Week 3 Blog -- Robotics + Art -- Phoebe Nguyen

  In our modern era, it can be hard to imagine life without technology and machines since our society has relied so heavily on it; both in our everyday lives through phones, but also in other means like through production of items we consume. When the printing press was first introduced in the Industrial Revolution, the increased accessibility to knowledge allowed for more people to engage with new information, but it also brought about the idea of a separation of tasks amongst workers; as seen in assembly line productions (Vesna 0:22). 

Printing press | Invention, Definition, History, Gutenberg, & Facts | Britannica

“Book Printing.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 1605, https://www.britannica.com/technology/printing-press#/media/1/477067/4596. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023.

As the presence of metal movable type became more popularized, mass production and the mass exchange of information occurred (Vesna 2:24). Machines and systems of labor were created where humans were assigned a certain job, such as screwing on a bolt, as they contributed to the grand goal of producing an item such as a car. Although this separation of tasks increased efficiency, it led to a process of dehumanization as seen in the Charlie Chaplin film “Modern Times” where we see Charlie becoming consumed by the machines.

 Charlie Chaplin Swallowed by a Factory Machine - Modern Times (1936) - YouTube

Chaplin, Charlie. “Charlie Chaplin Swallowed by a Factory Machine - Modern Times (1936).” YouTube, YouTube, 28 June 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdvEGPt4s0Y.  

The separation of tasks took away from the art that is making an item such as a car – the assembly line formatting makes the person more focused on completing a task “on time” rather than being able to appreciate the artistic process that is making the item itself. Additionally, people’s knowledge becomes limited as they are only able to understand one key aspect of the building process due to the splitting of tasks. 

Walter Benjamin discusses how mechanical reproduction changes the “aura” of art, thus decreasing its overall value (Benjamin 1936). In a world of consumerism fueled by mechanization, the art of producing an object is no longer appreciated, but instead, the commercial appeal it brings (Davis 1995). 

The integration of robotics in society began with creating machines for labor, but has now evolved into creating robots to assist or replace humans in their workplace. Professor Machiko Kusahara discusses differences in interpretations amongst regions as Japan views the use of robots as friendly and helpful opposed to the US’s view of robots being intimidating and harmful (Vesna 2:29). 

Industrialization: What It Is, Examples, and Impacts on Society

Flores, Nono. “Industrialization.” Investopedia, 26 Nov. 2018, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/industrialization.asp. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023.

Overall, I found it interesting to see the evolution of industrialization over time and feel that increased mechanization in society has its benefits when used in moderation, but can be harmful if we become too reliant on it and are unable to maintain or expand our knowledge alongside robots.


References


Benjamin, Walter. “Walter Benjamin's the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” 1936, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781912284894. 

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995).” Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, pp. 381–86. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1576221. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023.

Flores, Nono. “Industrialization.” Investopedia, 26 Nov. 2018, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/industrialization.asp. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Industrialization, Robotics, Kinetic / robotic art” BruinLearn, UC Online, https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/160989/pages/unit-3-view?module_item_id=5946326. 

Vesna, Victoria. “Professor Machiko Kusahara on Japanese robotics” BruinLearn, UC Online, https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/160989/pages/unit-3-view?module_item_id=5946326.   

Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics Part 2” BruinLearn, UC Online, https://bruinlearn.ucla.edu/courses/160989/pages/unit-3-view?module_item_id=594632. 


Images

“Book Printing.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 1605, https://www.britannica.com/technology/printing-press#/media/1/477067/4596. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023.   

Chaplin, Charlie. “Charlie Chaplin Swallowed by a Factory Machine - Modern Times (1936).” YouTube, YouTube, 28 June 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdvEGPt4s0Y. 

Flores, Nono. “Industrialization.” Investopedia, 26 Nov. 2018, https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/industrialization.asp. Accessed 20 Apr. 2023.

Comments

  1. Tessia CartyApril 20, 2023 at 7:46 PM

    Hey Phoebe! I really enjoyed reading your blog this week! I totally understand your reference to the assembly line, especially relating to cars, taking away from the artistic process. I feel like we tend to forget that prior to mass production, no two items barely ever looked the exact same, making them "artistic". Overall this was a super insightful blog and one that covered all the material from this week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carly LevyApril 23, 2023 at 11:36 AM

    Hi Phoebe! I like how you incorporated an example from Charlie Chaplin's film showing the process of dehumanization that came with the separation of a task The way the separation of tasks had taken away from the authenticity of the art intrigued me as prior, I had not that much about this and thought separation of tasks would be rather helpful to all workers. The timeline of when robotics came in to help, has completely evolved art and science as a whole. Robotics created different ways for people to express their creativity side.

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