Week 3 - Robotics + Art

Week 3 - Robotics + Art

Poster from the 1963-1966
TV Series Astroboy

The distinction in the relationship between robotics and art in Japan and in America and Europe largely stems from how the industrial revolution impacted these regions separately. For example, in England the industrialization of the textile industry drove farmers out of their land for more sheep to be raised. As a result, they were forced into factories in bigger cities effectively becoming part of the machine and circle of industrialization. In Japan, however, industrialization came about in a rapid form in order to combat colonization. Their previous connection to machines was deeply rooted with the Karakuri puppets, a traditional Japanese automaton that provided entertainment to families.

Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster
in the Bride of Frankenstein.

These separate impacts cause the two regions to perceive robotics and technology in two very different manners. In the West, there is a fear and hatred associated with mechanization. Walter Benjamin and Douglas Davis point to the lack of originality and uniqueness associated with mass-manufactured artforms such as film, consequently resulting in “a spectacle which requires no concentration and presupposes no intelligence” (Benjamin). Moreover, movies such as Fritz Lang’s Metropolis portray androids or humanoids as evil and deceptive. On the other hand, in Japan there is an adoration surrounding androids and humanoids in both the science and the arts. We see this especially in Japanese manga and anime such as Astroboy, also known as Mighty Atom, in which the story follows an android with human emotions.

Boston Dynamic's SpotMini - a nimble
dog-like robot that handles objects,
climbs stairs, and will operate in offices,
homes and outdoors.

Nevertheless, today we see the two regions adopting both attitudes on robotics and technology in the arts. American companies such as Boston Dynamics have fascinated themselves with creating machines that can replicate both animal and human figures.  Moreover, Japanese manga also show a darker side to androids such as in the manga series turned anime Attack on Titan. Thus, contemporary artists approach the concept of robotics more comprehensively and holistically, creating works that question man’s fundamental relationship to machine, whether it be positive or negative.

Sources:

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

- 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, JSTOR, doi:10.2307/1576221.

-Ito, Joi. “Why Westerners Fear Robots and the Japanese Do Not.” Wired, July 2018. www.wired.com, https://www.wired.com/story/ideas-joi-ito-robot-overlords/.

- Mims, Christopher. “Why Japanese Love Robots (And Americans Fear Them).” MIT Technology Review, https://www.technologyreview.com/s/421187/why-japanese-love-robots-and-americans-fear-them/. 

- UC Online. Robotics MachikoKusahara 1. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=617&v=xQZ_sy-mdEU. 

Images:

- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056739/mediaviewer/rm4071041024

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_in_popular_culture#/media/File:Frankenstein%27s_monster_(Boris_Karloff).jpg

- https://www.bostondynamics.com/spot#&gid=1&pid=1