By Jarret Liotta
Teaming technology and art—and many questions surrounding it—was at the heart of today’s TEA Talk at Town Hall.
Panelists included (l-r) Randa Trivisonno, co-chair of the Westport Public Art Collections and the new Otocast app, Jerry Goehring, producer of “Be More Chill” and director of performing arts at Sacred Heart University, David Pogue, tech talk show host and columnist, and Frederic Chiu, musician and teacher . (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jarret Liotta for WestportNow.com
“The Arts Go Viral!,” a moderated discussion hosted by the Westport Arts Advisory Committee (WAAC), explored ideas relating to sometimes breath-taking advancements in science and social media.
Participants in the sixth annual TEA Talk—which stands for Thinkers, Educators & Artists—recounted ways in which artificial intelligence has usurped the creative process, while simultaneously technology has made many new opportunities possible.
“For me it’s really about connecting people,” said Frederic Chiu, Westport musician and member of WAAC.
Chiu, who demonstrated a piano that could be played virtually. raised the question of whether going viral necessary meant something was receiving a large audience.
“Is viral defined by numbers or is it defined by people and connecting?” he said.
A near full house in the Town Hall auditorium watched him have a video conference with musician George Litterst, who played a musical riff that was near simultaneously played by the piano onstage.
Chiu explained that he was using the same technology to not only teach students in other parts of the country, but had played a concert of four-handed classical piano pieces that were done by a joint piano playing data he had previously recorded.
Jerry Goehring, director of performing arts at Sacred Heart University and a Broadway producer, shared how viral listener numbers launched his latest venture—a Broadway show called “Be More Chill.”
David Pogue (l) aids Frederic Chiu with his virtual demonstration. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
“Because of the viral sensation,” he said, “it is the first show to transfer to Broadway because of that.”
He told of its humble roots at a small local theater in New Jersey, where it received relatively poor reviews in 2015. Its music, however, achieved cult status through Spotify and when the show was opened off Broadway—thanks in large part to Goehring—its nine-week run was sold out before it even opened.
“This all happened because people connected and they shared with viral technology,” he said.
“Technology is a tool,” moderator David Pogue, a tech writer, author, and host of science shows on PBS NOVA and a “CBS Sunday Morning” contributor, said, presenting points both for and against its use in the creative process.
He shared several artificial intelligence programs that create music and fine art.
“Is that art?” he asked rhetorically. “Is it aesthetically pleasing? … When a machine creates the art, is it legit?”
Drawing on on-air interviews he’s conducted, Pogue shared that while alarming statistics—such as 47 percent of American jobs disappearing in the next 20 years due to technological advances—may paint a pessimistic vision of the future, others see the positive side.
One man he interviewed noted, “Most of what we do barely existed 100 years ago,” so just because the future is unknown doesn’t mean it will necessarily be dark.
Helping to bring Westport into the future, Randa Trivisonno, who co-chairs the Westport Public Arts Collection, introduced the new local app from Otocast, which will now allow virtual art tours of some of the town’s treasures.
There was nearly a full house for the TEA Talk. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
“Westport has a long tradition with arts and culture,” she said, announcing the mobile tours include a look at various local art-related nonprofits, a tour of downtown art including Town Hall, and a Saugatuck and Riverside tour.
Two others will come online soon.
“I’m excited that such a lively and significant event has become a real feature of our cultural community in Westport,” First Selectman Jim Marpe said in remarks opening the talk.
“We’re fortunate to have such a wide array of local artists with so many disciplines in the arts,” he said.
