LO: My Inspiration

In 2018, I visited the Seoul Mediacity Biennale that was hosted in the Seoul City Art Museum. I remember the theme of the exhibition being “what defines a good life?” A philosophical question that has been raised by the Athens in the past. At the exhibit, I was able to encounter many digital installations and projects that utilizes interaction and computing to reflect the current nature of humanity. Amont them, there was an installation of countless printers installed in the ceiling forming a circle, that was endlessly printing twitter posts that were being posted in real time. If a viewer passes through the drapes of twitter receipts, they were met with two empty chairs facing each other. What really inspired me about this piece was not only the scale, but also the idea of using computing to reflect the over-usage of digital media in the current generation. I thought that the contrast of outer barrier of draping pieces of paper created with coding and the depiction of a serene, genuine human conversation that can occur once one goes beyond the surface layer of the printed drape into the space with chairs. I am not entirely certain what software was used to create the installation, but I am assuming that it would not be too difficult as the function of computing was used to just print twitter posts in real time. I think that this type of artwork provides a way for artwork and computation to be merged to criticize a real life problem and metaphorically suggest people what they are missing out on due to the excess of digitalization in society. As a design major myself, I wish to be able to learn computer science so that I can apply it to create creative projects or to solve problems through design thinking.