Visual Arts + Tech

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Sophia Patz

The Lost Island compounds, warps, and collages shards of mechanical arrogance: a Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane, the Oceangate Titan Submersible, a Concorde jet, the Challenger shuttle, and a Cybertruck, all technologies that were once celebrated as triumphs of human ingenuity but are now known as catalysts of fatal accidents. Using imagery clipped from promotional material and advertisements, the painting presents close-up views of these advanced machines, forcing an intimate look into advertised promises of optimization and innovation.

The Lost Island represents an unattainable perfection and mirrors the nature of technological innovation– a series of iterations, each in pursuit of a perfected successor. This piece probes the fine line between progress and hubris, critiquing the reckless ambition of the public and private institutions that control critical transportation systems.

This painting is intended for display at Stevens Institute of Technology’s Innovation Expo, the annual showcase for senior design projects, to serve as a reminder to emerging science, technology, engineering, and math professionals that technological achievement must be balanced with ethical responsibility.