Since opening in 1967, there have been thousands of different exhibitions at the John Michael Kohler Art Center. Our curators took a dive into the past and chose to highlight a show from 1987. The show Eccentric Machines presented a range of contemporary mechanical and kinetic artworks highlighting the complex, ever-evolving relationship between machines and humans. The exhibition Archive Dive: Eccentric Machines reflected on the continuing conversation about technology.
Curious how visitors engage with technology today, we decided to ask!
How is technology a part of your day-to-day life?
Social STUDIO visitors posted their answers on the STUDIO fridge. Feel free to share your answers in the comments below!
Answers people have shared:
“Makes communication accessible across the distances.”
“Brought me here to this wonderful place we call ART…”
“Google (try it *winky face*)”
“Gives me the power to listen to music. (Music saved me!)”
“WSUM 91.7 FM Student Radio”
“It helps my son live a healthy, normal life.”
“Like a distracting fly caught around my head, hair, ears.”
“I use it to talk to my friends and do my school work.”
“Help me get my feet back on the ground.”
“It is my major.”
“I use it to write, stay organized, and keep in touch/talk to friends.”
“I like to ride my bike.”
“Gave us directions to get here (and other neat places.)”
“It helps me prioritize, structure my name, and put my family first. It reminds me of balance and connecting in real life with people and using the internet.”
“I can see the faces I love, anytime I want! Distance doesn’t matter.”
“It helps me navigate to-and-from.”
“-To learn/read, to listen to music, to get where you’re trying to go, to stay in contact with friends/family. Doesn’t have to be bad, it can be helpful.”
“It makes me calm.”
“It helps me communicate.”
“Honestly, more than it should. Balance is desired!”
“Frogs influence me more than tech.”
“It helps me to save lives.”
“Technology is how I connect to those I love when we are apart. I also use it to fill the void of loneliness that i feel.”
“…helps fill my ears with music (and that brings me joy.)”
“I try to avoid it and find real life connections.”
“To send love to far away friends, and make plans to see them soon. Also to contact my family to assure I am safe.”
“Talk to the ones I love that are far away.”
“I like to play on my tablet.”
“Technology allows people to work from home and talk on phones via video.”
“Laugh every chance you get.”
“I love my dishwasher. (Does that count?)”
“To talk with my friends who live far away!”
“Use it for learning.”
“I use it to share jokes on Twitter.”
“Ilicetiscembciscld”
“Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master. I try to find balance.”
“When you turn on the lights, listen to music, turn on the stove, bike around, even read a book, all of that is technology and has taken years, even centuries to produce.”
“Tablet”
“Make Mistakes But Learn From Them Too.”
“I like to watch shows on TV.”
“I love you, mama.”
“I love you, daddy?”
“Technology helps me to stay connected to family and friends. It also helps to keep me organized w/ my work schedule!”
“I watch 5 hour Youtube videos on random topics that dont apply to me.”
“Technology helps me discover new art.”
“Can text friends art crafts!”
Keeping in touch with people I care about”
Pros: allows me to connect with my family. Cons: allows me to connect with my family.”
“I use ABC Mouse on the computer to learn Preschool at home.”
“Technology makes it easier for me to move onto a daily life by distracting me from reality… the best cure is music.”
“I wish it wasn’t”
“Technology allows me to make time to see those I love and pursue my passions at the same time (with online school)”
“Keeps track of my appointments.”
“i got a new computer”
“Smartphones changed my life totally”
“It help me connect to world. I love world. I love Mongolia.”
“It helps me hear others and connect with my friends.”
“Everything changes, the good & the bad”
“I use it for games & school work on my phone”
“Technology ruined the world – M.S.”
“It allows my brother to message me and be annoying”
“My blood pressure is my life saver”
“you can use it to call peopol”
“To distract myself from reality and thinking about myself.”
“I use technology for science!”
“It allows me to do smiley faces on my mom’s phone.”
“allows us to communicate with friends/family”
“Technology both connects me to + isolates me from others… + aids in dehumanizing others”
“It allows me to listen to music 25/7 & share my adventures (shout out to VSCO)”
“It helps me do my job. It allows me to see my sisters in the Netherlands. It lets me track my teenage kids. :)”
“ART RULLS!”
“Technology helps me stay connected with my friends, family, and coworkers. It also helps me find sick clothes.”
“Lets me play GAMES on my PHONE/”
“Technology helps me stay in touch with my family. I love how easy it is to capture photos and share with each other. It helps us stay close.”
“Laugh every chance you get.”
“I use technology to contact friends from across the country.”
“It lets me share things I love with people I love.”
“Smile”
“It Allows Me To Serve”
“Too much I am afraid. Miss life before it took over our quiet time.”
“Who I am, in part, can be shared (in part) with family and friends and a globally potential audience of absolute strangers.”
“Helps me play Roblox”