From Canvas to Code, Intersectionalities of Art and Robotics Due to Industrialization: By Anubhav Chandla

The industrialization has influenced the ways in which art, science, and technology come together to improve societal function as well as human ways of life. The creation of the assembly line has allowed robots to be manufactured on a large scale and has even led to the rise of consumer art culture.

“For the first time in world history, mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual.” (Benjamin 2). The Critique of consumerist art culture and the forms in which art is appreciated are believed to move away from traditional purpose due to the politicization of the spread of artistic goods. Revision of Benjamin’s work discusses that increased access to technology has led to innovative methods of interacting with art that has propelled this field to become increasingly involved in other disciplines such as robotics (Davis 385). For example, artist Takashi Murakami has established “Superflat” which combines traditional views of art with contemporary capitalist means which has allowed him to implement a “business strategy” to further spread his work in which as he follows trends, he is able to guide his work in reaching audiences beyond Japan (Ash-Grimm 3). 

The 1999 famous action movie, The Matrix explores a flipped realm in which humans are at the wrath of machines which showcases the endless possibilities of technology, robotics, and artificial intelligence while also depicting the consequences. The movie itself blends arts and the sciences as pop culture influences and artistic settings generated through computer systems developed the film’s visual aesthetics. The enslavement of humans coupled with the references to previous films and the unique power dynamic intertwine artistic expression from an advanced technological standpoint, a central theme of the film. 

With the rise of artificial intelligence, art has played a significant role in dictating the fields artificial intelligence taps into such as music creation, architecture, 3D modeling, and more. In this cycle, artistic insights are used to curate artificial intelligence interfaces, while everchanging trends stimulate methods in which art is digitally produced and introduced to consumers (Mántaras 2). Additionally, as robots become increasingly integrated into the lives of humans, artistic perspectives are necessary to mitigate ethical dilemmas and increase accessibility to AI resources (Hearth et al 37). 

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