Trask, 1967

Ulla Wiggen

Narrator: Trask by Ulla Wiggen, from 1967

When Trask was put into use in 1965, it was among the first mainframe computers built in Sweden. It was built to carry out advanced mathematical calculations. It was used, among other things, to calculate extraction plans for the Kiruna mine, and in connection with the construction of the Lidingö Bridge in Stockholm.

But this painting does not show the whole computer. What we see is Ulla Wiggen’s artistic interpretation of one of several central units housed in large cabinets. The computer itself filled an entire room.

When Wiggen painted Trask in 1967, few people could have imagined just how deeply computers would change our work, our everyday lives and our relationships.
 
Now here’s a question to discuss:
Ulla Wiggen painted Trask almost 60 years ago. Today, with AI, we are facing the next major technological revolution. How do you think AI might change the way art is made, seen or understood?