Doug Aitken’s ‘New Era’ exhibit offers a warning on technology

The word “cellphone” almost always induces a 21st century mind to envision a slim, black, rectangular box with, at most, four simple buttons and a shiny exterior. This product has become so iconic and familiar that we often forget its distant ancestors.

Artist Doug Aitken encourages us to remember the past lives of our cellphones, as well as to be conscious of the future of these illustrious devices. Aitken’s video installation “New Era” features Martin Cooper, a leading intellectual and engineer in the creation of the first cellular telephone in 1973.

The video includes an introduction by Cooper, before morphing into a kaleidoscopic montage of ancient models of Motorola phones. Cooper is pictured against an entirely black background when he simply states: “I made a phone call.”

The psychedelic images of fragmented Motorolas collide, backed by a strong, electronic bass audio that flashes to the beat of surreal technological visuals. Cooper’s voice echoes in the background among pictures of interconnected cellphone towers, landscapes, and highways.

The last moments feature Cooper’s final warning for viewers: “It’s just not gonna stop.”

Cooper’s concluding comment, as well as the fantastical and futuristic nature of the film cause the viewer to not only marvel at the magnificent advances made in this technological field, but also to be wary of its future.

Aitken chooses to use modern, computer-generated music as a background in juxtaposition with images of an outdated product. This evokes a sense of uneasiness at the steady and unrelenting progression and invasion of technology in our present world and individual lives.

Cooper’s statement also comes just as the music speeds up wildly, leaving the viewer with a sense of anxiety. His words echo with forebodingness to warn us against allowing technology to be as powerful as he has witnessed it to be since the beginnings of his invention, forty-five years ago.

Aitken’s use of natural images asks us to consider not just when “it” will stop, but at what cost?

‘New Era’ is on show through Friday at 303 Gallery, 555 W. 21st St., 303gallery.com