Week 3 | Robotics + Art | Livier Monarrez

According to Walter Benjamin, artwork in modern society is influenced by new modes of technological products like film and photography. Our society responds to these mechanical processes and industrialization by developing more art productions. The beginning of the assembly line was the Printing Press (Vesna). The Printing Press was a mechanical reproduction of art designs affecting the aesthetics of modern art by making it possible for mass production of various artworks in the print media. Hence, the middle class had access to art paintings. The Printing Press “made it easier to circulate pictures” as lithography and photography changed that only privileged galleries could access these artworks (Roberts).

"Visit The Museum — International Printing Museum.” International Printing Museum, 2022, https://www.printmuseum.org/visit. 


Moreover, Japanese robotics and their mechanical processes are made for specific purposes (Vesna). Japanese engineers were interested in creating human-like robots that help people and significantly affected others by making their lives easier (Vesna). For example, a robot with a friendly face helps the disabled. Industrialization provides ways to live comfortably and be assisted under challenging situations, as robots can show emotions by being empathetic (Hanson).


Woollaston, Victoria. "Japan's Robear: Strength Of A Robot, Face Of A Bear.” Mail Online, 2015, https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2966380/amp/Japans-Robear-Strength-robot-face-bear.html.


Mass production influenced the production of robots. Consequently, the robot industry receives public support because of its purpose of helping human beings with different challenges. Japanese society’s approval of robots is seen through the animated character of Astroboy. This character is part of the art entertainment and resembles a human-robot friend powered by nuclear energy but has emotions and encourages Japanese hopes for the future. 


"Astro Boy (Character) - Comic Vine.” Comic Vine, 2018, https://comicvine.gamespot.com/astro-boy/4005-47767/.

 

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Translated by J. A. Underwood, Penguin Books, 2008.

Hanson, David. "Robots That "Show Emotion.” Ted.Com, 2009, https://www.ted.com/talks/david_hanson_robots_that_show_emotion?language=en.

Roberts, Ivy. "The Impact of Printmaking on 19th-Century Art." Study.com, 12 July 2015, https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-impact-of-printmaking-on-19th-century-art.html

Vesna, Victoria. Industrialization, Robotics, Kinetic/Robotic Art. 2022, https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/129896/pages/unit-3-view?module_item_id=4852504. Accessed 14 Apr 2022.

Vesna, Victoria. Professor Machiko Kusahara On Japanese Robotics. 2022, https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/129896/pages/unit-3-view?module_item_id=4852504. Accessed 14 Apr 2022.

Comments

  1. Shreesh AgarwalApril 15, 2022 at 10:59 PM

    Hi Livier,

    I found your first paragraph very thought provoking. While we can blame technology and mechanization for the decline of art in the individual, we cannot deny the the role the same have played in broadcasting the pleasure and knowledge of art to the masses (democratization of art). If technology didn't allow, art would have been the playground of only the scholars, wealthy, and powerful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cooper RobinsonApril 17, 2022 at 8:13 PM

    Hey Livier!
    I really enjoyed reading your blog post this week. I liked how you began with the printing press in the first paragraph then moved on to how mechanical robots in Japan grew art culture there. The art community has to acknowledge how art and mechanics/robotics expanded the possibilities and creative style around the globe. Anime like Astro Boy have paved paths for thousands of artistic displays of animation and voice acting for generations.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 9 | Space + Art | Livier Monarrez

Image
  Artistic works have been established to show space technologies. The intertwined of space and art are critical to showing the community advanced technology. For example, the exhibition in the Cultural Center of European Space Technologies (KSEVT) provides the community in the town of Vintage cultural and scientific projects including events, research, and conferences that show the ‘culturalisation of the space’ (Lechner).  Gregorič, Tomaž. "Gallery Of KSEVT - Cultural Center Of EU Space Technologies | Dekleva Gregoric Architects | Media - 6". Archello , 2012, https://archello.com/story/20294/attachments/photos-videos/6 .  Additionally, artists have created three-dimensional kinetic paintings that illustrate a Cosmic dancer as a geometric form that can be seen differently from different angles. This sculpture and painting was transferred to the Russian Mir space station on a Progress rocket. This space art project can be seen in the image below. This sculpture is establ...
Read more

Event 3 | Art|Sci Center | Color, Light, Motion

Image
In the event, "Motion as Sentience and the Pygmalion Complex,” carried out by Toni Dove we witness how robotics and art are intertwined to provide us a different perspective on how technological products are made possible through our artistic imaginations. In the robot artistic product shown in the image below we see how there are robotic screens and LED costumes that show the linkage between robotics and art. The artistic imagination is so crucial to new forms of technology that costumes can be made from LEDs with the electronic device becoming wearable (Dove). In the time of mechanical reproduction, we see how art takes form as technological structures such as the robotics (Benjamin). Screenshot from Toni Dove , Art|Sci Center + Color, Light, Motion  In this image, we see how we can make a robot come alive as a human. We can see how the robot mirrors human body motion. We can  see the potential robot art has in illustrating the physical human form. The technologica...
Read more

Event 4 | The Brain + Art with Mark Cohen | Livier Monarrez

Image
  In this event, The Brain + Art, I learned from Mark Cohen about how the disciplines of art and science intertwine. Cohen is an entrepreneur, scientist, and inventor who teaches at UCLA. In the event, he speaks of interesting concepts including how neuroscience has made way for us to understand art to the next level through which there are brain mechanisms that lead us to take in sensory information differently. These mechanisms have been evolutionarily adaptive as we perceive the world in a meaningful way. Cohen’s paintings, like the one below, show how our brain mechanisms allow us to be able to fill in the lines which are adaptive as our brain can fill in the gaps with the long grass as it resembles the black stripe patterns of a tiger.  Screenshot from Mark Cohen The Brain + Art Additionally, these paintings from Pablo Picasso like the one below show a woman sleeping. This artwork is quite different from regular paintings as your brain is able to allow you to perceive the...
Read more