Week 3 Robots and Arts

This week's theme of robotics and art discusses the effects of mass production and industrialization on art. The industrialization has created new art forms, from the invention of the car to digital art produced on computers (Professor Vesna, Robotics and Art Lecture 2). Mass production in the West is rooted in the development of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1436, which allowed for the mass production of books and enhanced the dissemination of knowledge. Later, this mass production evolved from the assembly line, famously known for its use in the Ford auto factories.

Surprisingly, even though mass manufacturing has advanced modern society by extending access to resources (cars, computers, and textiles.), Walter Benjamin explicates that such activity eliminates art's unique existence and authenticity. While industrialization has benefited society in several ways, the habit of reproduction affects art and alters societal reaction.

Furthermore, this week's class acknowledges the convergence of art and robotics. With industrialization and modern technology, robots have become a trending cultural topic. In addition, people typically view robots for entertainment and practical uses, such as robotic waiters and health care workers. 

As Professor Machiko Kusahara's lecture about robots in Japanese culture features the differences in the reception of robots, he claims robots are more socially accepted in Japanese culture than they are in the United States. Most of these robots show human or animal characteristics, making them more favorable and opening the door into the world of cyborgs that embodies scientific entertainment. I was intrigued by how robotics marks the interrelated nature of art and technology and how society interacts with these themes.

Work Cited

Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”. 1936. file:///Users/Downloads/BenjRepro.pdf

“Covid Robocop: Pepper, Friendly Robot, Gives Reminders to Wear Your Mask.” The Economic Times, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/covid-robocop-pepper-friendly-robot-gives-reminders-to-wear-your-mask/articleshow/78105421.cms.

“Game Changer: 100th Anniversary of the Moving Assembly Line.” Game Changer: 100th Anniversary of the Moving Assembly Line | Ford Media Center, https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/features/game-changer--100th-anniversary-of-the-moving-assembly-line.html.

“Gutenberg Press.” International Printing Museum, https://www.printmuseum.org/gutenberg-press. 

Kusahara, Machiko. “Robotics and Art Lecture”. Waseda University.

Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics and Art: Lecture 2”. University of California Los Angeles.