Back in the 1970s when I was a graduate student at New York University, I was told by one professor that technology had developed and expanded at such an enormous rate, it was inevitable and expected that it was reaching the limits of its development.

The prediction was that technological development would slow down. This piece of information, however, could not have been more incorrect, for technology in today's world continues to develop and expand, it seems at an ever-accelerating rate.

It should not be surprising, therefore, that it is also impacting the arts.

The current exhibition at the Bermuda Society of Arts gives recognition to that fact. TECHART '08 is the second TECHART exhibition at BSoA, although there were also art and technology shows previous to these two, as well.

The plan, it seems, is to make this kind of show, a regular feature on the society's exhibition calendar and that is a good thing. Artists have always been open to new approaches to aesthetic expression, including technology.

Indeed, today's art would be unthinkable without advances in science and technology. Paint technology is a good example to this and many of the colours that we artists use, often without much thought as to their origins, are the result of developments in chemistry.

Additionally, the development of new kinds of paint media, such as acrylic, is also a product of chemistry. This present exhibition is primarily devoted to digital art, however, and that is not surprising. Computers are one of a number of new tools available to artists. I am thinking of the new development in making photographic prints, as well.

An example of this is the "giclee" print, which is now available in Bermuda through Colourlab, which is located at the junction of Southcote Hill and Ord Road.

This is a large exhibition with 152 entries. That in itself is an indication of the interest in the artistic use of technology, nevertheless, the size of the show can be somewhat overwhelming.

In order to make it more manageable for the general public, the organisers of the show have divided the exhibition into several different categories. There are also similar categories for students.

The general consensus with regard to the student participants, however, is that they are unusually good this year. But that should not be surprising, for young people seem to be more at home in the digitised, computerised world, than many an adult. It is a different language that they have grown up "speaking" and they are generally more fluent than most of us older folk.

The exhibition is also made up of professionals, as well as amateurs. These distinctions are not so easily grasped, however, especially by just looking at the work on the wall of the gallery, for with the development of digital cameras and digital photography, it is easier for amateurs to attain high quality photographs than ever before.

If you have a sense of composition, it is so much easier to take a picture with a digital camera and get a suitable exposure. Furthermore, should the exposure be a little off, it is also fairly easy to correct that fault on the computer.

The end result is that the professionals are being pushed to do even better than they normally do.

I understand the artist who the jurors decided was best in show is not a professional at all. This gives some indication of the competition, the professionals are up against.

The artist who won this award is Alba Fernandez and her photograph is called 'Laundry Day', but in reality she is making a highly provocative statement about common male attitudes with regard to women as toys and dolls. In the photograph, dolls are hanging on the line to dry, but amongst them is a woman, who is also hung out to dry.

Despite this being a relatively small, black and white photograph, it is one that stands out. I recommend you go and see it.

Generally speaking though, for the most part, professionals tend to use subject matter differently from amateurs, who are more prone to resort to common scene pictures or symmetrically composed photographs of flowers. In other words, they tend to do the expected thing, whereas, the professional usually sees the world from a new perspective. At least this is true of the best of them.

Having said this, I realise that in some instances, particularly in regards to this show, I do not know whether certain participants are professionals or just good, skilful amateurs.

I don't always know who the artists are, in real life. I certainly don't know every artist on the Island and it seems that I am meeting new ones on a fairly regular basis these days.

Since this is a large exhibition, it is impossible to write about all the participants. The best I can do is deal with the works that, in my estimation, stand out from the others. For example is Gavin Howarth's 'Hanging out'. It shows a lizard hanging from a tree branch, but what is so striking about the work is the crisp details of the lizard's skin. This is a digital photograph. Another photograph to note, by Mr. Howarth is his 'The wave'.

This was awarded a first place award in the adult digital photography category.

One small photograph that caught my attention is Gareth Lewis' 'Jews Bay'. It appears to be an early morning shot and the notable aspect of this work, is the quality of light.

Amongst the adult digital art pieces, is a triptych by Sacha Blackburne that is beautiful rendition of Venetian gondolas. I was somewhat puzzled by it placement in the adult digital art category, for it seems to be based upon a photograph, but then it has been manipulated also, so maybe that it the reason for calling it art, instead of a photograph.

When it comes right down to it, however, while the categories are useful, in all reality, a good photograph is just as much a work of art as is a painting, etching or piece of sculpture and this piece is a beautiful work of art.

Scott Hill won second place in the art section with his manipulated photograph, a work titled 'Twisted City'. It is a picture of a skyscraper and it reflection in neighbouring high-rise, glass enveloped building, but where you would expect to see sky, there are trees instead. I understand that the skyscraper is the Chrysler Building in Manhattan and the trees are from Central Park.

Another distinctive piece is Alan Marquardt's 'Turtle Grand Cayman'. This is a large photograph on canvas, showing a turtle swimming above a sandy and rippled bottom of the sea in the Cayman Islands. What is so impressive about this photograph is the clarity and precision of the turtle against the wavy sand beneath.

Other pieces in this show that stand out as exceptional are Eric Hirschberg's 'Wallscapes', which, although apparently straight photographs, come across more as abstracts. The fact that he is photographing walls gives the work a certain flatness, which recalls something of the aesthetics of Clement Greenberg, the New York critic of a generation ago.

Then there are the contributions of Mark Emmerson. 'Morning Mist' depicts a misty landscape with a tree emerging from the mist, surrounded by a grain field.

In the digital category, Frederick (Lee) Ingram's 'Wanna Play' is a visual tour de force based obviously on chess.

What sets it apart is the careful modelling in light and shade. It was given a third place award.

First place went to Carole Havercroft's 'Gryphon on the Sofa'.

This exhibition closes today. It is a fascinating display of all the impressive talent we have in Bermuda with regard to technological applications.