Unit 3 – Robotics + Art

An important recurring topic that surfaced this week was mechanical reproduction. In the worlds of science and art this was obviously a great leap forward. One example of this is the printing press and how it allowed the mass reproduction of knowledge. This mass production has also influenced the art world, but the way it has influenced the art world is slightly more controversial than the science world.

In the film “Big Hero 6” a young inventor created a robot called Baymax to assist in daily health care of individuals. Another kind of bot in the film was the micro-bot. At first people were fascinated and impressed with the technology and all of the good that it could do for society (constructing grand buildings and creating a new system of transportation), but once this technology was put in the wrong hands it quickly became a negative force in the film and even the protagonist, Hiro, who invented the micro-bots to help society was afraid of them because of the malicious manner they were used.

Society’s response to the different robots seemed to be based on the good that could come from the inventions. This touches on industrialization and the paradigm shift which accompanies new technology that affects people’s lives. In the 20^th century, U.S. workers shifted their careers from agriculture to assembly lines; soon after this more and more robots were able to take over positions of the assembly line workers. This created a larger wealth gap and tension between classes. This is also an adjustment Hiro’s society would have to address after the invention of micro-bots.

In the end, while saving Hiro, Baymax was able to remove his programing chip and send it with Hiro, so that another robot could be programed with all the prior knowledge of the original Baymax. This allowed Hiro to continue his friendship with Baymax where he left off.

This brings up the idea of mechanical reproduction that Walter Benjamin wrote about. Walter Benjamin seemed to prefer a time when art was not as easy to obtain. “Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space” (Walter 1). An “original” work of art was important to him because no other could be recreated just the same or at the same time, so there would always be some variability.

Works Cited:

Bellotto, Adam. “Meet the Robots of ‘Big Hero 6.’” Film School Rejects. N.p., 3 Sep. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/big-hero-6-robots.php>.

Big Hero 6. Perf. Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney. Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2014. Film.

Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” Marxists. N.p. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.

Bigman, Alex. “History of the Design Grid II.” The Creative Edge. N.p., 13 Feb. 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <http://99designs.com/designer-blog/2013/03/26/history-of-the-grid-part-2/>.

Rose, Bethany. “Milk Teeth: Art School is for everyone.” Milk Teeth. N.p., 2 Oct. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. < http://bethanyroselamont.blogspot.com/2014/10/art-school-is-for-everyone.html>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Robotics pt 1.” UC online program. Youtube, 15 April 2012. Web. 14 April 2015. < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRw9_v6w0ew >.