Week 3: Robotics + Art

            Kinetic and robotic art is quickly becoming popular among contemporary artists, such as Perry Hoberman’s Faraday’s Garden (1990) and Faraday’s Ghost (2011) masterpieces. The history of robotic art dates back to the industrialization periods, starting with inventions such as the printing press. This device introduced the concept of mechanization, specifically allowing the mass production of books and rapid spread of knowledge. The mechanization of labor then sparked the idea of the robot, a term coined by Czech playwright, Karel Capek. Laborers were basically treated as machines, being required to adapt to the other automated systems along the assembly line. Capek commented on this unsettling work culture through a play involving robots because he felt that workers were being replaced by mechanization. With the growth of computers, however, society increasingly became dependent on the capabilities of machines. Finally in the 20th century, artists such as Roy Ascott started incorporating cybernetics into his art pieces (Vesna, 2012).

            In the West, movie and plays often portray robots as evil figures that threaten human lifestyles. Similar to Capek’s plays, more modern films such as I, Robot (2004) encourage discussions about the dangers of artificial life. A short clip from that movie is shown below, where the protagonist is hunting for a self-aware android. He mentions the irony of designing human faces for the robots, which are still programmed to obey people under all circumstances. I, Robot is an interesting movie because it reflects the West’s fears over the evolution of artificial intelligence. Big Hero 6 (2015), on the other hand, is another American movie that shows how western culture is becoming more accepting of robots. The second movie clip, shown below the first, introduces an android called Baymax. As opposed to the robots in I, Robot, Baymax is aesthetically pleasing and designed to be a friendly, automated nurse. These two movies effectively show how robotic art reflects and comments on the intersection between science and western culture.


(YouTube videos showing the different portrayals of robots in Western movies.)

            Machiko Kusahara, a professor at Waseda University, compares the robotic art culture between the West and Japan (uconlineprogram, 2012). Creations such as Astro Boy and the Robot Violinist, shown below, explain how Japanese culture remains fascinated with the aesthetics of robot technology. Without any direct industrial applications, many robots in Japan are uniquely engineered for the sake of entertainment!


(Japanese culture, on the other hand, has remained more accepting of robotic technology and art.)

Overall, it is interesting to observe how robotic art is a commentary on the acceptance of machines in society.

References:
uconlineprogram. Robotics MachikoKusahara 1. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 14 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Vesna, Victoria. Robotics pt1. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Vesna, Victoria. Robotics pt2. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Vesna, Victoria. Robotics pt3. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 16 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Video/Image sources:
Cureton, Sean. “Astro Boy Live-Action Movie Lands San Andreas Writers.” Screen Rant. screenrant.com, 17 Feb. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2017
Diagonal View. Robot Violinist. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Katie Darby. Big Hero 6 Meet Baymax (HQ). Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 20 Mar. 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Movieclips. I, Robot (1/5) Movie CLIP – Rogue Robot (2004) HD. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 10 Jul. 2015. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

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