Desma 9 - Week 3 Robotics + Art

(The Work)

I think it is interesting to see how society has responded to the introduction of industrialization and automation over the century during the 1900s to now in the quarter of the 2000s, especially as it relates to the reproduction of art and how automation is integrated into daily life today. As discussed by Walter Benjamin in his essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" in 1936, Benjamin voices the concern of how the reproduction of art and films through the usage of technology may taint how art is created (1). He brings up his belief that the "mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses toward art" because he thinks that a piece of art tends create a "reactionary attitude," whereas a film produces a "progressive reaction" (3). This stems from the fact that movies are mass produced and are easily accessible to more people than a famous painting would during this time period if the early 1900s. 

I believe that this idea is still somewhat relevant today in an age of social media where artworks are so easily accessible through different platforms such as Twitter and Instagram. Despite the easy accessibility to art today, there has been a subculture within art, such as the recent boom of NFT art that created a lot of criticism with a lot of people (Charlesworth). It echoes Benjamin's perspective that the more elite and less easily accessible a piece of art is, the more conservative reaction comes about it. It is clearly seen with the reaction of NFT art with many people either loving or (mostly) hating the concept (Charlesworth). However, easily accessible forms of art tend to still receive a fair amount of criticism if it is something that is not deemed worth, but with more people's access to the content it allows for more opinions to be shared. However, a main issue with the mass production of art now is that if it is something that the majority likes, social media has a major issue with copyright and giving artist credit where it is easy for someone to steal general artwork  (LeMonnier).

("Wall E")

As art develops, another big concern these days is the introduction of A.I. and automation in art. As described by Professor Machiko Kusahara, the Western world has generally had a bad reception to robotics in general at the early start with associations with cyborgs taking over the world. It is even seen in contemporary examples of movies, such as Wall E where it is predicted that when robots eventually take over, humans will simply become too lazy and lose their planet. This same notion exists with people and artists fearing that their jobs will be lost due to the advancement of technology and A.I. as well. Despite this, with technology improving every year there are a lot robot integration into daily lives, such as the Professor described where Japan introduces robots into helping with service at jobs or assisting with people regulating emotions at work ("Robots tested"). 

("Robots tested")

Works Cited

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. 1935.

Charlesworth, J.J. "Why the Artworld Loves to Hate NFT Art." ArtReview, 17 Mar. 2021, artreview.com/why-the-artworld-loves-to-hate-nft-art-beeple-christies-grim

LeMonnier, Ellie. "Thoughts on Art in the Age of Social Media." Gallery Mar, 11 July 2023, www.gallerymar.com/2023/07/thoughts-on-art-in-the-age-of-social-media.

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"Robots tested in Japan companies." CNN, 19 Oct. 2016, www.cnn.com/2015/04/24/asia/japan-robots-work/ index.html.  

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction – Walter Benjamin Cover. Rebecca Woodall 

     Photography, rebeccawoodallphotography.wordpress.com/2015/02/22/the-work-of-art-in-the-age-of-mechanical-reproduction-walter-benjamin/.

"Unit 3 View." BruinLearn, bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/183769/pages/unit-3-view?module_item_id=6671238. 

"Wall E." IMDB, 2008, www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/mediaviewer/rm1659211008/?ref_=tt_ov_i.