Second Class Reading

Bishop talks quite a bit about old media versus new media, stating that many still prefer to use "real analog equipment" (as in old media). Her reasons include the idea of old media being more rare and therefore being "precious," while new digital art is easy and cheap to recreate. Do you think this a valid point? What about those that create to be seen? Far more people will see art that is easily replicated. Yet there are also those that create art to make a living, and these are the ones that easily replicated art can hurt. What are other reasons that art is created and how might the old versus new battle factor in?

Bishop also "introduces" the idea of "ineligibility," which refers to the fact that humans skim as they take something in. While reading, we skim for main ideas; while watching a movie we see important things, but can miss small details; and with art, we look over the surface, often failing to dig deeper into the piece. Many artists have accommodated this and created art accordingly. For instance, artists making massive pieces that a single viewer will not completely comprehend, but is instead expected to skim over. Is this really a new idea though? One that has just appeared since digital art? Human beings have discovered new things and ways of doing things, but we have always been able to skim. With our first books I'm sure people did it because that is how our minds function. Other examples include the forefathers taking in a battlefield and figuring out what to do, they didn't have the time to examine every little thing on that field. The same goes for sailing on the ocean, which has been around long before digital art as well. Captains had to look and make a decision instantly because things change instantly, they had to be able to skim the scene and figure out what was important, so, is the idea of "filter and graze, skim and forward" really a new one that is unique to digital art?