourishing” will be lowered.  This may substantially affect the human connection to the natural world and have a negative impact on the physical and psychological well-being of humans.  In his study using plasma HDTV’s to simulate nature, Kahn came to the conclusion that real nature is better than technological nature however technological nature is in many ways better than no nature at all. The general trend provided by research suggested that “interacting with technological nature provides some but not all the enjoyments and benefits of interacting with actual nature” (2009, p. 41).   I agree with this statement as I think technology can afford humans a lot of different opportunities to connect and experience the natural world. Various technological tools have the ability to create mood and provide imagery that people can resonate with, however, I feel that interacting with real nature can generate greater benefits as it relates to physical and psychological well-being.

References

My Delicious link:
 https://delicious.com/jkreek

Lubick, N. (2013). Green fix. New Scientist, 218(2921), 42-44. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0262407913615018

Grinde, B., & Patil, GG. (2009). Biophilia: Does visual contact with nature impact on health and well-being? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 6(9), p. 2332-2343. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/a/ualberta.ca/file/d/0B21EMxFJbDZ6bnVuVldDQ28xbWs/edit?pli=1

Kahn, P., Severson, R., & Ruckert, J. (2009). The human relation with nature and technological nature. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18, p. 37–42. Retrieved from http://depts.washington.edu/hints/publications/Human_Relation_Technological_Nature.pdf