The Trajectory Series at the Villa Terrace Shows Technology as a Behavior that's an Extension of Us
With the evolution of modern technology such as the internet, social media and being able to do anything from your phone, people’s perception of technology is one-lane focused. People tend to forget that technology at its simplest form is using basic tools to develop something else, such as the axe.
The first axe was made from stone and wood. Two simple tools that already have their own behaviors came together to create a new behavior, which is what guest-curator Christopher Willey wants to show at The Trajectory Series exhibition.
“All our behaviors start as this simple thing and then are combined into these elaborate patterns,” Willey said about the constant evolution of technology, and how our behaviors change with it.
The Toaster Project by Thomas Thwaites. (Picture by A Bill Miller/the Artist)
Willey has been working on this series for three years based off an idea that technology is not just an “it”, but more so a behavior that is extension of us all. For the last few years, Willey searched for artists who fit into this idea of thinking as technology in a more complex, but simple way. Through his search, he found artists such as Thomas Thwaites, who created “The Toaster Project”.
Thwaites wanted to make toast but from a toaster he created solely by himself, which involved smelting iron ore in a microwave oven.
The Toaster Project is just one example of how technology influences our behaviors. Toast has become so normalized that we don’t even think twice about how many different simple technologies, with their own behaviors, had to come together to create a new technology with a new behavior.
We forget about the “elaborate systems that we have in place in order to enjoy everyday pleasures like toast,” Willey said.
According to Willey, his first experience with technology was learning words.
A seal from the Fertile Crescent. (Picture by Nyesha Stone)
“We often don’t have memories until we have words,” Willey said. Yet, he said learning words has its restrictions.
“Words have a storage problem, which is why we have writing,” he added.
Willey sees writing is another form of technology that has influenced our behaviors, since its creation. So, it’s no surprise that The Trajectory Series has art that displays the power of words, writing and speaking.
The Trajectory Series explores multiple aspects of technology that are still prevalent today. Back in 2003, artist Edurado Kac spent five years engineering a plant to grow. He infused his blood into a Petunia, which created the “Edunia”. Since then, the flower has grown veins and is the only flower to produce human protein.
Natural History of the Enigma. (Picture by Nyesha Stone)
As the Director of the Immersive Media Lab and Lecturer at the Peck School of the Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who teaches creativity, Willey wants to speak new though when it comes to The Trajectory Series.
“I want to illuminate that creativity is pushing technology and technology is impacting our behaviors,” Willey said.
The Trajectory Series exhibition is available at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, located at 2220 N. Terrace Ave., from Feb. 27, 2020 to July 26, 2020. To find out more about the series, click here. To contact Christoper Willey, click here.