Opinion: Technology versus the real thing

by Bronté Kelleghan'A vast array of art, craft, design and heritage images is now available on the internet. Are visits to galleries/ museums/ heritage sites any longer central to the appreciation of such works?'This was one of the questions posed in the Art History Paper in the Leaving Certificate this year, and personally made me question if there was an unbidden truth beneath the words I read.Is art today discriminated against simply because it is accessible, and are the historical sites of Ireland being victimised simply because they are easy to see and easy to photograph?Today, we are able to use the World Wide Web, and type in whatever we want into the search bar, without having to bat a lid. We can find the Cliffs of Moher in Google Images, we can view the Book of Kells without having to go to Dublin and we can admire the Joe Dolan statue without walking into Mullingar.All of these are positive aspects of the internet, and all of their intentions are good: to make life easier for students, and make us see that gaining knowledge does not mean having to walk a great deal or travel too far.Yet, these good intentions can also turn ugly, with art thievery fast on the heels of many talented, and aspiring, artists. We can say, without fault, that the appreciation of art as a medium of communication is long lost, when confronted with thieves who steal another's work and use as for their own.Where is the appreciation for art, for our historical sites and museums, when we cannot express ourselves artistically for fear of its contents being used?Needless to say, when we go to a gallery, or experience the sights and splendour of a place long forgotten in the pages of time, we cannot express the electric atmosphere, and the expressive quiet that descends upon us.This experience cannot be gained through the internet: we cannot criticise an artist's work without standing face-to-face in front of it: we cannot experience what someone else has left behind for us to see and touch, without it standing in front of us for all to see and feel.While the internet is an excellent way for anyone without mobile ability, the experiences we gain in visiting these places, and these pieces of art, are the only way for anyone in the world today to share their love and appreciation for someone else's labour, be it in this day and age, or in yesterday's world.Art, and the appreciation of the medium of art itself, is truly admired in all its glory, by being seen first-hand. Visits to museums, and to heritage sites, are just as important to anyone in this day and age. Regardless of the fact our world is surrounded by technology, we shouldn't take advantage of an art form that has been around for much longer that a monitor and keyboard.Trips to galleries and to museums are as central to the appreciation of art, as the people who worked hard enough to place their work there. I personally don't believe they are pointless: in fact, I believe they add to what our perception of the world is today.