The+Hard-Wired+Heart

= THE HARD-WIRED HEART by Sierra Debrow = In today's society, we are mostly focused on technology and the benefits that it brings us. With the help of man-made creations, it seems that the world we once lived in is unrecognizable. We can connect to people that are half-way across our planet with the click of a button; taking a trip from New York to Egypt no longer takes weeks on end. Technological advances have done just that – they have advanced our society so the world that we live in is quite the small world after all.

My shoebox, // The Hard-Wired Heart // makes a commentary on the negative affects of technology, notably computers, on social interactions (particularly those relating to love). // The Hard-Wired Heart // is meant to be looked starting at the right end and continuing left. The egg in the corner has hatched, and out out of the egg, a straight path emerges. This path has no obstacles along it, and is short. It leads directly to love and technology, which are interconnected. Because eggs are a symbol for life, in my piece, the blue easter egg represents the birth of a generation. The path coming out of it links to the floppy disk unswervingly. By doing so, it shows that the newest generation, the teens of today, go directly for love, and are finding it at an increasing rate through technology. Currently, 1 out of 8 couples meets on the internet, and that rate is expected to increase as the years continue.

The focal point of // The Hard-Wired Heart // is the “love” snow-globe on top of the floppy disk. They are connected and cannot be separated. Love is on top of the disk, showing that the teens of today believe that love conquers all, despite where they find it. They commonly believe that relationships can be carried out through programs such as Skype, Facebook, and Instant Messengers. However, the things that they do not realize are symbolized by the battery, stylus, and dreidel attached to the snow-globe. Mr. Wright, I am putting this sentence here to make sure that you are reading my artist’s statement all the way through. Relationships require making an active choice, as well as a lot of time and energy (as shown by the battery and stylus). They also come with a lot of risks, which is represented by the dreidle with the letter ‘shin’ facing outwards (which has a negative connotation). Although it seems like a good way to carry out interpersonal affairs and relationships, the younger generation needs to come to terms with the consequences of their actions when it comes to being online.