Week 3: Robotics + Art

  When it comes to industrialization and art, I would definitely say that there is a love-hate relationship between them. In fact, not only art, the whole society is affected by the development of technology in both good and bad ways. In early days, approximately the time of industrial revolution, media works started to portray or satirize the influence of industrialization, more than often the negative influences. In Charlie Chaplin's film Modern Times, the protagonist suffers from modern industrialization after having to screw nuts at high speed and being fed by the feeding machine that he eventually goes nuts. Nonetheless, in the movie Metropolis, a disparity between the rich and the poor due to industrialization is shown and the robot brought huge chaos to the city, implying the detrimental effects of industrialization. 

  Walter Benjamin addressed the effect of mechanization, particularly on artworks, in his article The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. He claims that artworks have aura and aura relies on authenticity. He believes that mechanical reproduction destroyed the aura of arts and therefore the value of arts. I do believe this is true since people don't appreciate the original works as much when they can easily get access to replicas. However, Marshall McLuhan believes that medium is just as important as the message it carries. Mediums like movies and Internet can enable people to see things in very different ways than writings. To sum up, technology has both positive and negative influences on art and the whole society. But I think overall the positive weighs out the negative. 

Sources

Benjamin, Walter, and J. A Underwood. The Work Of Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction.

       London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

McLuhan, Marshall, and W. Terrence Gordon. Understanding Media. Corte Madera, CA: Gingko

       Press, 2003. Print.

Metropolis. Germany: Fritz Lang, 1927. film.

Modern Times. United States: Charlie Chaplin, 1936. film.

Vesna, Victoria. 'Robotics Pt1'. YouTube. N.p., 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. 'Robotics Pt2'. YouTube. N.p., 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Images/Videos Used

Metropolis. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://thefridacinema.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Metropolis-gold.jpg>

Modern Times. 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ridleymcintyre.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/chaplin-charlie-modern-times_01.jpg>

YouTube,. 'Charlie Chaplin - Factory Work'. N.p., 2010. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfGs2Y5WJ14>