Interview with Donald Marinelli from CMU

 

Interview with Donald Marinelli - Parents and their kids - web2.0 advice

The keynote started off with a welcome from Cary Morrow and a brief awards ceremony.   Howard Wright and Phillip Horn received awards for their visionary efforts in forming CAMT, ArtsNet, and furthering the field of arts management and technology.

Wondeful quote from Dan Martin:

"Wouldn't it be great (1994), if applicants could submit their applications on a floppy disk."

The keynote speaker was Donald Marinelli, Ph.D,  and Executive Producer of the
Entertainment Technology Center at CMU.

It's obvious that his background was drama.  He gave an entertaining talk about how technology has made this generation very different, his center's work, and why it was important for arts people to get involved with technology.

Here's the main points:

New technologies have triggered a vertiable tectonic shift in global culture marked by:

1. Accelaration of generational change
2. Altered perception of time and plantary space
3. Desire for multiple points of view
4. Multi-sensorial state of being
5. Post literate experientially focused generation
6. Primacy of the marketplace and myriad other fundamental changes in societa comportment

He was hilarious .. so I took down some of the best jokes ..

"I have a work study student to turn on my computer.  The idea of founding something with technology was quite a leap for me.  If you approached me in 1981 when I first arrived and told me that I would head up technology center , I'd say pass the pipe."

"The technology has created a new generation that isn't like us - a new race of human beings that might not be humans."

"Digital natives, 21st Century Youth.  Warning they are not like us!  If you are in the business of education or arts, what degree do we know this future generation?  Do we know how much technology has transformed who they are?"

"This generation believes that Matrix was a documentary. Is their frame of reference to believe that Matrix is true. '

"The distinction between entertainment and education -- there isn't one.  He uses his drama background to teach.  It is about justifying your attention to me."

"You the students know more than I do the professor.   Until that confession is made we will be shackled by our ignorance and pride.  I say to my students, you know more about video than I do,  but  I know more about other things.  Education has to be a partnership. As an aging hippy, I like this."

"Have our brains changed or just our perception of time?  You can't do anything in seven minutes accept a little afternoon delight.  LIfe before the microwave.  Baked potatoes - don't have time.   Technology is enhancing this perception of lack of time."

"Kids don't find museums engaging.  We need to turn them into interactive educational centers they should be.  Why don't schools adopt musueums.  My dream is for first graders go out on strike.  With signs  that say "Hell no.  We won't just sit and listen.  We want to be interactive."

"I really don't know what I am doing and it feels great."

Comments

[Martha]

Thanks for this! I met Don in the 70s and worked with him at CMU in the early 80s. It doesn't surprise me at all that he ended up making art and technology mashups.