Week 3 | Robotics + Art | Blog Assignment

    Robotics and mechanization have become part of our current life. From simple contraptions that aid us in everyday life, such as a Roomba, or complex humanoid robots mentioned by Maša Jazbec. However, there has been fear of robots as well. To make people more comfortable and alleviate some of these fears, robots have been made to resemble humanoid structures. Art and design are needed to work alongside mechanization and robotics in order to be effective. Mechanization and industrialization act as tools, which means that there are specific benefits and drawbacks to their uses. 

https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/20/18104679/irobot-roomba-i7-plus-robot-smart-vacuum-review-price-specs-features


    Industrialization and mechanization have taken over modern production. This has often caused a loss in artisan crafts, such as a mass-produced knife versus one formed by a master blacksmith. Similar to Walter Benjamin, reproduction cannot compare to the original, no matter how skillfully it was recreated due to the time of the existence of the original. An example of this is evident in clay pottery. Pottery has been an art for thousands of years, dating back nearly 30,000 years for the first form of pottery. Nowadays machines and robots are capable of making perfectly uniform pieces of pottery, which were not possible in the past. However, these "perfect" pieces of artwork are not put on display in museums, but rather ancient handmade pieces of pottery are on display. The original handmade artwork, the clay pottery, in this case, is significant due to the history, and culture it represents even if it is imperfect (not being perfectly uniform, like what machines are capable of).

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ancient_Greek_pottery_in_the_National_Archaeological_Museum_in_Athens_16.JPG

    However, technology and robotics can be used as tools to elevate the art. Many arts such as metalworking/ blacksmithing have turned to technology. Blacksmiths utilize robotics on larger pieces of metal that they otherwise would not be able to work on. The use of robotics allows the artistry of blacksmithing to be applied to pieces of metal that would have otherwise never been able to do so. Art and robotics can blend together to form pieces of artwork that would not have been possible in the past.

https://theconversation.com/robotic-blacksmithing-a-technology-that-could-revive-us-manufacturing-125428


Citations

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008.

Glenn S. Daehn Fontana Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. “'Robotic Blacksmithing': A Technology That Could Revive US Manufacturing.” The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2021, theconversation.com/robotic-blacksmithing-a-technology-that-could-revive-us-manufacturing-125428.

“History of Blacksmithing.” Oldfield Forge, 28 May 2020, www.oldfieldforge.co.uk/history-of-blacksmithing/.

Milano, Steve. “How Does New Technology in Bakeries Affect the Workplace?” Work, 29 Oct. 2020, work.chron.com/new-technology-bakeries-affect-workplace-19878.html.

Peter. “Types of Art: Ceramics and Pottery.” ArtsHeaven.com, 2 July 2019, www.artsheaven.com/types-of-art-ceramics-and-pottery.

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