Robotics + Art (Week 3)

The development of technology, it definitely affected art and artists's work in some ways. Regarding to the advent of machinery technology, Benjamin Walter asserted in his essay that technology is changing art, just like our changing perceptions. Then, it gives us a question the worth of art if it's not original. Everything can be replicated, copied, and reproduced by anyone.

Early industrial society

The most prominent feature of industrialization that professor Vesna speaks about in the lecture would be "Mass production." As a result of development of machineries, things could be produced in a large amount in assembly line. For example, Henry Ford could be the representing figure that shows the mass production using assembly line; he made it possible to make way more cars in a short time utilizing high efficiency of production. How does this mass production apply to the change of art? 

Henry Ford's car assembly line

In fact, this social change also brought huge impact on art as well. Because of the mass production, many artworks and activities became not only for the privileged, but also for the general civilians. Everyone can access to artworks easily and also take part into the middle of production. Instead, according to the Davis's writing, since it is replicating tons of same art pieces, the original doesn't have that much of value that it had before. So it can be changed its form in many different ways by producing in volume through new pop art production techniques: Silk Screen. Aligned with this idea, Helena E. Wright, who wrote about graphic arts in industrialization, states the change in distribution and American perspectives on art. She said, "Prints in particular had the advantage of wider distribution at lower cost and therefore reached a larger public, helping to inform American attitudes about the process of industrialization ... influencing the public toward positive acceptance of an industrial way of life." (5)

          

 

     Silk Screen technique; pop art

However, this similarity brought by mass production caused skepticism among many artists who cherished the uniqueness and creativity of each person. Because of the industrialization, everybody as a whole was more important rather than each individual, then, individual's are not protected as themselves.  This time period's social conditions are well reflected through lenses in several films, for example, Oliver Twist. It illustrates one boy's story who lives in this dynamic time period. In the movie, in general, children in labor are not treated well as much as they are supposed to be. This is what mass production caused that each individuals are only recognized for all and totally replaceable.  

https://youtu.be/4aUGLJicck8

Many artist became to revolt against this ridiculous contemporary flow in art. That is what Benjamin Walter called, Dadaism. This movement(anti-war) refuses the existing art paradigm that laid stress on sales value of art, instead, follows the unusual values. Pursued difference and uniqueness. It destroyed the authoritative or elitism of art, which pursues radical form of art like putting toilet in the middle of museum that nobody would have expected ever. One type of it would be parody and the most outstanding artist in Dadaism is Marcel Duchamp who made, fountain. He followed different meaning of rationality and reasonability. He used a certain "objet" to reject the stereotype of it. It was later influenced a lot on many post-war European artists, especially pop artists. As what Kurt Schwitters said that everything an artist created is work of art, he chose ready-made as his source of artwork, then establish the concept of ready-made in art. It clearly showed one disobey against whole existing conventions that indicates the importance of one rather than all.  

Marcel Duchamp: Fountain

http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/dadaism.htm

Citations:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

"Dadaism." ARTYFACTORY. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/dadaism.htm>.

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction.” The MIT Press, 1995. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1576221?uid=3739560&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101286048881>.

Helena E. Wright, IA. The Journal of the Society for Industrial Archeology Vol. 12, No. 2, IA IN ART (1986), pp. 5-18

Oliver Twist. Dir. Roman Polanski. Youtube. N.p., 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <https://youtu.be/4aUGLJicck8>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Lecutre Part 2.” Robotics + Art. 19 Apr. 2015. Lecture.