This week,
we discuss the impact of industrialization, invention of computer, photography,
moving images and robotics (some of the most recent, complicated creation due
to technological advancement) on arts and science. I have learnt the history of
mass production, from printing press to Ford’s invention of assembly line and
most recently, Robotics and the emerging concept of Artificial Intelligence [1].
Industrialization and mass production offers numerous new ways for an artwork
to be created (i.e. with the aid of Photoshop, video editing software) and to
be replicated. Therefore, I totally agree with Douglas Davis that in this age
of digital reproduction, there is “no longer a clear conceptual distinction
between original and reproduction” [2]. However, concerns also arise from this
technical development, as described by Benjamin as deep regret for the
“relentless destruction of the aura”, blaming mass reproduction for destroying
the “uniqueness, authenticity, ritual” of the classical art [3]. I disagree
with Benjamin because the problem of aura destruction is not due to
mechanization and technology. These technologies only offer new means of new means
of art creation; human beings are the ones who eventually have the control of
these tools and technology should not be the excuse for the reduced imagination
of modern artists.
http://anonhq.com/education-create-adhd-kill-creativity/
Industrialization should not take
the sole responsibility for the change in human arts and disappearance of its
classical, elegant characteristics. It is clear that artistic works are not as
creative as before, however, none of us can deny the fact that technology does introduce
us new, fascinating forms of art creation. Movies and robotics are often criticized as the examples of the typical art forms of mechanical reproduction.
According
to Benjamin, movies have no essence and the process of creating a movie is repetitively
work of mass mechanical production at the expense of originality. But this is not the case! Throughout the years, we see movies like
“Life is Beautiful” that depicts Holocaust with humor and imagination and
movies like Avatar that builds a new world with James Cameron’s imagination and
the aid of 3D technology. Many of the scenes in Avatar are not possible to create
without 3D effects. Of course, there are many popcorn
movies like Twilight that does not provoke any deep thinking or shows much imagination.
In China, there is also a new type of movies that is based on real-life TV
shows, which I call it the ‘fast-food’ movie:
they are merely an extension of the TV shows and a mere combination of scenes
and sound effects. However, we should not take these special cases as the
reflection of the entire movie-production industry. Movie making is a complex
form of art that requires creativity in storyline, aesthetics of scenes
shooting, and aftereffects.
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_546159290102vnsk.html
Robotics, often thought
as merely mechanical reproductions, actually involves and inspires much more
creativity that one may imagine. From an amateur’s perspective, I was heavily involved
in VEX Robotics design and building in my high school. VEX robotics are
definitely more than just a mass production product. The design, controlling
program and how you want it to perform its functions vary greatly from team to
team. Green Egg Robotics, a US VEX robotics team, even captures NASA’s
attention with its creative designs. Moreover, robotics offers a feasible mean
to realize our long-time dream of Artificial Intelligence that may be traced by
to Rene Des Cartes’ Mind-Body problem [4]. WABIAN robot from Japan may walk as naturally
as a human being and react accordingly to different road conditions based on
its walking pattern algorithm (a demonstration of basic level of AI) [5]. Interestingly, Robotics also impact how we think of our future and movie directors frequently incorporate the concept of futuristics artificial life in movies like the Transformers [6]. I can
totally imagine robotics being used creatively in many aspects in the future.
http://phys.org/news/2013-06-wabian-robot-japan-closer-human.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4-zZxVSYkU
To conclude, industrialization should not take the blame for destruction
of aura. In fact, it actually inspires many creations in artwork and enables
the development of new art forms through creative use of technologies. Mass
production and other technological advancement give us new tools for artistic
work and we should take full advantages of it.
Citation:
[1] Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Pt1." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
[2] Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in
the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.
[3] 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>.
[4] Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
[5] Nancy, Owana, “WABIAN robot from Japan steps closer to human walk” Phys Org, 2013. Web. 02 Jun. 2013. <http://phys.org/news/2013-06-wabian-robot-japan-closer-human.html>
[6] Wolpe, Paul R. "Transformers: Is Artificial Intelligence Dangerous without Emotions?" YouTube. YouTube, 28 June 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
Hi Alice! I agree with you that industrialization should not be blamed for the destruction of the aura of art. You are correct about how technology provides new avenues through which artists can express themselves. For example, without modern day lasers and computer controlled systems, we would not have laser etched art. Additionally, many high budget films rely on computer generated images and effects to enhance the viewing experience. Duhamel complained that motion pictures have no contemplative value because before the viewer could think about an image, it has already changed. I agree with you, and I believe this is false. There are plenty of critically acclaimed films that convey deep and profound ideas or provide reflection on the state of society. One does not analyze a film, image by image, but holistically. Contemplation occurs during and after a motion picture and people often watch movies multiple times. The experience is not nearly as passive as claimed by Duhamel.
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