Can Art & Tech Co-exist?
I‘m sometimes asked what I do and I usually have no definite answer.
I have always been a tech whiz (not to be confused with nerd). I was one of those kids who built smart pencil cases for the other kids. I forgive you for not understanding what I mean by Smart Pencil Set.
A smart pencil set is one which is able to perform something different, other than the noble duty of keeping your pencils (maybe fountain pen or biro if you were in upper primary) safe and in one place.
It did not in any way keep your friend’s sticky fingers away from thiefing away your long, sharp, spanking new HB Pencil. In actual fact, this smart thing would draw attention to you **nope🙊** to your pencil case, and make your peers be amazed at your ingenuity. Ever feel like Einstein? Never? They’d implore on you all day long to explain to them how you managed to do that and all you’d reply with is “Eureka” because you might have as well been related to Archimedes.
It would be a matter of time before your idea is copied by others and the fame is all but lost, but you'd enjoy it while it lasted. This is how you get over your height disadvantage and keep your name in people’s mouths. Sad thing is that you are a bit blabbery. You can't keep your newly found secrets to yourself and sing your heart out. And sing you can, the music teacher even considers you for a lead role in the next musical, a solo maybe.
You tell your best friend, turns out she also has other best friends. Your music teacher was right — you have talent! Turns out maybe you ain’t that much of a nerd. Did I say nerd🙊.
Everyone is now sporting your smart pencil case. Your ticket to Silicon Valley is now all but a dream. But you were made to be resilient. You decide to incorporate a few tweaks into your design. Decide to use different parts here and there. Move from metallic parts to plastic ones. Discover that the more you make incremental changes, the better it becomes. This is where you decide to incorporate a few pieces of art into it.
I’m sure by right now you are wondering where am I headed with this? You probably clicked on this to read on how art influences tech and vice versa. Probably you wanted to know how geeky tech stuff and artsy artistic stuff blend into each other. What’s my angle here?
Well, the smart set is the first thing that came into mind when I set out to write on this topic. It was one of my earliest proud moments where I was able to repurpose and use my different abilities. With a little knowledge of physics, I managed to put in a small halogen bulb that lit up only when I opened up the case. The switch was made out of a success card switch — you know, the ones that play a sound once opened(or is this a thing only in Kenya🤔).
Inside it, lived my mini posters and stickers of cartoons and cars that would fold out into a large poster. While, this took up most of the space meant for pencils and biros, I loved having the people that I looked up to nearby.
And it is, with these many words that I present to you the first memorable object that showed me that art and science can coexist. IN A PENCIL BOX
I’m hoping to turn this into a design series. Where I move from an inexperienced designer to a more seasoned one.
