“The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” by
Walter Benjamin was written in the time of Adolf Hitler and examines how mass
production systems influenced art and humans at a time when political issues
entered the art world. A shift in society began where, according to taylorism,
workers were being treated as if they were part of a machine or assembly
lines and therefore dehumanized. Movies with robots and cyborgs (part
human/part machine) came out as a response to the fast mechanization of
production. Technological advancements are driven by politics/military, and the
assembly line mentality of production has lead to mass production (modern
robots, posters, Ford Model T as a form of art).
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| Ford T Assembly Line |
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| War Time Technology/Assembly |
The industrialization of robotics has gained some stigma and
provoked fear thanks to Western movies and literature such as Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. However,
robots do not posses the capability of artificial intelligence and must be
programed to do specific things. I think that technology is not to be feared,
but rather the motifs of their creators.
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| Frankenstein Portrayed as Fearful |
Technology
began through the curiosity of humans as part of our need to solve problems. It
started at the beginning of humankind when man first used rocks to make fire.
Building upon previous generations, we continue to advance our technology, from
the printing press and abacus calculator to cell phones and robots. I think
technology is still being utilized to solve our problems, but has also become much
more than just that.
I just went to Disneyland last weekend and I can’t think of
a better example of how art, science, and technology come together to make
something so beautiful that speaks to human emotion. Animated movies, roller
coasters, and Disneyland California Adventures’ World of Color would not be
possible without technology and art merging.
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| Artists, scientists, and engineers come together to make magic |
It is clear that technology has a big impact on society and
art. Art becomes more advanced as technology progresses and people utilize and
enjoy it more. Most of us have played around with Photoshop, various online
photo editors and the filters on Instagram. These forms of art wouldn’t be
possible without science and technology (i.e. from Nikola Tesla who contributed
to the wireless world of radios, fluorescent lighting, and wireless
communication). The Sumi-ebot also illustrates how technology adds to art.
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| Sumi-ebot's artistic trail |
This weeks’ material has shown me how art, science, and technology
influence each other with creative drive.
Industrialization & Robotic Art
Artbots
Human Perception of Robots
Robots Are Not All Bad
Kinetic Art
Leah, I love how you used Disneyland as an example that demonstrated art, science and technology coming together as one :) I also believe that technology plays a huge role in people's every day lives today and we wouldn't be able to do a lot of the things that we do without it! Your blog was very well written and after reading your blog it made me realize even more how advance technology has become and how much of an influence it has on the world! Good job :)
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog, i really enjoyed how you brought Disneyland into the topic. Its very crazy to me how much technology has art involved in it and to know that people face it in their everyday lives is interesting. I really enjoyed reading your blog!
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