Week 4: Medicine + Technology + Art

"Everyone is scared of genetic DIY. It's crucial for artists to work with such technologies. It is important that we work between science and art." - ORLAN

Whether one sees it as DIY Frankenstein or redefining beauty standards, Orlan's experience under the knife evokes the topics we have been studying in this course. Orlan said it herself in the quote above during an interview expressing the importance of working with science and art as one.

[Image 1: Orlan's borrowings from paintings]

After watching the assigned videos and further delving into this week's topic by reading and scrolling through pages of plastic surgery nightmares, I have come to a personal opinion. Through mixing science + art, the final product could serve as a vehicle of impact. It can improve society and be used for education purposes like we have learned through the body exhibitions.

[Image 2: Body Exhibition by Gunther von Hagens]

This unit has been both very intriguing and disturbing (but I can't seem to look away)! It really puts into perspective the world that we are living in and the future we are moving towards.

Diane Gromala's TED Talk on her journey to bettering her chronic pain relays the importance of mixing art and science and also echoes Unit 1: Two Cultures. In her talk, she spoke about hiring a diverse team including: a physician, computer scientist, designer and animator to create something with healing capabilities. This example sheds some light on what a "Third Culture" can discover.

[Image 3: Diane in Virtual Reality]

Another look into how art+science can create impact is by diving deeper into what a MRI can represent. Being able to perform non-invasive procedures alone to the brain in the past 10 years led to many medical advances. Rasaroli, in Silvia Casini's MRI reading, describes the MRI image synonymously to a self portrait, where the MRI functions "as an acoustic mirror capable of doubling the body and enacting the process of recognition and misrecognition." 

[Image 4: Components of a MRI Scanner]

Until this week, I would have not thought about medicine as another indirect form of art. Now that I think about it, even surgery deals with concentration, precision and sometimes creativity, which can all be experienced by artists when creating a new art installation. It may be a long shot to call surgeons and physicians artists, but it shows how art can be subtle, yet influential and pervasive in our society.

WORKS CITED:

"A Life in Science." Gunther Von Hagens. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Casini, Silvia. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as Mirror and Portrait: MRI Configurations between Science and the Arts. Print.

Coyne, Kristin. "MRI: A Guided Tour." MagLab. N.p., 8 Jan. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Jeffries, Stuart. "Orlan's Art of Sex and Surgery." The Guardian. N.p., 1 July 2001. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Rose, Spencer. "Confronting Pain Project Basis for New Chronic Pain Research Institute at Simon Fraser University | GRAND NCE." GRAND. N.p., 13 Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

"TEDxAmericanRiviera - Diane Gromala - Curative Powers of Wet, Raw Beauty." YouTube. YouTube, 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Week 3: Robotics + Art

“it is with horror, frankly, that he rejects all responsibility for the idea that metal contraptions could ever replace human beings.” – Karl Capek (1935)

The year is 2015. 80 years later and the fear that robots will be capable of replacing (or destroying) us linger in our minds.

[Image 1: Bar graph depicting probability of automation]

Other than survey data collected in the interest of how robots can impact us, it is mass outreach of media and other forms of art that allows us to analyze how society truly responds to industrialization and the effects of mechanization.

My personal observation is that society either revels in amazement or becomes paralyzed with fear.

As a film minor, I am exposed to films arising a lot of the time as a response to a new wave of innovation, a historical triumph and in this case, there are films that also responded to industrialization.  Here is a short scene from “Modern Times” showing Charlie Chaplin becoming one with an assembly line.

[Video 1: Charlie Chaplin in "Modern Times"]

In “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Walter Benjamin states that “mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses toward art,” and film is the most powerful agent (Benjamin, 2-3). I agree with this statement but I find myself disagreeing that mechanical reproduction destroys “aura.” Instead, I would like to venture out with the idea that mechanical reproduction continuously creates new auras with the development of ideas and sharing of perspectives through film.

Robotics is a field that links engineers, visionaries, politicians etc. We can see how robots and art are integrated and depicted in films such as “Her,” “X-men: Days of Future Past” and the most recent robotics film “EX-MACHINA” to see how society responds to industrialization.

HER

[Image 2: Art poster for "Her"]

This film hints at the possibility for finding love with robots. Our society is moving toward a culture where technological advances can be potential lovers and with more innovative findings…who can blame them right?

X-MEN: Days of Future Past

[Image 3: Sentinel robots destroying RFK Stadium]

These robots are adaptive and destructive. With mechanization and mass production, will our armies be robots and are they a potential threat to our being? Another question to ponder is if they will become strong enough to be unstoppable?

EX-MACHINA

[Image 4: EX-MACHINA movie poster]

Described as “a ‘Frankenstein’ for the search-engine generation,” this film involves the concept of artificial intelligence. Will our robots ever gain the intellectual means to be deceptive, strategic and seductive?

Unsure if I’m excited or worried.

WORKS CITED:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. 1st ed. 1936. Print.

"Chaplin Modern Times Factory Scene HD." YouTube. YouTube, 31 Aug. 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANXGJe6i3G8>.

"Episode 34: Spike Jonze's Her: A SIRI-ous Story about Robot Love." The Rusted Robot » Blog Archive » Episode 34: Spike Jonze’s Her: A SIRI-ous Story about Robot Love. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Frei, Vincent. "X-MEN – DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: Lou Pecora – VFX Supervisor – Digital Domain | The Art of VFX." The Art of VFX. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

McCue, Michelle. "Meet Ava In New EX MACHINA Poster; A24 Will Debut First U.S. Trailer On Tuesday - We Are Movie Geeks." We Are Movie Geeks. N.p., 02 Mar. 2015. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Peterson, Hayley. "The 12 Jobs Most At Risk Of Being Replaced By Robots." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 12 Mar. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAZ8bo9T_Pk>.