Week Three

 April 15, 2021

Week Three: Robotics + Art

Robots occupy every single aspect of our modern lives. Whether it be at home or at work, computerized agents are everywhere we look. Walking into my home, I have a robot that helps vacuum and clean my house with the press of a button and will go back to its original spot once it's finished. Before its mass-production, I would have never imagined that there would be a self-cleaning robot assisting me with a basic chore. Now, this dream is reality. This mass-produced robot is just one product of industrialization and how consumers can use these creations to their benefit. 

Picture of iRobot Roomba Vacuum 

Picture of Industrialization in today's society

The process of industrialization has masked the concept of originality. For example, David Douglas's article talks about how reproductions are identical and how originality is doomed. Similarly, Walter Benjamin's article mentions the problems of reproductions and the importance of originality and authenticity. While reproductions are identical copies of the original object, none of the reproductions can replace the original's unique placement in time. For example, The Starry Night painting by Vincent Van Gogh will always be an influential piece in history and the original will be priceless. Nonetheless, reproductions of this monumental piece can be bought for less than ten dollars online. The market for these items is the reason for industrialization. People's desire for affordable versions of these items is part of the basis of our economy, thus causing originality to be suppressed in the process. 

Picture of The Starry Night, painted by Vincent Van Gogh 

References:

admin Earth.com staff writer. “Scientists Say Industrialization Is to Blame for Rapid Population Decline • Earth.com.” Earth.com, 21 Dec. 2016, www.earth.com/news/industrialization-rapid-population-decline/.

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

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.

“IRobot Roomba 675 Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum.” Target, www.target.com/p/irobot-roomba-675-wi-fi-connected-robot-vacuum/-/A-53741618.

“The Starry Night.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/The-Starry-Night.