Innovative developments in art and design and their impact upon professional practice

Innovation is a tough one for me. On one hand everything was an innovation at some point, and equally, once it's been done once then it is no longer an innovation. Every artist has to strive to be innovative in order to keep their audience interested - whether it be the subject, the method of making or the way of displaying the art. However, it is a fine line between being innovative and being on trend. As soon as you come up with something new, either others will follow or will have had a similar idea at the same time due to common influences and you are likely to be swallowed up in the tide of a new trend or fad. I would hate to be considered trendy.

My other problem with innovation is what you may think of as being innovative may not be. You may have come up with something that you think is totally original, but then you find someone has already done it - you just didn't know about it. You can't know everything, so it's important to keep up with the latest art news and most recent developments so you reduce the chances of making such a faux pas.

It can also be innovative to mix the artistic elements of a piece in a new way - for example perhaps the subject of birth may have been covered many times, and in many media and in many settings, but maybe it hasn't been covered by using recycled plastics in an airport setting yet.

Innovations in art seem to be heading in a digital direction, so if I had created a virtual installation using digital technology, incorporating the sounds of a bustling Barcelona street and a wind machine blowing a gentle breeze onto the viewer with the faint sherry & chorizo scent of a tapas bar, then maybe it would have been innovative. Or would it? I'm sure someone has already done something similar!

All you can do is follow your own path and try not to re-tread well-worn routes.