Subcultures, Screens, and Signals

The Intersect of Tech and Art

In this episode, we discuss how art and technology intersect in various contexts, starting with a goth art festival on a decommissioned aircraft carrier and moving through topics like design education's evolution to embrace technology. The latest episode emphasizes the importance of blending creativity with systems thinking, allowing artists to shape change rather than just adapt to it. We also explore the complexities of AI's role in art, questioning its impact on authorship and the creative process. Lastly, we reflect on how discernment may emerge as a crucial skill in a world overwhelmed by information.

Find the latest episode at https://theintersect.art/issues/49 , and sign up for the newsletter at The Intersect of Tech and Art website

Key Take-aways:

• Goth artists are transforming a decommissioned aircraft carrier into a venue for art, music, and subcultural expression, challenging expectations about where creative communities can thrive.
• Istituto Marangoni’s Milano Design School has introduced programs focused on AI, robotics, and virtual reality, highlighting the shift toward integrating technology at every stage of design education.
• Salvador Dalí’s long-lost screenplay, “Giraffes on Horseback Salad,” is being interpreted using Google’s AI video platform, raising questions about authorship and the relationship between artist, technology, and legacy.
• French-Moroccan artist Hicham Berrada creates works by setting scientific processes in motion, letting chemistry and time shape the outcome, and prompting reflection on impermanence and materiality in art.
• NASA astronaut Don Pettit’s footage of green auroras from the International Space Station offers a new perspective on natural phenomena, blending scientific observation with artistic wonder.
• Adobe is introducing AI agents for Photoshop and Premiere Pro that can execute creative tasks based on natural language prompts, aiming to make technical processes more accessible without replacing creative judgment.
• The “Signal to Noise” exhibition at Melbourne’s National Communication Museum questions whether we are still in the information age or if information has become indistinguishable from noise, focusing on the challenges of clarity amid constant data.
• The issue ties together themes of subculture, the evolving role of technology in creative work, and the challenge of maintaining meaning in environments saturated by information.