Week 3: Mechanization, Reproduction, and the Evolution of Art
The intersection of industrialization, robotics, and art has transformed how we define creativity and authenticity. This week, I was especially drawn to Walter Benjamin's essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," which explores how mass production strips a work of its "aura" — its originality and ritual value (Benjamin). When art is copied and distributed, it loses its historical uniqueness.
Douglas Davis expands on Benjamin's argument in "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction," explaining that the line between original and copy has blurred to the point where even the "authentic" becomes unstable in digital space (Davis). Our interactions, likes, and shares become part of the artwork itself.
Arduino and Raspberry Pi are modern tools that allow artists to create interactive pieces using code and robotics (Arduino; Raspberry Pi). These platforms, along with Adafruit and Bantam Tools, empower creators to experiment outside traditional boundaries.
The film Ex Machina (2014) illustrates these ideas. Ava, an AI robot, is both a scientific experiment and a piece of art. She forces us to question who controls technology and whether a machine can hold emotional or artistic value.
Still from "Ex Machina" (2014), A24.
Outside class, I explored Lev Manovich’s The Language of New Media, where he argues that digital art is modular and participatory—ideas that challenge traditional definitions of authorship and originality (Manovich). A Wired article also discussed how robots are now used in performance art, not just as tools, but as active collaborators (Wired).Art today is reproducible, participatory, and constantly evolving. As Davis suggests, digital tools make the viewer a co-creator. This shift isn't a loss—it's a redefinition.
References
Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." 1936.
Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction." Leonardo, vol. 28, no. 5, 1995, pp. 381-386.
Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. MIT Press, 2001.
"What is Arduino?" Arduino, https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Introduction.
"Teach, Learn, and Make with Raspberry Pi." Raspberry Pi Foundation, https://www.raspberrypi.com/.
"Ex Machina." Directed by Alex Garland, performances by Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac, A24, 2014.
"How Robots Are Reshaping Performance Art." Wired, https://www.wired.com/story/robots-performance-art/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
Hi Reiley! Thanks for your post — it is super insightful! I found your connections of Benjamin and Davis to be really thought provoking. It’s fascinating (and slightly unsettling) that the digital age has made the line of original vs. Copy work blurred to where authenticity can be interpreted throughout. Do you think that this shift diminishes arts original value / presence? Or perhaps it helps with redefining this definition associated to robotics and art?
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