Below is a statement and explanation of my interactive painting entitled "Painting.com".

First of all, I should say that the initial conception of this piece is attributed to nothing more than simple observation. I believe artists are simply observers of our world who communicate those same observations back again using various media. The better ones are often the most perceptive in that they have the ability to communicate observations that most others seem to overlook. I believe, more often than not, societies’ lack of awareness is honestly unintentional (for various reasons). But, I also believe there are still many cases where what we "see" taking place in the world, is more or less chosen – perhaps we are subconsciously selective? (again, for a multitude of reasons).

I would also like to give ample credit to the great conceptual painters of the 1940s - especially those who felt process should take precedence over product. This philosophy of stressing purpose to such an extent always seemed a bit confusing to me, but I developed a better understanding and appreciation for this way of communicating after my experiences with this piece.

Firstly, it’s obvious to all of us that our use of personal and professional electronic communication has been steadily growing since the mid-1980s. But, since the year 2000’, our extreme dependency on this "tool" has become almost frightening.  And for many, its extensive use has become nothing more than an addiction!

There is no disputing that computer technology has bridged many gaps, making interaction with others physically far away possible like never before.  In fact, some believe, because of the Internet, people are now "reaching out" to others and developing relationships much more than they would have otherwise! In some cases this is true.  But, I have to ask - are we really interacting with others more this way?  Or, are we simply replacing one form of interaction with another?  I’m afraid it may be the later.

I will never forget how in the mid-1990s there was a flood of advertising on the airwaves encouraging us to take advantage of this revolutionary new medium and conduct virtually all of our personal and professional business via the Internet - how "convenient" it all is - so we were told!  Web companies such as Petfood.com, Drugstore.com, and Netflix.com promise to make our lives so much efficient by spending more of our time ordering everything we want (or need) Vs getting out of the house and buying it in person.  Apparently, we never need to leave our home again!  From now on, only 10 minutes on the computer, 3 days of waiting, and a short stroll to the mailbox is required.  Shipping companies would surely benefit from this, but this made me think; how does this affect ourselves, our societies, and more importantly, our interactions with others?

If we only thought about the physical aspects of this scenario, it is widely documented that nearly all the industrialized countries of the world (obviously the ones making most use of technology) are the countries with the highest percentage of health problems and obesity!  This is no coincidence, and it’s quite easy for anyone to understand most of the cause.  I cannot help but wonder, if driving to the video store to watch a movie in the convenience of your own home is too time consuming and requires too much physical effort, what are we becoming?  I have even seen Internet proponents prove to the rest of us how one can live at home for an entire year without ever leaving it – ever!  Wow, that’s "great"!  But these same people seem to forget this is not such a revolutionary way to live.  In fact, millions live very much like this every day!  I believe this "lifestyle" is referred to as "incarceration".  I believe I’ll pass.

This now brings us to the topic of human interaction.  Perhaps we take just one example of conducting a daily task over the Internet Vs making use of our physical world.  Let’s assume we need some information that could be obtained by either the Internet, or by our local library.  In the first case, you sit in front of a computer monitor (alone) bring up your search engine, and spend an hour or so scrolling through websites until you find the information you need.  You may view many sources rather quickly!  But hopefully the information is actually credible, you stay on task while on the net, and you don’t get any computer viruses.  This may burn about 20 calories, requires absolutely no social skills, little or no spelling skills (Google has that covered), and in most cases, little cognitive ability.

On the other hand, using the library, one must physically drive (or maybe walk) to the nearest library and you will most likely interact with several people along the way.  The people we may interact with may include one or more librarians, maybe the security guard, other patrons at the library, a gas station attendant, etc.  And by physically being near others, when you’re really only intending to find some information, people often meet purely by accident.  An endless array of personal or professional relationships and outcomes could, and often do, result. None of these same interactions would have taken place had we conducted the same task alone on the Internet.  To meet with (or actually type with) anyone on the Internet, you really have to make an attempt to do so.  And, unless you have the programs and technology, it’s not easy.

Lastly, with this same single scenario, we also raise the issue of economics.  There are the hundreds of people (and the jobs they hold) that would be completely eliminated had we not used this physical alternative. Those eliminated would include the people who designed the library, those who built it, insured it, maintained it, worked in it, etc.  Also affected would be the people who trained, educated, employed, or worked with, this first group of people.  The implications and the people directly, or indirectly, affected go on and on.  But, with our first Internet scenario, only a few researchers and website designers would be required to provide us this same information?  Unfortunately, these are people we never personally meet, get to actually talk to, or ever get to know.

This piece is not an "attack" on our use of technology in daily life.  It would obviously be quite hypocritical of me to conduct this website and proclaim that the Internet is the "downfall of modern society"!  But, we simply cannot substitute people for technology.  And I adamantly believe this is a serious societal concern.  Unfortunately, those who rely on the Internet too greatly don’t even realize their own personal consequences.  Drastic negative changes can easily affect a society, as long as these changes, or "cultural norms", occur slowly.  By presenting this piece of artwork to the public, I hope it serves as a reminder to us all (including myself!) that technology should simply aid our existing real-world experiences, not completely replace them.