MedTech + Art

I’ve never really thought of medical technology as being art even when it was right in front of me. After Professor Vesna mentioned the Bodies exhibit, I remembered that I had actually seen one many years ago. It was an extremely interesting and cool experience but even then I didn’t even realize I was in an art exhibit and not a science one. This lecture has opened up my eyes to the coming together of art and medical science and made me realize the wide world of possibilities which many of the artist mentioned in the lecture have taken advantage of.

Kevin Warwick’s project to surgically implant a silicon chip transponder inside of his body reminded me of the robotics unit. I explored the way in which people respond to robotics and art being formed that led me to believe that most people find the future of robotics to be frightening. If this is the case, then it is even more interesting how Warwick made the choice to merge himself and a computer together. Man and machine being combined is what most people fear, yet Warwick chooses to use himself for the experiment. This shows how some people are willing to sacrifice their own bodies for the sake of science and art.

The trailer for The Island helped me relate to this unit because it shows how a future merging of art and medical science could lead to a even more complicated society where people use clones to help themselves medically. This also brings up the question that if cloning became a reality how would artists ethically use this. Using your own body in an experiment or art piece may be okay because it is your choice but would using a clone be seen as wrong?

Works Cited

"Bodies the Exhibition." Premiere Exhibitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

"Cyborg 1.0." Cyborg 1.0. The University of Reading, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

Edgar, James. "'Captain Cyborg': The Man behind the Controversial Turing Test Claims." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

"The Island Trailer." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2015.

Vesna. "ONLINE COURSE LOGIN." Course Login. UCOnline, n.d. Web. 27 Apr

Robotics + Art

Walter Benjamin explains in his work,The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, that each human sensory perspective is not only biological but is also historical. This coincides with what professor Vesna brings up in her lecture when she says that culture formed the imaging of the first robots we saw. It’s interesting to note that the first robots looked similar to human form because of this cultural impression. People didn’t find these robots to be threatening at first probably because of the way they resembled another human being and their inability to compute new information on their own. Instead they used them as entertainment and weren’t seen the same as they are now in society.

Machiko Kusahara discusses the idea that people have grown to think of robots as evil or something to be afraid of ever since the industrial revolution. This comes from people being forced to work with machines during the revolution where factory workers were forced to operate these large machines. This made these people apart of the machine and began a fear of machinery and therefor robots. It’s interesting how the idea of a powerful robot wasn’t feared before the revolution but since then robotics and machinery has developed far beyond a simple use of entertainment.

The prevalent fear of robots in today’s society is shown through movies such as IRobot. As technology has advanced over the years, a robot in human form has become more eerie and feared than it was when robots first emerged. This is most likely derived from the development in a robots abilities and the mechanical run world we now live in. The robots in this movie are shown doing every human task imaginable before they violently try to take over the world. Since robots can now do more than a human in a faster and more efficient manner, people believe that robots are slowly going to invade our lives starting with toys and simple household appliances. This intimidating feeling robots give people shows our cultures projection on this advanced technology.

Works Cited

Benjamin, Walter, and J. A. Underwood. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. N. pag. Print.

Brooks, Rodney. "Robots Will Invade Our Lives." Ted Talks. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Kusahara, Machiko. "Professor Machiko Kusahara on Japanese Robotics." Course Login. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Szollosy, Michael. "Why Are We Afraid of Robots? The Role of Projection in the Popular Con." Ception of Robots. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Vesna, Victoria. "Robotics Pt1." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.