Week 3: Robotics and Art

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In examining the profound influence that robotics and automation has had on art, it is useful to examine a statement made by Walter Benjamin after the industrial revolution: "[the] technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition" (1). Certainly, the initial responses of artists to industrialization was negative, which I believe is valid since a reproduction, though technically identical to the original, lacks the form and texture of the original. Therefore, reproductions lose out on an emotional response from the viewer to the effort placed into creating the original. However, not all responses to industrialization and modernization have been negative.
My photographic self-portrait can be turned upside down, my ear can be chopped off, the background can be changed from black to gold
Hugo Cabret Tinkering on a Mouse Automaton
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRL921NqU
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Douglas David, quoted above, shares the idea that the digital age has ushered in a new era of interactivity between the viewer and producer of art. In fact, it seems that industrialization has increased the public's interest in art by making it more accessible to everyone. One need not be wealthy or well traveled to view the Mona Lisa, explore Monet's Water Lilies, and draw inspiration from Picasso's masterpieces.

Industrialization has also rekindled a love for automata within the public, especially in Japan where robots are made as lifelike as possible (Vesna). In popular culture, novels such as The Invention of Hugo Cabret and short TV episodes like Love, Death & Robots: Good Hunting showcase the excitement for fusing technology with an understanding of human form and emotion.

Ex Machina, a Film on a Cyborg
https://is5-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Video118/v4/55/e8/be/
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Emotional robots could give the opportunity for people to speak to their favorite authors as if they were real, or receive therapy, or even just have a companion to bounce ideas off of (Hanson). In addition, modern advances in artificial intelligence technology now allow for computer programs to examine new scenarios and evolve to face them, providing wide-reaching applications in art (Lipson). Though humans are limited by experience and perception, artificial intelligence is capable of generating the implausible, for instance the art generated below which combines the texture of sand into Munch's classic The Scream.

The Scream, Reinvented in Sand
https://deepart.io/img/Ou07pcd7/




Sources
Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Penguin Books, 1936.

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, p. 381., doi:10.2307/1576221.

Hanson, David. TED, 2009, www.ted.com/talks/david_hanson_robots_that_relate_to_you/transcript.

Lipson, Hod. TED, 2007, www.ted.com/talks/hod_lipson_builds_self_aware_robots/transcript.

Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics MachikoKusahara 1.” YouTube, UC Online, 14 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQZ_sy-mdEU.

Comments

  1. JasmineSGApril 24, 2019 at 10:38 PM

    Hi Michael,

    I think your analysis on artificial intelligence. I think AI is the future of American society and while it can help in many ways I think it is difficult to process robots being able to function in the same way that humans are.

    ReplyDelete

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