"Who Moved My Media? Changes in Popular Media Formats":

The latest exhibit featured in the HBLL is oddly relevant and extremely timely for this class. I have stopped by and visited it several times, and each time I do I notice something new and interesting (aside from trying different tactics on Frogger). Especially fascinating to me was the manner in which new media's aesthetic has changed and developed, building on past appearances. The "play", "computer" and the "cinema" sections seem to all sort of blend together aesthetically, and it feels as if they have influenced one another. For example, the round shape of the film reel has translated to a small, flat DVD disk, as did Compact Disks and, eventually, game disks. The original games were boxy and thick, not unlike VHS tapes within that same generation. Some of the photography technology progressed in a similar fashion, going from purposely boxy to minimalistic. I suppose that overall, the "feel" of what is considered technological or new medial in whatever decade seems to reflect and project itself.

I also found it interesting that we try and recreate the old from the new, and enjoy aesthetic echoes. The racing games displayed, for example, look strikingly similar in structure, though the graphics are worlds different. The designs used, especially in new media, often feel recycled and built upon rather than reinvented entirely.

Both the aesthetics and the capabilities of the new media presented in the exhibit also beg the question of authorship. One informational plaque I noticed mentioned that the VHS tape battled hard to be America's choice of tape technology, and won. That means that whoever was the inventor and distributor of that technology played a major role in allowing us for the first time to enjoy our favorite movies at home in mass. Does that make those people partly authors of the content, since they had a legitimate hand in developing and mastering a manner for us to experience said movies? I thought of the same question when looking at the Blue-Ray disc, which is known for eliminating some of the limitations of past representations of film. The experience is greatly influenced by the technology itself, which is always developing from thousands of creative minds and authors in their own right.

Ultimately, visiting the exhibit was both inspiring creatively and productive to the class. I'm glad new media is a focus of the university generally, and hope the exhibit stays long enough to be enjoyed by future new media classes.