Performance Art
While some may believe we are close to achieving the purest art form that technology has to offer, I see it another way. Understanding the differences between live performance and a recorded performance are often difficult due to the relative appreciation of every individual. Consensus in the arts is very hard to come by, but when it does, it is obvious. The digital age has allowed for the consumer of music, movies, Internet video sensations and various other forms of performance art in our times. It is important to analyze both the benefits and the negative impacts this technology has brought while forcing the artistic world to conform to its principles. The purpose of this essay is to examine the effect that technology has had on performance art within the last decade highlighted by the computer medium as a primary source of entertainment.
The most beneficial impact of digital music, in my opinion, is the accessibility that this form possesses. Instantaneous acquisitions and seamless transaction define this way of attaining music and other art forms. CD stores and movie rental stores are quickly becoming a thing of the past as on-demand entertainment reaches across all spans of entertainment. Most likely your cable provider can provide a movie that you've been looking for. This is much easier...
Google any picture and you can see various forms of art that were impossible to see nearly 20 years ago without actually going to museum. This is an obvious benefit, however such instantaneous gratification comes with a price.
Although this accessibility has saved time and energy in acquiring this music, it is just as important to examine the quality of the music that's being produced. YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and other social media outlets provide a means for every single person in the world to announce his or her art form in a digital form. Write a song and put it on YouTube if you want, and if it's good, hopefully somebody will watch it and enjoy it. However the quality of this music undoubtedly suffers. In search of the real good music, we are now forced to muddle through all the poor performances that before, were not available and were filtered out by the past conventional means of producing music.
Comparing a recorded piece of music to a live performance of music demonstrates the impact of live energy and what it can do and add specific performance. The energy of the crowd and its contribution to the performance art should never be underestimated and certainly not eliminated…
