Still sifting

So I am still on the quest of navigating through the terminologies on the convergence of art and technology.  It even got to the point where I decided to send an email out to my co-workers which sparked an awesome discussion.  Unfortunately, the questions that I asked was not fully answered.

A co-worked pointed out that this could be my doctoral thesis.  Uh…no..I think :)

I’ve been surfing on the web in this topic for awhile now, and I felt that something was missing.  I’ve realized that essentially I needed a big picture of how all these terms relate to one another before I can proceed to focus on one term/topic.

So what’s the next step? Well, besides researching, it’s pulling all this tidbits of information that I gather into a cohesive “thing”.  I’ve already bookmarked a bunch of links and found numerous diagrams/models that sorta helps with putting things together.  So the next logical step is to come up with a model.  My first model will be based on the definitions only found in Wikipedia.  Need to start small, before I can go big!  Once that is done, I can start incoporating the other bits of info that I found and hopefully soon I can come up with something that explains something in a nutshell!

Don’t worry, I will most definitely keep this model up to date and in a constant state of revision because I am that type of person.

Why am I doing this?  Because.  I can.  I like it.  And oh yea..it’s my passion.

I think my townhouse is trying to kill me

I’ve got more bumps and bruises in the period of one month from living here.  I fell down a few steps and hurt my bum.  Hit the video chair TWICE within the span of 15 mins with my left knee.  Today, as I was removing my hoodie, I hit my elbow on the the corner wall that juts out so now there is a nice slash on my elbow.  And finally, upon cooking I got a few oil splatters burn on me.  I’ve never been this clumsy before!  Sheesh!

Sifting through the terminologies

I am interested in anything and everything that intersects art and technology.  Some examples of this area are: digital art, human computer interaction, information visualization, etc.

As I read up on these various definitions/labels/terms, I came to realize two things.

1) Outdated information.  There’s a lot of it.  Books that were published 5 years ago and tech-oriented are outdated, especially those that try to define terms.
2) Lack of cohesiveness.  Everyone has their own opinion and intepretation on a term.  It’s hard to find a general consensus.

I am perplexed and frustrated with this situation.  I don’t care what the labels are or what the terminlogy is.  It’s just that I am trying to further my knowledge in this area, and in order to find out what is currently going on in the world, I have to rely on these terms to find what I am looking for.

Here is the current list of terms that I have found and am in the process of trying to figure out how it’s interconnected:

  • data visualization
  • experience design
  • human computer interaction
  • human factors
  • info-aesthetics
  • information aesthetic visualization
  • information aesthetics
  • information architecture
  • information design
  • information graphics
  • information visualization
  • interaction design
  • interface design
  • new media design
  • user experience design
  • user interface design

This area where art and technology intersects is cross-disciplinary.  It combines areas such as: art (for example: graphic design), technology, and cognitive psychology.