LONDON — How is technology impacting creativity, and what does it really take to disrupt an industry that’s reaching saturation point?
Frieze Academy brought together a series of creatives — ranging from Kim Jones and Hussein Chalayan, to graphics expert Peter Saville and sound designer Michel Gaubert — to argue those questions in a series of talks held at the Royal Academy of Arts on Friday.
Chalayan, one of the first designers to incorporate technology into his work and present moving garments in his famous “Geotropics” collection in 1999, said technology’s impact on the arts hasn’t necessarily been a good thing.
He described wearables as “tacky” and highlighted the growing interest of handcrafted techniques: “It’s such a cliché to be chasing 3-D printing now. I liked it at the beginning, but not anymore, it no longer feels expensive somehow,” Chalayan said.
He also touched on the influence of the Internet and social media, talking about the “sense of entitlement,” that the easy access to data has created in younger generations.
“Are you really learning by Googling something?” he said, adding that social media and the rise of fashion conglomerates have both dampened creativity. Chalayan said there is less room today to speak up, take risks and
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