Week 3: Robotics + Art

As discussed in the lecture, ever since the Industrial Revolution, advances in science and technology have influenced the world of art and our everyday lives. With Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press in the 1400’s, this led to the development of mass production, allowed for the wide exchange of ideas, and essentially facilitated the progress that has brought about today’s scientific and artistic works.

The critic and philosopher, Walter Benjamin, though made valid arguments for the negative influences of science on art. According to Benjamin, the technology of mechanical reproduction would destroy the authenticity of an artwork and “detach the reproduced work from the domain of tradition.” While this can be true for example in the creativity lacking in the mass-produced wall décor people buy from department stores, I still see technology and mass production, especially in the form of film, as an effective way to encourage originality and new ideas.

Mass produced art from Bed Bath and Beyond

The 2014 animated Disney film, Big Hero 6, is a fun example of how science and robotics has entered the film industry. In the scene below, which I feel is completely relevant this class, the movie promotes the association between technology and imagination! Like the main character, Hiro, actual scientists are combining their engineering and scientific backgrounds with an artist’s way of thinking to create robots like geminoids and protective suits. In Big Hero 6, Hiro also forms a close bond with Baymax, an inflatable robot-nurse, and Baymax’s nursing skills have even encouraged new discussions like Kelli Dunham’s NPR article about the nursing field. As people are able to take the film and use it to bring up ideas unrelated to the main themes, this further demonstrates the power of technology to inspire innovation.

Scene from Big Hero 6

References:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”. 1936. Print.

Big Hero 6. Dir. Don Hall and Chris Williams. Perf. Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, and Daniel Henney. Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2014.

Dunham, Kelli. “Why Does It Take A Movie Robot To Show What Nurses Really Do?” NPR.org. National Public Radio, 21 December 2014. Web. 16 April 2015.

Uconlineprogram. “Robotics MachikoKusahara 1.” YouTube. YouTube, 14 April 2012. Web. 19 April 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQZ_sy-mdEU>.

Uconlineprogram. “Robotics pt1.” YouTube. YouTube, 15 April 2012. Web. 19 April 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRw9_v6w0ew>.