Eric Musgrave Week 3: Robotics + Art Blog

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Industrialization is the very being that keeps society going. Without the advent of mechanization,  much of our daily tasks such as driving, farming (ie. food production), etc. would be much harder and severely reduced. In the Benjamin reading, he states, "one of the foremost tasks in art [is]... the creation of a demand which could be fully satisfied only later" (pg. 4). Art in conjunction with mechanization/ automation reduces the niche and exclusivity associated with the former. The demand for new art continuously persists thus necessitating the creation of revolutionary outlets of expression. Society responds to this demand by drawing parallels between mechanization and art. Thus, industrialization becomes the art that fills the void created by itself.



I argue that it is the exclusivity and not the art itself that creates the demand for new industrialization. Professor Vesna speaks on the creation of the printing press and how it revolutionized the production of books, and consequently, the spread of religion (Lecture 3). Through the creation of the printing press, the cost of producing books decreased and the demand for them was met. Thus, I argue the content of the books lost importance and instead, it was the version (ie. copy) of the book that represented exclusivity. Society responded to automation by placing an intense focus on modality and versions of a specific item. Hence, with the Mona Lisa, through the advent of copies being made, the original painting did not lose its prestige. In fact, I argue that as the painting became more available for public consumption, the lore surrounding the original only grew.  Davis speaks about the "inevitability [of] a neurasthenic computer" (pg. 383) that is able to replicate paintings amongst other art to the very last detail. However, the knowledge of this creation effectively reduces its charm, no matter the attention to detail.



Dr. V mentions the etymology of robot meaning "forced labor" (Lec 2) which speaks to society's use of robots. They are machines designed to make the lives of humans easier. The film Blade Runner details the need of a human to eliminate robots which are mankind's creation, until he falls in love with one (Lec 1). The line between machine and human in constantly being blurred and remains a core societal discussion. The way in which humanity collides with production significantly impacts the lives of many.



Works Cited

Benjamin, Walter. (1936). The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. 
            https://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/benjamin.pdf

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, p. 381. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.2307/1576221.

Vesna, Victoria. DESMA 9: Art, Science, and Technology - Industrialization, Robotics, Kinetic/ Robotic Art (Lecture 1). University of California, Los Angeles.
Vesna, Victoria. DESMA 9: Art, Science, and Technology - Industrialization, Robotics, Kinetic/ Robotic Art (Lecture 2). University of California, Los Angeles.
Vesna, Victoria. DESMA 9: Art, Science, and Technology - Industrialization, Robotics, Kinetic/ Robotic Art (Lecture 3). University of California, Los Angeles.
Images Cited
AKG IMAGES/ IMAGNO. Photo of Walter Benjamin.  The New Statesman.                             https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2015/10/walter-benjamin-first-pop-philosopher
Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. C2RMF, Department of Paintings of the Louvre. 
Ridley Scott, Vangelis, and Vangelis. BLADE RUNNER. USA, 1982.




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