The modern world revolves around ones and zeroes. It is nearly impossible to find anyone on the street that is not well-versed in how to use a laptop or a cell phone. There is not a single aspect of our lives that does not involve a computer in some way. “Thinking Machines: Art and Design in the Computer Age” is an exhibit that showcases that art does not have to be exempt from that. Art can be just as computerized as everything else in our modern world.

“Thinking Machines” explores a world that was just beginning to see the advantages of computers. Nearly every piece of art in this exhibit was created before the internet became the massive global network it is today. In those early years, computers were simply computational tools that had less processing power than a modern smartphone. Every work found in “Thinking Machines” was designed by an artist who was inspired by these tools and caught glimpses of glory in these supercomputers.

When walking through “Thinking Machines”, one is much more likely to find a line of code than a traditional painting. The style of art found in this exhibit is entirely non-traditional. On one wall, one might find the blueprints for an advanced building lying right next to a framed Rubik’s Cube. In another section of the exhibit, one might pass by a recording of an old television show, before getting the chance to see “Hummingbird”, one of the first examples of computer generated imaging. It is a collection of seemingly irrelevant pieces that, when brought together, allow the viewer to look into the perspectives of those who were given the chance to witness the rise of the computer age.

Despite being found at the Museum of Modern Art, “Thinking Machines” appears to be more of a historical exhibition than an artistic one. It focuses more on the development of technology than it does on the development of art and design. While it does show off a few key pieces of artwork, it very rarely describes the art. While the various machines all have accompanying plaques to explain their purpose at the time, most of the pieces are unexplained. There is no clear reason as to why the Rubik’s Cube was chosen to be included within this exhibition. There is little reason why footage from the Max Headroom television show is given a place among this collection. “Thinking Machine” often feels more like a technical exhibition than a collection of artwork. This, of course, is not a drawback. A technical exhibition can sometimes be just as enlightening as an artistic one, especially in the modern age of computers.

“Thinking Machines: Art and Design in the Computer Age, 1959- 1989” is a valuable exhibit for anyone who is even remotely interested in early computing. It is a fascinating display that showcases aspects of the early computer age, a time that is rarely explored. For the first time in decades, it allows viewers to see the reactions of artists to the rapidly changing world of the late 1900s. Whether one knows much about computers or not, it is an extremely memorable exhibit.