This year’s Technology Issue includes pieces on TikTok, robotic surgery, and the rise of the Impossible burger. It also features a cover by Christoph Niemann, a regular contributor to the magazine, who, given the theme, chose to depict man merging with his creation. We recently talked to the artist about his work and his feelings about technology.
You’re known for producing streamlined images, a hybrid of cartoon and design. Has the economical approach always come naturally to you?
Definitely not when I was growing up. My formula for great art was: the quantity of elaborate highlights and drop shadows per square inch is directly proportional to the quality of a painting. During my studies, I’ve learned—with some reluctance—that using style to support an idea often produces results that have a greater effect on the viewer.
You often experiment with new technologies, like augmented reality, but in other projects, like your Sunday Sketch series, you make the most of simple materials: paper, pen, or found objects. Do these two approaches feel related to you?
Not really. I love to play with different styles to experiment with different versions of abstraction. Technological experiments with A.R. and V.R. are really about curiosity for a new medium. The interesting question in those fields is whether they can redefine storytelling. (The jury is still out, in my opinion.)
What recent technological developments have affected your life, both positively and negatively?
The digital tools I use for my work (computer, cameras, etc.) are incredible. Ten years ago, I would have needed a support team of five specialists and thousands of dollars in rental equipment to produce work that, today, I can do at my desk in thirty minutes. On the negative side: Big Tech companies.
This cover depicts a complete merger of body and machine. Joking aside, where do you think the marriage of humans and tech is headed?
The most obvious direction seems enhancing the body and mind through artificial organs and chips connected to the nervous system. I’m sure we’ll be seeing mind-boggling leaps with great moral predicaments in this area very soon. The more immediate predicament is the smartphone, though. Although I try to fight it, that thing is basically a part of my body. It has some powerful work tools, it’s magic for communication, but I can’t help feeling that it is specifically designed as a digital parasite whose primary goal is to suck time and attention away from the host body.
For other innovative covers by Niemann, see below:
