5.2 The Potential of Scanography for Art Making

Simply by judging from our homework assignments, I can easily see how scanography could be used as a potent tool for digital art making. First and foremost, scanography is easily accessible because it is extremely similar to photography in many regards; scanned photos rely heavily on exposure (the light of the scanner, and of the surrounding environment), depth-of-field (the distance from the scanner), and subject/composition (the placement of items on the scanner, and movement of items within the frame). However, the crucial distinction that makes scanography fun, alluring, and ultimately potent as an art form, is the fact that images can be altered while they are being taken. The manner in which the scanner captures motion lends itself to a variety of amazing and bizarre effects, and one can also quickly change the arrangement of items as the scanner beam is moving, effectively producing a nearly unpredictable product. If one wanted to create a final scan that is more predictable, it would take practice, exploration, and a comprehensive knowledge of how the medium is working to produce the images that result. When considered in this light, scanography is certainly an art form worthy of art making in its own right, for it necessitates the very same things that other traditional art forms require of its artists--albeit in a unique way that is specific to the medium.