ROBartICS

With the introduction of robotics comes new forms of artistic expression as well as much controversy. How a viewer receives an art installation using these technologies depends much on the background, purpose, and presentation of the piece. This section of the textbook did a good job of highlighting art which reflects both the positive and negative views people have towards merging the real and artificial.

From my experience, people enjoy using many computer-programmed technologies. Humans are comfortable with these technologies within a certain context, including the use of avatars in Second Life, controlling home systems (locks, heat, surveillance cameras, etc.) from a distant location, and even communicating with the smart phone intelligence navigator "Siri". Thomas Shannon's Squat, in which a sculpture responded to viewers by their touching of an ivy plant, is a good use of robotics in which the viewer is at ease (Art & Electronic Media). An installation such as raises questions regarding humans and their effect on their surroundings, but don't delve into the idea of non-human communication or surrogate agents.

When the terms "robot" and "surrogate" enter the picture, it seems that people tend to be more cautious. How a person views and/or interacts with art surrounding these topics varies greatly. However, in the proper context, a piece can have great emotional impact on a person and make them uneasy. Survival Research Labs proved this with Increasing the Latent Period in a System of Remote Destructibility (1997). This work modeled a probable future when robots acted in and of themselves and communicated with other robots and machines to create destruction. The intent was to forecast a possible reverse master-servant relationship between humans and machines, exposing the possible danger of surrogates (Art & Electronic Media). This is also a common theme in popular culture, such as the short stories series turned film I, Robot and famed 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Following the patterns in the past, as technology increases and robotics becomes more advanced, they will also become subtly streamlined into everyday life. There will likely be controversy along the way, that is to be expected. It will be interesting to see where it is implemented and more importantly, how it is implemented in the future.

CULTURE JAM. IS THAT SIMILAR TO STRAWBERRY?

As stated in Art and Electronic Media, "artist Peter D'Agostino has noted, Brecht sought to change radio "from its sole function as a distribution medium to a vehicle of communication [with] two-way send/receive capability..." (Shanken 32). In reading this section, I continually thought about how advances technologies have or have not changed the predominant one-way communication mediums of radio and television. Podcasts, for instance, are a newer form of radio broadcasting, sometimes allowing listener feedback. The podcast itself, however, is still a prefabricated form of entertainment where the user has no impact on that particular broadcast itself. Because people are acclimating to a culture based highly on communicating through technology, people are also becoming more apt to share information. Seemingly silly information, like a "dream wedding" Pinterest, can be linked to a person's Facebook profile or blog, allowing other users to access more personal information than many think.

When considering the use of Facebook and privacy issues, I keep thinking of the various surveillance methods associated with social media and modern technologies. In addition, which types information people choose to keep private, and which they do not. Photo mapping, for instance, can allow internet users to access not only images, but locations of another person's whereabouts. In addition, people can "check in" through various social media networks, many of which can be linked together. Users may not think of this as a form of surveillance, but more as a bragging outlet or way to inform their friends. However, it is possible for other users to view who has been to a specific location using sites/apps such as Yelp and Foursquare. This fact made me recall a piece I saw in which the artist hacked in to a parking garage security camera and projected the video feed on the side of a wall in a city center. This idea of using seemingly secure information and using it for a different, very public purpose can make a person feel uneasy and reconsider the control of various monitoring systems. This illustrates the power of art through the use of networks, surveillance, and culture jamming.

...Thoughts on the topic?