Digital technology... a blessing or a curse?

Questioning today’s excessive use of, and reliance on, technology is a broad a task as defining art, or finding the meaning of life. Our lives are corrupt because of the sheer power it holds over us, but without it, we would be a lesser and depreciated race.

Image via Discover Magazine

Charles Darwin’s well-known ‘natural selection’ theory depicts a battle for survival in nature, the 'survival of the fittest'. Applied to modern advances in our digital world, today the most efficient and  successful survive and success relies, more often than not, on keeping up to date with latest technological advancement.

So it would be wrong to argue that we should take a step back with technology since civilisation once functioned without for so long, as the desire to continually improve is merely an instinct. We have reached incredible medical feats because of groundbreaking engineering, just take a look at Zac Vawter's astonishing achievement because of the complex integration of technology into the human body.

Technology also aids in creating a sadder reality of materialism and perhaps a more lazy and gullible society. In cosmetics, even a familiar tube of toothpaste seems to be engineered far beyond loyal old bicarb, and women have never before been able to achieve such luscious lashes.  

‘Blessing’ is perhaps the wrong word. It is not something today’s generation have earned or necessarily deserved. However 'curse' alludes to burden or hindrance. We are trapped by our own need to know more, do more and be better so will continue developing further where we can. We will not be able to escape this obsession with technology, nor will we find peace with it.

Manet: artistic rebel

Image via the Royal Academy of Arts

With his serene impressionist landscape paintings and sophisticated portraiture, it's hard to believe Édouard Manet was the controversial Damien Hirst or Tracey Emin of his time. His most notable rebellion came in his portrayal of 19th century Parisian life. 

His Le déjeuner sur l'herbe (Lunch on the grass) was rejected for exhibition in the Paris Salon but was later displayed in Le Salon des Refusés (The room of rejected). The painting was a shocking statement of the artist's own freedom and alludes to a political and social confrontation.

The Royal Academy of Arts is holding an exhibition focusing entirely on Manet's portraiture and reveals his modern approach to Parisian culture of the opulent 1800's. Manet: Portraying Life will be available to view until 14th April of this year.

Print is not dead: Boat Magazine

Boat Magazine was born out of our passion for storytelling, our obsession with traveling to new places, and our habit of buying way too many good-looking magazines.

Image via www.boat-mag.com 

The team at the Boat studio picks up their Kings Cross shop twice a year and settles for three weeks in a city that has a story to tell. The pair responsible are husband and wife Davey and Erin Spens. Their intention is to refresh our out of date preconceptions of perhaps war torn and crisis bitten cities, travelling to the heart and drawing the truth from experience. 

Boat collaborates with locals to create the most eye opening, personal and honest stories, ones that could never be found from a Google search. Beautiful photographic spreads entail the team's experiences from the centre of the action and written pieces and interviews are thoughtful and true.

Flicking through the pages, you'll be hit with a wonderful waft of rich ink and musky paper. This magazine really is the antidote to 'churnalism', but usually being shelved in the boats and fishing sections of newsagents, it does not get the attention it deserves.

Catch up with Boat's latest venture: Kyoto, and subscribe to Boat here.  

The Emperor’s Dilemma

Our isolation as, what is supposedly the most dramatically advancing and intelligent species on earth, is staggering. While we strive for superiority, we partake in a religious compliance with what we consider the norm, even fearing possible consequences if these conventions are not adhered to. 

Coined from Hans Christian Anderson’s well-known tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes, 'The Emperor’s Dilemma’ is a model of a social scenario where the choice to comply with and enforce a norm that is supported by a few fanatics, and opposed by the vast majority, has to be made. We continuously seek confirmation from others that our actions comply with convention.

With this in mind I conducted an experiment. I wanted to confront conventions in the most conformist part of London I knew. So naturally, I took a suited clown to the business district and watched the social breeches unravel. He appeared in crowds, on the underground and  in office blocks, metaphorically as naked as the Emperor, yet the majority of passers by pretended to be unaware. I was approached three times by officials asking for filming permits, each in different train stations. The shocked reaction of not knowing I needed one and swearing the camera would not reappear, was sufficient for all. 

An insight into the clown's experience was also curious. Still painted with clown, the red nose was restricting his breathing so he took it off…

“See now I look silly!” 

He then put the nose back on.

By forcing the clown upon London, I had no expectations of making a lasting impression on the mechanics of society, but I hoped to induce a sense realisation of the somewhat comedic values in the way these conventions have been evolving without us noticing.