Beauty machines : art and technology in the development of photography and the synthesizer

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between art and technology. There seems to be a certain antinomy between the two, both as notions and in their incarnations. Through looking at the development of two different technologies with intrinsic connections to art, this thesis aims for a better understanding on the subject. In the case studies I analyze the development of photography and the process of synthesizing sounds, both as art and technology. The SCOT theory is used as a framework for the research for several reasons. Both art and technology are dynamic and flexible concepts that are subject to interpretable flexibility. In the paper SCOT concepts are used analyzing art as well as technology to further explore the relationship.