I found it interesting how large of an impact the printing press had on mass production and dissemination of knowledge and further the progression of the computers and robotics. It was fascinating to see how much stemmed from and was influenced by the work of Michael Faraday - both scientifically and artistically. Examples being the work of Perry Hoberman (“Faraday’s Garden” and “Faraday’s Ghosts”) and Nikola Tesla.
I recently watched the movie The Imitation Game so it is nice to be reflecting back on Alan Turing's impact after learning more in lecture. I knew his invention (The Turing Machine) was vital in solving the Enigma during the war - however I did not necessarily connect it impact on the future of computers and robotics.
I enjoyed the discussion about new forms and the progression of art due to the impacts of industrialization and mechanisms - specifically replication. In Walter Benjamin’s “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” he argues that "even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be" - he is highlighting a large discussion that originality is destroyed by replication and criticizes the impacts of the industrial revolution on art. Example being that today an artist can make just as much if not more money from creating replicas of classics over their own original unique works.
I look at it as a kind of tradeoff. We are weighing one side of having great technological advancements that improve our capabilities for art while also saying we might lose some authenticity. One real life example of this is Virtual Reality - the ability to virtually attend almost any monument, event, concert, speech, etc. in the world with leaving the comfort of your bed. On one hand we are able to “experience” things and places we would otherwise never be able to do, while on the other hand you are sacrificing the “real experience” of going there.
Citi, Live Nation and NextVR announced a series of live virtual reality concerts which will transport fans via virtual reality technology into an immersive experience of the concerts.
Looking at that from the perspective of robots, we could say that no matter how far they advance in function, they will never be a “real human”. Looking at this from a smaller view however, the implementation of pacemakers and mechanical limbs or ear pieces are examples of machinery mixing with biology. These implementations did not come easily as the public has a hard time accepting “robotics” with human function.
However, we can also argue that our cell phones are extensions of our bodies so, therefore, similar to an implant. We use our cell phones for everything in our daily life these days including our emotional lives such as finding a date.
https://www.cnet.com/news/how-google-is-becoming-an-extension-of-your-mind/
I think we must look at everything with two sides, while technology may be limiting us in some ways, it is also positively impacting our lives in vast ways we have never known before.
CITATIONS:
Benjamin, Walter, and J. A. Underwood. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.
CITATIONS:
Benjamin, Walter, and J. A. Underwood. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.
Robotics + Art | Lecture. Perf. Victoria Vesna. UC Online, 2017. Film.
Vesna, Victoria. "Mathematics Pt. 1." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 2017.<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmq5B1LKDg>.
Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Pt. 1." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 2017.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRw9_v6w0ew>.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRw9_v6w0ew>.
Hi Nina! I found what you said to be very interesting, everything from the printing press to ear pieces. Mentioning that our cell phones are extensions of our bodies was something I had never considered before, but could not agree more with. Especially in our modern modern we rely completely on our cell phones in many aspects in our lives. It is crazy to think that such a little technological device can have such an impact on us. P.S. I have also seen The Imitation Game. Once Alan Turing was mentioned in the lecture I immediately thought of this movie and was excited to know it was based off of Turing.
ReplyDeleteI haven't thought much about those who get paid for replicating art until you mentioned it, and I do find it interesting that those artists can potentially make more money than making original pieces of work. It's also crazy to think about how that is a job itself. Another point that I agree with is that these technological advancements we have are essentially tradeoffs to the authenticity of art. Humans build off of each other and inspire others, which is how technology breakthroughs have occured. This is where the "authenticity" is potentially lost, or redistributed through technology. I will look into The Imitation Game!
ReplyDeleteYour insight on the Walter Benjamin piece was really new to me. Although I knew people recreate art all the time I never thought to make that connection while reading the piece. My opinion is indifferent towards the fact that people make a lot of money from recreating art and not being original. The virtual reality example you brought up is very cool because this is a new trend right now. I see these commercials all the time with samsung phones as its becoming there claim to fame. Finally the connection to robotics is very true as we have used them to assist us in our daily lives where needed.
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