The Techspressionist Manifesto
techspressionism
/tek’spreSHəˌnizəm/
An artistic style in which technology is utilized as a means to express emotional experience rather than impressions of the external world.
ROOT WORDS :
technology /tekˈnäləjē/
The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.
expressionism /ikˈspreSHəˌnizəm/
A style of painting, music, or drama in which the artist or writer seeks to express emotional experience rather than impressions of the external world.
The Manifesto of Techspressionism (v1.0)
1) The computer, and technology in general, are not separate from humankind, but a natural extension of us.
2) Technology is a continuum which is as old as humanity, not a novelty or fad.
3) The computer is one of a long string of tools which have enabled human expression, including the typewriter, the camera, the printing press, the pen, the pencil, and paint.
4) At this point in human history, nothing is truly computer generated, even when code determines the output, as with the work of the Algorists. The human mind has always provided the code, thus resulting in works which may be more accurately described as computer-assisted.
5) This may change, as the Singularity, as predicted by Kurzweil, is a very real possibility.
6) Coding is an art like any other. Good code is as beautiful and valid as any poetry.
7) Artificial intelligence is a misnomer. There is carbon-based intelligence and silicon-based intelligence (see number 5). Artificial intelligence, if it does exist in some definition, probably resides in both of these manifestations.
8) The scientific method can be applied to anything, including the realm of aesthetics.
9) A successful image makes you stop and look at it. If you share it with someone else as a result of what you see, it is more successful. This is Dawkins’ concept of Memetics at work. (see The Art Meme)
10) There is no postmodern. There is only the present, the future and the past. What is present is what is modern, and what is modern is the moment. The moment is to be embraced.
Colin Goldberg
September 2014
Greenport, New York
NB: This text draws inspiration from artistic manifestos of the past, including Marinetti’s Futurist Manifesto and Breton’s Surrealist Manifesto.
An exhibition entitled Colin Goldberg: Techspressionism is on view at Glenn Horowitz Bookseller in East Hampton through November 11, 2014.
