Pick-up a kit free from the Social STUDIO during the Art Center’s open hours.
Three projects in one kit?! This is something special. Aritst-in-the-STUDIO residents, Amanda Tollefson and Anika Kowalik created work relating to the exhibition theme of Return to the Real, prompted by the question: “What is real to you, and what is the opposite?” Packed up with the materials to create the Analog/Digital Accordion Book, this STUDIO project also includes a copy of the oracle interpretation zine and a 12-sided dice designed by Amanda and the project instructions for Sharing a Memory designed by Anika.
Now, let’s get to the accordion book.
Technology has evolved quickly over the past few decades. We can now pick up a smartphone and talk over video, take pictures and share them instantly, and send messages with the click of a button. Do these digital connections feel less personal than a conversation in person, a photograph in a photo album, or a letter in the mail? Why or why not?
In 1982, author John Naisbitt used the term “high touch” to describe a way that people can respond to technology. He proposed a way for people to approach technology from a different point of view rather than trying to stop it.
The 6 artists in High Touch do this in their artwork. They use technology to research, plan, and create analog works of art that transform the virtual into something real. The texture, scale, and mass of their work asks us to look closely, listen carefully, and think about how it feels to spend time with a real object.
High Touch is a part of the series Return to the Real. The exhibitions in this series ask us to spend time with real objects and consider how that experience cannot be replaced by digital images or videos. Just as Amanda and Anika, we ask you the same question: “What is real to you, and what is opposite?“
How to Make Your Analog/Digital Accordion Book
Step 1
Use a piece of paper or open a document digitally where you can create a chart. If you picked up a kit from the STUDIO, feel free to use the chart on the back of the High Touch card. Divide the page in half and on one side write Analog and on the other write Digital. Think about the difference between the two. When talking about technology, analog to us means something that is not computerized or digital. For example, an analog watch has hands that move to tell the time, and a digital watch has a screen. What are the activities, people, places, and emotions you associate with digital and analog? Use the chart to capture your thoughts.
You can also choose a new pair of opposites to think about the prompt. For example, you might compare the differences between dreams and experiences, watching and doing, or thinking and sharing.
Step 2
Create your accordion book. Learn step-by-step how to put your book together by watching the video. Use the ideas from your chart to fill the inside of your book once it’s assembled.
Photos of the examples Hannah shows at the end of the video can be found below.
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